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    Interactive Learner Guide
    Cambridge IGCSE™ Geography 0460 - for examination from 2020




    • Syllabus content - what you need to know about


    • You will have three assessments:

      • Two theory papers:
        • Paper 1 (Geographical Themes)

        • Paper 2 (Geographical Skills)


      • One practical assessment
        • either Component 3 (Coursework)
        • or Paper 4 (Alternative to Coursework).


      Your teacher will be able to tell you whether you are doing coursework (Component 3) or taking Paper 4.

      • If you are doing coursework, you will complete one assignment and take Paper 1 and Paper 2 in the examination.
      • if you are not doing coursework, you will take three papers in the examination, Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 4.


      Make sure you always check the latest syllabus, which is available at www.cambridgeinternational.org.





    • How you will be assessed
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    • What skills will be assessed?

    • The areas of knowledge, understanding and skills that you will be assessed on are called assessment objectives (AO).

      What skills?

      We take account of the following skill areas in your examination papers:

      • your knowledge (what you remember) and understanding (how you use what you know and apply it to new situations)
      • how you interpret and analyse information, e.g. data, graphs, diagrams, photographs
      • how you make judgements and decisions, including conclusions, based on information.


      These skills are called assessment objectives. They are explained in the sections below. Your teacher will be able to give you more information about how each of these is tested in the examination papers.

      AO1: Knowledge with understanding

      What does the AO mean?

      Remembering facts and applying these facts to new situations

      What do you need to be able to do?

      Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

      • the wide range of processes, including human actions, contributing to the development of a. physical, economic and social environments and their effects on the landscape b. spatial patterns and interactions which are important within these environments
      • the relationships between human activity and the environment
      • the importance of scale (whether local, regional or global)
      • the changes which occur through time in places, landscapes and spatial distribution
      AO2: Skills and analysis

      What does the AO mean?

      How you select information and apply geographical understanding to explain the information

      What do you need to be able to do?

      • Interpret and analyse geographical data
      • Use and apply geographical knowledge and understanding to maps and in numerical, diagrammatic, pictorial, photographic and graphical form
      • Use geographical data to recognise patterns in such data and to deduce relationships
      • Select and show understanding of techniques for observing and collecting data
      • Select and use techniques for organising and presenting data.
      AO3: Judgement and decision making

      What does the AO mean?

      Being able to make judgements based on information and recognise possible decisions

      What do you need to be able to do?

      Use your geographical training to:

      • reason and make judgements and decisions, including evaluation and conclusions, which demonstrate, where appropriate:
        • an appreciation of the attitudes, values and beliefs of others in issues which have a geographical dimension
        • an awareness of the contrasting opportunities and constraints of people living in different places and under different physical and human conditions
        • a willingness to review their own attitudes in the light of the views of others and new knowledge acquired
      • make judgements and decisions and recognise how these are made within a geographical context as affected and constrained by:
        • the physical and human contexts in which decisions are made
        • the values and perceptions of differing groups or individuals
        • the choices available to decision makers
        • the increasing level of global interdependence and the need for sustainable development.



    • Command words

    • The flipcards below include command words used in the assessment for this syllabus.
      The use of the command word will relate to the subject context.



    • Revision

    • Explore the advice below to help you revise and prepare for the examinations.  It is divided into general advice for all papers and more specific advice for Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 4.


