Describe the pattern of high population exposure to tectonic hazards shown on the map.

Suggest three reasons why communities often underestimate the probability of a tectonic hazard event occurring in their locality.

Examine the ways in which vulnerability to either earthquake or volcanic hazards can be reduced.

• Areas of high exposure are linear
• They lie along some plate boundaries
• These include the Himalaya region, the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia
• NE China has non-linear/scattered areas of high exposure
• Some anomalous high areas eg some islands
• High exposure coincides with high population density areas.

Four valid statements are needed for [4 marks]. Up to [1 mark] for a list of place names.

Valid reasons could include lack of information and awareness of the hazard, poor education and ignorance of the risk resulting in lack of preparedness, poor information systems such as TV and radio, a long period since the last hazard occurrence, level of economic development, hazards as acts of God or fate, threat of the hazard compared with other concerns such as jobs, security, money, food availability, politics, civil unrest.

Award [1 mark] per reason identified and [1 mark] for some further detail of why this leads to underestimation of probability.

Vulnerability refers to the susceptibility of a community to a hazard or the impact of a hazard event. It is a function of demographic and socio-economic factors and of a community’s preparedness/ability to deal with a hazard event when it happens.

Answer depends on the hazard chosen – a range of ideas can be covered, including larger-scale community/national government strategies, including relocation, as well as personal/individual actions (such as insurance). These include prediction and warning methods, hazard resistant engineering, preparedness, land use planning, modifying the event.

At band D, at least two ways should be described in some depth. At bands E and F, a clear understanding of vulnerability should be displayed (eg contrasting/varied ways are examined to highlight both property and social vulnerability).

Marks should be allocated according to the markbands.

Mostly accurate but very few scored the full 4 marks for this part as four valid statements were not made. Too many just listed countries (maximum 1 mark) and others could not name a country shown. Identification of patterns seemed to be a concept unfamiliar to many.

This was quite well answered, but some candidates wrote about hurricanes as a tectonic process, or wrote about how the hazard was dealt with.

This question elicited some excellent answers, with a discussion of a wide range of strategies. Weaker candidates were unable to show an understanding of the concept of vulnerability, and gave descriptive answers.