Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Adapted, 2021, 2i Paper Ans
Adapted, 2021, 2i Paper Ans
1. Fig. 1 below shows the expected share of population aged 60 and older
in China.
Fig. 1
a) Describe the projected trend shown above and explain its economic [4]
impacts on China.
Impacts:
The share of persons above 60 is expected to increase/double
From 17.4 to 34.6%
This will cause a labour shortage
because fewer people entering the job market
this will result in higher labour costs
which will create an unattractive environment for investors
this will obstruct efforts by the country to remain competitive
and restrict its economic growth
the working group would have to pay more taxes to help support
services for the growing aged population.
(cap at 3.5m if no data)
1
2. Study Fig. 2 below.
Fig. 2
a) Using only information from Fig. 2, describe three differences in the [3]
quality of life of people living in Tokyo and Mexico City.
2
Air quality is worse in Mexico City too
It ranks 9 versus 4 for Tokyo
[minus 0.5m if no units indicated]
b) With reference to Fig. 2, identify one city that is likely to have poor [4]
housing conditions and explain the impacts on the residents.
Mumbai/Kolkata
People in Mumbai are likely to stay in slums
Houses in slums are also likely to be overcrowded
As indicated by the high 4.2 persons per room in Fig.2
So diseases can spread easily
Lack of access to electricity and fresh water is also a common
problem in slums
In Mumbai, about 17% of homes do not have access to water and
electricity
Residents have poor hygiene due to lack of water
Contributing to the poor health of residents
Social Impact
Fatigue due to long travelling times
This can cause accidents
Exposure to fumes during traffic jams can cause asthma and lung
diseases
More time spent on the roads can increase stress and cause
frustration
This can lead to accidents and fights
In the long run it will affect the population’s health negatively
Exposure to smog can reduce life expectancy by up to 15 years,
according to a British Medical Journal.
Economic Impact
Reduced productivity
As more time is spent on the road
Leads to higher transportation cost
consumer goods will be more costly
and this will cause greater inflation
Eg in 2014, there was a 9% of annual income per head economic
loss in Singapore due to congestion
In Philippines up to 2.5b peso loss in earnings due to delays in traffic
(Max 3m for 1 impact)
3
2. “Population policies introduced by the government are the most [8]
important factor influencing the birth rate of a country.” How far do you
agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
Given Factor:
I agree to some extent
The government can launch policies to increase or slow down
the birth rate.
Examples: To limit the population growth the government of
Singapore introduced the “Stop at two” policy through various
measures.
Couples were given incentives to get sterilisated after their second
child
Abortion was legalised to reduce unwanted pregnancies
There was extensive public education to publicise this policy
through media, posters, etc
This policy was very successful and birth rates dropped from
4.46% in 1966 to 1.82% in 1977.
However, government policies are not always successful
Singapore’s 'Have three and more if you can afford it' policy
was introduced in 1987 to boost births
However, it has not been successful and birth rates are less than
1% now.
Thus the role of the government greatly affects the birth rate and
population size of a country.
2 Other factors:
Factor 1
Other factor 2
However there are other factors that affect the birth rate of a
country such as improvement in standard of living
In developed countries, standard of living is high
This increases the cost of living
In Singapore people desire the best for their children, eg music
classes, tuition, etc.
Hence cost of raising children increases, and some estimate it at
more than $500000 per child.
This causes many couples to have few children and birth rates
remain low.
As a country develops accessibility to improved medical facilities
and health care services improves life expectancy and reduces
infant mortality rate
this reduces the need to have many children as most children
born will survive.
However, some developed countries encourage migration of
young working adults, who marry and have babies, boosting birth
rates.
In spite of this, higher standard of living generally decreases birth
rates.
Level 1 (1 – 3m)
Level Descriptor Marks
5
L1 States stand 1m
(1-3 m) Describes given factor vaguely
Describes given factor, without eg 2m
Describes given factor with eg 3m
L2 Clear explanation of given factor with 4m
(4-6 m) detailed examples
OR explains given factor and another
factor with only one example
At least one counter argument, which
may be weak
Clear explanation of 2 factors plus 2 5m
detailed egs
At least one good counter argument
Clear explanation of 3 factors plus egs, 6m
Two good counter arguments
L3 Clear explanation of 3 factors plus 7m
(7-8 m) detailed egs for all
Good counter arguments
Conclusion justifies opinion logically. 8m
China has for the first time embraced road congestion fees
that are similar to Singapore's Electronic Road Pricing (ERP)
as a solution to tackle traffic jams that have worsened even in
smaller cities.
Fig. 1
Increasing the capacity and frequency of the buses and rail is also a
good strategy to manage traffic congestion in megacities
To help relieve traffic congestion, buses and rail systems can be
upgraded to carry more people and run more frequently.
One good example of this is the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Curitiba,
Brazil, which has triple-sectioned articulated buses that arrive every
90 seconds.
This allows large numbers of people to be transported to places within
a short time.
However, this is also a costly strategy.
In conclusion, I only agree to a small extent that Road Pricing is the best
strategy. This is because in order to sufficiently manage traffic
congestion, megacities need to reduce road usage as well as make
public transport attractive. Therefore, there is a need to employ multiple
strategies to achieve these two goals. Hence, although congestion tax
(road pricing) is a good strategy to use in megacities, this should not be
the only strategy used.
7
examples.
States stand.
A factor is explained with no 2
example.
OR Two factors, briefly explained,
with no examples
A factor is explained with example. 3
OR Three factors, briefly explained,
with no examples
One strong PEEL with good details
and example
2 2 factors with detailed explanation 4
and only one has example
At least one counter argument,
which may be weak
Two factors, explained with 5
examples
At least one good counter argument
Three factors, explained with 6
examples
May not link to “the best strategy to
manage traffic congestion in
megacities” for 1-2 strategies
Two good counter arguments
3 Three factors, well-explained with 7
examples
All strategies well linked to “the best
strategy to manage traffic
congestion in megacities”
Good counter arguments
Scripts show clear understanding of
challenges faced by megacities
found in both Developed and
Developing countries
Comparison between the strategies 8
(based on cost, practicality…) OR
Multi-pronged approach and
explain.
Source Acknowledgements
Section A
Fig. 1 https://tinyurl.com/38wmvn3y
Fig. 2 iGCSE Nov 2014
Section B
Fig. 1 https://tinyurl.com/2w525d72