    • General advice - before the examination

      • Find out when the examinations are and plan your revision so you have time to revise.
      • Create a revision timetable and divide it into sections to cover each topic.
      • Find out how long each paper is, how many questions you have to answer, how many marks there are for each question, and work out how long you have for each question.
      • Find out the choices you have on each paper, make sure you know how many sections there are and which sections you should answer from.
      • When there is a choice of questions in a section, make sure you revise enough to have a choice.
      • Know the meaning of the command words used in questions and how to apply them to the information given.
      • Look at past examination papers and highlight the command words and check what they mean.
      • Make revision notes. Try different styles of notes.
      • Work for short periods then have a break.
      • Revise small sections of the syllabus at a time.
      • Test yourself by writing out key points, redrawing diagrams, etc.
      • Make sure you define geographical terms accurately, e.g. deforestation is not simply ‘cutting down trees’, it is ‘the total deliberate removal or clearance of forest/trees by cutting and/or burning at rates faster than natural regeneration or without replanting’.
      • Definitions must not reuse the words to be defined. E.g. land pollution means the contamination (pollution) of the earth’s surface (land) by the unplanned or illegal disposal of waste substances.
      • Make your own dictionary or draw up a glossary of key terms for each section of the syllabus. Look at maps, diagrams, tables, etc. to find out what they show; e.g., recognising landforms and settlement patterns on maps and photographs.
      • Practise drawing clear, IGO, neat, fully-labelled diagrams and maps.
      • Learn your case studies thoroughly. What do they show? How you might use them? Where in the world are they? Are they are local, regional, international or global scale?
      • Make a list of case studies for each section of the syllabus.
      • Look at past questions and decide which case study would be best to answer each one.
      • Know your own local case studies, whenever possible.
      • Learn to spell geographical terms correctly.
      • Have a look at past questions so that you are clear of what to expect in an examination.
      • Look at mark schemes to help you to understand how the marks are awarded for each question.

      General advice - in the examination

      • Read the instructions carefully and answer the right number of questions from the right sections.
      • Do not answer more questions than are needed, as this will not gain you more marks in the examination.
      • Plan your time according to the marks for each question. For example, a question worth three marks requires less time and a shorter answer than one worth 10 marks.
      • If a question has several parts, then the parts with more marks will need more time and more developed answers.
      • Do not leave out questions or parts of questions.
      • Remember, no answer means no mark.
      • Read each question very carefully.
        • Identify the command words – you could underline or highlight them
        • Identify the other key words and perhaps underline them too
        • Try to put the question into your own words to understand what it is really asking.
      • Read all parts of a question before starting your answer. Think carefully about what is needed for each part. You will not need to repeat material.
      • Look very carefully at the resource material you are given
        • Read the title, key, axes of graphs, etc. to find out exactly what it is showing you
        • Look for dates, scale, and location
        • Try using coloured pencils or pens to pick out anything that the question asks you about.
      • Answer the question. This is very important! Use your knowledge and understanding. Do not just write all you know, only write what is needed to answer the question.
      • Plan your answers. Clear, concise, well-ordered, well-argued, well-supported answers get more marks than long, rambling, muddled, repetitive ones. Quality is better than quantity.
      • Use geographical terms in your answers as much as possible.
      • Use the resource material given in the question to support your answer. Annotated maps, diagrams and graphs can help you, and be used to support your answer. Use them whenever possible but do not then repeat the information in words.
      • Use case study material even when it is not required specifically by the question. Case studies and examples can come from your home area
      • Make sure your writing is clear and easy to read. It is no good writing a brilliant answer if the examiner cannot read it.

