AQA GCSE Geography Paper 2 practice questions

What is on Paper 2?

• Paper 2 covers challenges in the human environment.
• It is a written paper of 1 hour 30 minutes, worth 88 marks including spelling, punctuation and grammar — 35% of the GCSE.
• Questions are a mix of multiple choice, short answer and longer extended responses.
• Always check the latest specification on your exam board's website, as details can change between exam years.

Paper 2 practice questions with answers

8 original questions across the 4 Paper 2 topics. Try each one before reading the answer.

1. Urban issues and challenges

   1. Urbanisation means:

   • • Cities getting physically bigger only
   • • A rising proportion of people living in urban areas
   • • Falling city populations
   • • Rural population growth

   Answer: A rising proportion of people living in urban areas

   It is about share of population, not just area.

2. Urban issues and challenges

   2. Which is a pull factor for rural-urban migration?

   • • Crop failure
   • • Better paid jobs in the city
   • • Rural drought
   • • Lack of rural healthcare

   Answer: Better paid jobs in the city

   Pull factors attract people to the destination.

3. The changing economic world

   3. Which measure combines income, education and life expectancy?

   • • GNI
   • • HDI
   • • Birth rate
   • • Infant mortality

   Answer: HDI

   HDI is a composite index scored 0 to 1.

4. The changing economic world

   4. Explain one limitation of using GNI per head to measure development.

   Answer: It is an average that hides inequality between rich and poor within a country

   Averages conceal distribution.

5. Resource management: food, water and energy

   5. Water stress occurs when:

   • • Rainfall is high
   • • Demand exceeds reliable supply
   • • Reservoirs are full
   • • Rivers flood

   Answer: Demand exceeds reliable supply

   Both supply and demand determine stress.

6. Resource management: food, water and energy

   6. Explain why the UK uses water transfer schemes.

   Answer: Rainfall surplus in the north and west can be moved to areas of high demand in the south and east

   Supply and demand are geographically mismatched.

7. Geographical skills: maps, graphs and data

   7. In a grid reference, which is read first?

   • • Northing
   • • Easting
   • • Altitude
   • • Bearing

   Answer: Easting

   Read along the corridor (easting) then up the stairs (northing).

8. Geographical skills: maps, graphs and data

   8. On a 1:50 000 map, 2 cm represents:

   • • 500 m
   • • 1 km
   • • 2 km
   • • 5 km

   Answer: 1 km

   1 cm = 500 m, so 2 cm = 1 km.

Where Paper 2 marks are usually lost

• Writing general answers without a named case study and specific facts or figures.
• Describing a landform without explaining the processes that formed it.
• Forgetting to quote data with units when describing a map, graph or table.
• Making a judgement in 'assess' or 'evaluate' questions without weighing up both sides.
• Losing spelling, punctuation and grammar marks on the longest answers.

How to pick up the extended-answer marks

• Underline the command word and the focus of the question before writing — most dropped marks come from answering a different question.
• Plan for one or two minutes: three or four points, each backed by evidence and explained.
• Keep linking back to the question in every paragraph, not just the conclusion.
• For 'evaluate' or 'how far do you agree' questions, weigh both sides and finish with a clear judgement.

Timing that works under pressure

• Check the marks per question and give each one time in proportion, keeping spare minutes for checking at the end.
• Bank the short questions first, then return to the longer answers with your remaining time.
• If a question stalls for more than two minutes, write down what you know and move on — partial marks still count.
• Leave five minutes to check spelling of key terms, units and whether any question part was skipped over a page break.

Revise each Paper 2 topic

• Urban issues and challenges (72 questions)
• The changing economic world (72 questions)
• Resource management: food, water and energy (72 questions)
• Geographical skills: maps, graphs and data (72 questions)

AQA Geography Paper 2 FAQs

What topics are on AQA GCSE Geography Paper 2?

Paper 2 assesses urban issues and challenges, the changing economic world, and the challenge of resource management.

How long is AQA GCSE Geography Paper 2?

It is a 1 hour 30 minutes written exam worth 88 marks including spelling, punctuation and grammar, which is 35% of the GCSE. Check your board's latest specification for any changes.

How should I revise for Geography Paper 2?

Practise answering questions rather than rereading notes. Short daily sets of five questions per topic, marked straight away, expose weak areas faster than a long passive revision session.