Help in Study: Geography — Case Studies That Stick

Geography questions almost always sound like "explain X using a case study you have studied". The students who win are the ones with one really sharp case study per topic, not five vague ones.

What a usable case study has

• The name and location
• Key statistics (population, area, dates)
• Three causes
• Three consequences
• Two responses (and whether they worked)

Five bullets per case study. Memorise them cold.

Pick your weapon per topic

• Tectonic hazards: Haiti 2010 or Tōhoku 2011 — pick one and learn it deeply
• Climate change impacts: Bangladesh delta or the Maldives
• Urbanisation: Mumbai or Lagos or São Paulo
• Coastal erosion: Holderness coast (UK boards love this)

Trying to learn five case studies for one topic is the trap. One sharp case study beats five blurry ones every time.

Tools

• Flashcards for the five-bullet case study format
• Past Papers for question style
• Mark My Answer to check you are using the case study correctly

The map skill question

Almost every geography paper has a map skill question. It is free marks. Practice ten of them and you will never lose marks on it again.