      Paper 1 advice

      • Look at the instructions on the front of the paper. You have to choose three out of the six questions, one out of two questions in each section so that you answer a question on each of the three themes.
      • Do not try to answer all the questions, you will not have time to answer them properly.
      • Write the answers to the questions in the spaces in the question and answer booklet provided, using this as a rough guide to the amount of detail and length of answer that is needed.
      • If you run out of space continue the answer on the spare lined sheet at the back of the booklet. Make sure you number any continuation answers carefully and also indicate that your answer is continued on the extra page at the end of your partly-written answer.
      • Look at the number of marks available for each part of a question. Do not spend too much time on one part if it is only worth one or two marks, or alternatively write only a short answer when a question is worth more marks.
      • Timing is important, do not spend too much time on your first chosen question, otherwise you will have to rush the last question.
      • Just in case you run out of time, if there is a question which you are not confident on, answer it last.
      • Read the information given in the stem of the question carefully as well as the questions themselves.
      • Wherever possible in your answers try to include relevant examples and case studies. There may be local examples which you could use in your answers.
      • Where you are asked to complete an answer by labelling or drawing on a resource you must do this rather than writing an answer.
      • If you use any extra sheets make sure that you put your name on them and attach them to your answer booklet before handing it in.
      • When you are asked to use a written resource you will not be given marks for copying out sections from it.
      • Look at the question you are being asked and try to show your understanding by answering in your own words.
      • If you are asked to compare or describe the differences between two things it is no good just writing about one. You could use words like ‘bigger’ or ‘more’ to help you compare or a word like ‘whereas’ in the middle of your sentence, e.g. ‘a constructive wave deposits material on the coast whereas a destructive wave erodes material from it’.
      • Try to be as precise as possible as vague statements are unlikely to get you many marks. e.g. ‘A Stevenson Screen is used to get accurate readings’ is far too vague. You need to give details explaining why readings are accurate when a Stevenson Screen is used (the louvers allow a free flow of air, the white surface reflects the sun’s rays, it allows you to take temperatures in the shade etc.).
      • Make sure you know the differences between global environmental problems which you may have studied. Many people mix up global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain.
      • You must also make sure you do not mix up causes and effects / consequences – you may be asked for one or the other so read the question carefully.
      Paper 2 advice

      • This paper is testing a range of skills.
      • Try to be as accurate as you can with measuring and plotting.
      • Take your time, take care and always use a ruler to complete graphs and measure straight line distances.
      • Many questions ask you to ‘use the evidence’ in the resources provided such as the maps, photographs and graphs.
      • You must make sure that you do so rather than using your background knowledge, e.g. if you are asked to describe the features of an industry shown in a photograph there is no need to include general information about that industry and its location.
      • If you are asked to describe features of a coastal area shown on a map there will be no credit for explaining how they were formed.
      • If you are asked to use evidence from the map to explain why there are no settlements in some areas there is no point in referring to the climate as the map extract is unlikely to include information about it.
      • Practise basic map skills, for example six-figure grid references. Candidates sometimes get the third and sixth figures confused.
      • Make sure you give the reference for the position of the symbol rather than the name of the place.
      • If you are asked to measure a distance it is worth using the linear scale below the map and a straight edged piece of paper. By doing this you will be less likely to make mistakes which are possible when using calculation to convert centimetres to kilometres and metres.
      • Look carefully at what units you need to use, whether you should answer to the nearest kilometre or in metres.
      • Make sure you always give the units in your answer rather than just writing down the number.
      • You could be asked to give a direction or a compass bearing.
      • Make sure you know the difference and check which of the features you are measuring from and to, by looking carefully at the wording of the question.
      • If you are asked to draw a graph be as accurate as you can, measuring carefully and using a ruler.
      • Take care to draw the type of graph that the question asks for rather than a different type of graph.
      • Make sure you know how to draw and read a divided bar graph; it is used in a different way from a normal bar graph.

