Version 1.0 0213 General Certificate of Secondary Education January 2013 Leisure and Tourism 48401 (Specification 4840) Unit 1: Understanding Leisure and Tourism Destinations Report on the Examination
Further copies of this Report on the Examination are available from: aqa.org.uk Copyright 2013 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. Copyright AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered centres 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 centres to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Set and published by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 3644723) and a registered charity (registered charity number 1073334). Registered address: AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
General What candidates did well: Link factors affecting destination choices to a customer type Describe what overseas natural attractions offer visitors Describe what UK cities offer to groups. What candidates could improve: Knowledge of UK gateways, terminals, and describing routes clearly Evaluation of how well destinations meet the needs of specific customer types. Question 1 The vast majority of candidates were able to show that Figure 1 was a city destination. Question 2 Candidates are expected to know transport terminals and gateways (4840 Specification, p.10) and this question tested that knowledge. Most candidates could link the correct transport type to its terminal/gateway but there is clearly room for centres to develop a greater awareness of main transport types and gateways and terminals. Question 3 The concept of host community has been examined in previous series and candidates are now showing an awareness of this being a response about local people at the destination who look after the needs of tourists. However candidates often fail to define both parts, the local people and the idea of providing for or looking after the needs of tourists. Candidates who do define both parts are able to achieve full marks. Question 4 Candidates were expected to link types of tourism impact to examples. Very many candidates were successful in this regard, but there was a noticeable lack of appreciation for some candidates that social impacts are about people s lives and that economic impacts are typically about jobs and money. Question 5 There were three ways to achieve both marks on this question; to define long-haul as being beyond Europe and the Mediterranean Basin ; to exemplify a destination such as Sydney or Singapore; the third way is to state the flying time needed to reach a long-haul destination. The Specification (p.9) gives this as more than 6 to 7 hours away from the UK. Question 6 Candidates are expected to learn about UK and overseas examples of visitor attractions. The great majority of responses identified Madison Square Garden or Nou Camp as examples of overseas Sports/ Entertainment Venues. UK built attraction responses included the London Eye and Spinnaker Tower. Theme Parks were again largely correctly identified as the correct type of Visitor Attraction. Question 7 The question asked candidates to describe what a UK city destination offered to groups. The best responses described attractions such as the London Eye offering space for groups to enjoy a capsule together, or the ability for groups to cluster around waxworks in Madame Tussauds to have their photograph taken together. Responses which made no clear reference to how destinations provided for groups gained simple credit for identifying attractions within the city. It is worth noting that attractions such as theme parks clearly not located within the city, e.g. Thorpe Park is in Surrey, but not in London, cannot gain credit. 3
Question 8 a. Responses such as Cervinia, north-west Italy or Aspen, Rockies, USA were popular and gained two marks for two location points made. b. This question tested candidates abilities to evaluate how well one ski/snow sports destination meets the needs of one chosen customer type. At Level One candidates responded in general terms describing how resorts offer ski lifts, ski lessons or après ski activities like sledding. Level 2 responses were characterised by candidates offering place-specific knowledge such as the names of restaurants or the number and grades of pistes available at the resort. Candidates also achieved Level two when they cleared linked and evaluated the resort to their chosen customer type, e.g. the slope-side cafes and bars in Banff are great as these allow families with young children to easily take a break when children need a rest from the skiing. Only a very small number of candidates were able to demonstrate place-specific resort knowledge and link these places to the customer type to achieve top marks at Level Two. Question 9 Route description questions have been a recurring feature of the Unit 1 examination as the Specification (p.10) requires candidates to learn about principal transport modes, routes used by domestic and international tourists to move around, enter and leave the UK, as well as to the destination examples candidates study specifically for this unit. The format for this series aimed to encourage candidates to think of routes as having three distinct parts or legs to the chosen journey to support better answers. There were many responses which showed candidates responded well to this writing frame format, and which might therefore lend itself to use as a teaching tool by centres. Worthy responses included Dover- Birmingham. Drive north on the M20. Take the M25 clockwise. Follow the M40 to reach Birmingham. Question 10 This question asked candidates to analyse the factors that affect families choice of holiday destination. At Level One, factors were described generally without clear reference to the family. Level Two responses were common and did clearly analyse a range of factors affecting the family s choice of holiday destination. At Level 2, responses may have included Accessibility will affect this family as children do not like sitting still on long journeys so a short-haul destination like Majorca may be a better choice. Question 11 Figure 3 showed information detailing the type of visitors surveyed (first-time or number of repeat visits) at a range of visitor attractions. Candidates were asked to comment on this information. At Level 1, candidates typically extracted data and looked for patterns. Those candidates who achieved into Level Two did so because they clearly commented on the information, e.g. I am not surprised that all visitor attractions recorded such low percentages of visitors returning at least three times in the last year. Question 12 Candidates were asked to evaluate the suitability of the range of leisure activities and visitor attractions available at a UK seaside resort for a young single adult. At Level One, responses gained credit for general remarks about generic seaside resorts, e.g. there is a beach to walk on, and a pier with arcades and fast-food stalls. At Level 2, candidates demonstrated a real knowledge of their selected seaside resort, e.g. Brighton has The Lanes which are a maze of narrow streets with quirky shops and the Pier itself has the Ghost ride as well as dodgems and stalls to buy Brighton rock in the arcades. Also at Level 2, candidates began to evaluate the suitability of activities and attractions at the resort for the young single adult, e.g. Blackpool Pleasure Beach may not be as good for the young single adult as rides like Pepsi Max are great to talk about afterwards with friends as a shared experience. It should be noted that evaluations may also gain credit that explain how attractions / activities may not be suitable for the customer type. At Level 3, candidates wrote responses that detailed how a range of attractions / activities would meet or not meet the needs of the young single adult at their chosen seaside resort. Reasoned conclusions to the suitability of the resort overall also gained access into Level Three. 4
Question 13 Candidates earned one mark for correctly naming an overseas natural attraction, and then up to two further marks were awarded for the appeal of the attraction to visitors. Common responses included responses such as Niagara Falls offering the Maid of the Mist boat trip to experience the Falls from the river and the opportunity to take the Behind the Falls tour. Question 14 Candidates could earn up to two marks for correctly defining elements of what National Park is; this included the idea of preservation / legal protection, the rugged, scenic landscape and the provision of a large area for public enjoyment / recreation. Question 15 Generally this was answered well. Candidates could describe two locational points about where their National Park was located, e.g. Dartmoor is in Devon, in south-west England. QWC The quality of written communication was used in Questions 10 and 12 to help determine the mark awarded within the level gained for that response. 5