AS-LEVEL GENERAL STUDIES B

Transcription

1 AS-LEVEL GENERAL STUDIES B Unit 2 Space (GENB2) Report on the Examination 2765 June 2016 Version: v1.0

2 Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2016 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.

3 General Comments Most candidates who scored high marks on individual questions showed some evidence of planning and structure to their arguments. Paragraphing is really a must as it shows clarity of thought and allows arguments to flow as well as identifying each specific point clearly. This is especially important for 3(a) and 3(b) which are marked on the quality of argument, not on the number of points made. To repeat earlier reports, candidates with poor handwriting should make every attempt to help the examiner so that marks are not in danger of being lost through an inability to read what has been written. This year there were some very challenging scripts. Fewer candidates than ever are providing a two-sided argument, when only a one side is required. Of the written answers, it is still worth reminding everyone that only 1e and 2c required a balanced response, the rest are one-sided. Overall, very few candidates failed to attempt all the questions and it seems that the paper was both accessible and manageable in the time allowed with little evidence of candidates not completing the paper. Candidates would be advised to read all of question 2 and both parts of question 3 prior to answering those questions. This might reduce further the instances of candidates writing both sides of the argument for each of 2(a), 2(b), 3(a) and 3(b). A final point that relates to candidates who write using computers is that many use small fonts and this is not helpful to the examiners. There is no AQA ruling on this but an 11- or 12-point font and good spacing between lines undoubtedly helps. Question 1 This question had a partially revised structure and candidates handled well the changes which affected parts 1(c) and 1(d). 1(a) and 1(b) followed the familiar path and candidates were generally adept at linking the reason for the trends to the calculations done in the first part. Sadly, a few wrote about migration for work when they should have written about study migration and vice versa. This would have resulted in zero marks because they had not read the graph correctly. The majority of candidates could exemplify the reason in the second separately and so frequently scored both marks. Candidates who do not show their working for part (i) of each question will always run the risk of getting a wrong answer and so scoring nothing because they did not show how they reached their answer. 1(c) and 1(d) had a different format. Very few candidates picked the wrong age group and most scored both marks for the calculation which demanded working to be shown. Where they lost marks was through their failure to round the figure to the nearest whole number or to round it incorrectly. 3of 6

4 Question 1(e) This was clearly a very popular question and many candidates provided clear and well-structured answers. The overwhelming majority of candidates supported the proposition that further restrictions on migration would harm the British economy. Inevitably, a small number wrote polemics supporting one stance or the other, usually opposing immigration per se. There was frequently good reference to the then forthcoming referendum. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority concluded that migration was good for Britain and that staying within the EU would have been positive from this point of view. There was some use of examples of dirty jobs and skilled workers (e.g. Eastern European fruit pickers, builders, and doctors from the Indian sub-continent). Many were able to go beyond the simple jobs vs. benefits argument and discuss multiplier effects and other economic impacts. There were some weaker answers which did not focus on the question. Others wrote about the cultural impact of migration or about our moral obligation to take, for example, Syrian refugees. As the question focused on the economic impact, these points, although often laudable, did not score marks unless the link was effectively made. A similar fate affected those who wrote about potential terrorist threats from some migrants. Gratifyingly, very few used the question to present arguments that verged on the offensive. Question 2(a) Candidates were able to engage with this question as the source provided a suitable stimulus. A minority still chose to suggest both possible economic and environmental benefits of using canals and rivers over road and air transport; however, it is unlikely that barges are actually going to be quicker than road transport as many suggested. Some noticed that canal transport resulted in bulk cargoes being transported and were able to suggest this as a benefit both in terms of cost and the number of journeys and consequently emissions. Other advantages noted included safety (fewer accidents and collisions on waterways than on motorways) and a smaller chance of cargo being damaged due to being knocked around in the back of a van. Unfortunately, many descended down a blind alley and wrote extensively about damaging emissions and there is still confusion over global warming and the ozone layer. Damage to the ozone layer is not caused by CO or CO2 emissions. There were some useful examples such as the potential for using major canals like the Manchester Ship Canal and the use of the Panama Canal but too many believed that ocean-going ships could reach cities like Birmingham or Sheffield. Question 2 (b) Candidates were able to suggest a range of environmental impacts of the use of canals and rivers by industry. The majority spoke about habitat destruction and the impact on aquatic plant and animal life. Some candidates were able to discuss the impact of canals and rivers of dredging or from bank erosion due to the increased wash from larger vessels. Dumping of waste, oil leakage and spills from cargo (toxic) featured a lot. Marine disasters like the Exxon Valdez featured but were rarely closely tied to the question. Visual and noise pollution and litter featured prominently as other illustrations. 4of 6

5 Question 2(c) This question was not quite so well done as 2a & 2b. Some did not notice that this question was specifically about canals (as opposed to rivers and canals). Others had not spotted apart from industrial use in the question, and chose to comment on points which had probably been already made in 2a. However, some candidates did focus on what was asked and were able to contrast the less significant role of canals in, for example, passenger transport, with the increased leisure and recreational uses. There were assertions about only old people liking canal holidays whereas the majority would prefer to fly to a more exotic destination. Better answers did however recognise the ecological and historical importance of canals, with references to nature reserves and fishing, and various heritage sites associated with locations from the industrial revolution. Some candidates discussed barges as homes, (e.g. Little Venice) and the freedom that owning a narrow boat could offer. Occasionally, examples from beyond the UK were offered (e.g. Venice, Amsterdam & Bruges). Although the focus of the question was intended to be the UK, such examples were credited if they served to support the argument. Other candidates developed the role of canals in Britain in the leisure industry, citing marinas, shops and other canalside ventures. Where this occurred, there was often good local knowledge applied; Birmingham s, Brindley Place and Gas Street Basin were good examples of this as were canal centres, notably in Cheshire and Northamptonshire. Questions 3 (a) and (b) general comments Very few candidates wrote two-sided arguments in answer to these questions and the vast majority completed both answers which was very pleasing to see. Question 3(a) Weaker answers relied very heavily on the source with Richard Branson, Dennis Tito & Elon Musk being name-checked. However, some candidates were able to draw on their own knowledge and again the question benefited from some current newsworthiness with Tim Peake featuring in many answers. Most candidates were able to comment on the excitement of walking on the moon and the thrill of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, although some answers strayed more into space exploration in general rather than space tourism. However, identification of possible spin-offs from the space tourism programme were valid. AO3 remains thin in most answers, with candidates referring to some people rather than specific interest groups. Many candidates really did believe that family holidays in space were just around the corner and rather over-egged the pudding with that concept and the likelihood of school trips to Mars but who knows? 5of 6

6 Question 3(b) Inevitably, since this was the last question, time was running out for some candidates, but most made a solid attempt at answering it. Many suggested that there were far more worthy causes for the vast sums of money to be spent on (climate change, world poverty & cures for cancer being prominently mentioned). Candidates also questioned the moral dimension of investment in space-tourism for the benefit of the super-rich. Other points which were raised included the safety aspect and the fact that when one gets into space there is nothing much to do. One candidate worked out how many family holidays could be enjoyed for the price of one trip into space, and concluded that the money would be far better spent flying to the Mediterranean than the Moon, whilst another stated that he could not see the point of jumping around in space which to me is a waste of time and energy. Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 6of 6