      Paper 4 advice

      • This paper is an alternative to coursework and to prepare for it you need to be able to answer questions about collecting, presenting and analysing data like you would in a geographical investigation. There is nearly always a question that asks you to write a conclusion and an evaluation. You need to practise these skills.
      • Many of these questions are based on a hypothesis. Make sure you are familiar with testing hypotheses.
      • You will be given resources to use in the examination which you have not seen before, perhaps different types of graphs or diagrams. Look at the diagrams carefully and think carefully about what they are showing before you answer the questions. You may be asked to complete a diagram, in which case you need to complete it accurately and carefully.
      • You will have to answer questions about data which has already been collected as part of an investigation. This could be a set of figures, graphs or maps. One of the things you will be asked to do is to recognise and describe patterns or trends, e.g. the distribution of rainfall over an area as shown on a map or over time as shown on a graph, the amount of erosion alongside a footpath as shown on a diagram. You should practise this skill, using data which you have collected yourself, or data from your teacher.
      • If you are asked questions about the data in the resources you will be expected to use that data rather than simply listing or repeating the figures, e.g. you may be asked to compare two sets of data about different places, look for a relationship between two or more sets of data or recognise similarities and differences. However it is always useful to support your answer by referring back to the resource and quoting data from it.
      • Learn about the different types of samples that can be used when collecting data – you may be asked to describe the advantages of using systematic or stratified sampling for example. Many candidates assume that the only sample that can be taken is a random sample.
      • You may be asked to suggest practical ways in which something could be improved. This could be an actual investigation or something which has been investigated, e.g. the amount and distribution of pollution in a river. You will be expected to be realistic in your suggestions so always think about whether they are practical. For example to suggest that all the residents of a town should be interviewed rather than taking a sample is unrealistic. Similarly, to suggest that all factories alongside the river are shut down is not a suggestion which is practical.
      • When asked to write a conclusion you need to look at the evidence and then say whether you think the hypothesis is correct or not. In a few cases it may be only partly correct. You must then give evidence to support your conclusion. This evidence must be based on the data provided in the question.


    • Consider your confidence with each topic area.
      Download the full learner guide to see the detailed expectations for each topic.
      Drag colour option


    • Theme 1: Population and settlement

    • 1.1 Population dynamics
      1.2 Migration
      1.3 Population structure
      1.4 Population density and distribution
      1.5 Settlements and service provision
      1.6 Urban settlements
      1.7 Urbanisation

    • Theme 2: The natural environment

    • 2.1 Earthquakes and volcanoes
      2.2 Rivers
      2.3 Coasts
      2.4 Weather
      2.5 Climate and natural vegetation

    • Theme 3: Economic development

    • 3.1 Development
      3.2 Food production
      3.3 Industry
      3.4 Tourism
      3.5 Energy
      3.6 Water


    • Download the full learner guide to make use of the full guidance and revision checklists:



    • Useful websites

    • The websites listed below are useful resources to support your Cambridge IGCSE Geography studies


      • Geography all the way
        Geography All The Way

        This is a wide-ranging site which includes good coverage of the content of the 0460 IGCSE Geography syllabus, which will be useful both to teachers and learners. The approach is lively and there is basic text as well as some good photos, maps, diagrams, links to YouTube and even a few worksheets.


      • Nationmaster
        NationMaster

        A useful website to compare countries at different levels of development using a wide range of statistics. You can choose which countries or continents to compare and select different statistics including population, economy, agricultural information and environmental pollution data. A bar graph is drawn to show the chosen statistics and the results are mapped. There are further links on your chosen countries giving further information.


      • US Geological Survey
        U.S. Geological Survey

        This is a USA based site and has a lot of good, up-to-date information on the structure of the earth and the hazards of volcanoes and earthquakes. On the home page, go to the alphabetical index and find ‘volcanic activity’ or ‘earthquakes’. The FAQs are good for revision or further explanation. The hazards section provides useful case study information. The most exciting feature of this website is the links for daily monitoring of volcanoes and earthquakes i.e. to see what seismic activity is going on at that precise moment. You can follow the links for a specific US area, e.g. Alaska or select a world map of seismic activity at www.earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/. By clicking on the map you can obtain further information about the depth and magnitude of the recent earthquake.


      • United States Census Bureau
        United States Census Bureau

        This home page contains the world population clock which constantly updates the number of people in the world. To find and use population pyramids of different countries, follow the link under ‘people’ to ‘international’ and then International Data Base (IDB) and ‘population pyramids’. Select a country, e.g. Namibia and submit the query to show the 2000, 2025 and 2050 expected pyramids. You can also choose a specific date for a pyramid but the most interesting feature is the dynamic pyramid which shows how the population changes over time. Choose countries with different birth and death rates or at different stages of economic development to compare population structures.