Outline one political and one economic factor that affect participation in sport.

Referring to a national sports league you have studied, explain the factors that have determined the home location of its teams.

To what extent can tourism ever be made sustainable?

Political factors could include investment in sports facilities, public health and education investment, education policies, subsidies for sporting activities and governing bodies, legislation.

Economic factors could include availability of private sports facilities, level of public investment in sports facilities, quantity of personal disposable income, cost of sporting equipment. Any single factor may have different effects at different scales (local, national, international).

In each case, award [1 mark] for identifying a valid factor and [1 mark] for a brief outline of how it affects sports participation. For example, investment in public health and education can impact participation because it raises public awareness of the personal health benefits of involvement in sport, making it more likely for people to participate. Public education also makes people more likely to participate because they are frequently prompted to participate by the public information.

Answers will vary depending upon the sport chosen and its context but must examine a sports league of national importance. Factors are likely to include population density, socio-economic factors, cultural and historical factors, government and private investment, and proximity to competing teams. There are other valid responses that should be credited. 

Award up to [3 marks] for each factor that is well-explained. A wider range of factors can compensate for less depth. A generic answer, or one using an inappropriate example, should not be awarded more than [3 marks].

Answers may make use of contrasting examples, some successful, some not. Answers should show a sound understanding of the concept of sustainability (supporting local people while conserving resources for the future).

Answers are likely to make reference to the pressures resulting from tourism, efforts to minimize impact of the tourism activity, including transport, accommodation, tourist activities and resource use and waste disposal. These efforts should be evaluated rather than simply described as a success or failure in order to access the higher markbands.

Responses may evaluate the effectiveness of tourism in sustaining both societies and ecosystems in the long-term.

Marks should be allocated according to the markbands.

This was well done by most candidates choosing to answer the question, although some candidates focused on elite athletes rather than participation.

The question tended to be misunderstood regarding the home location of the teams. Although most could refer to a national sports league, knowledge of the location of teams was virtually non-existent. A number of obvious sports fans described where their sport was played with little reasoning.

Good knowledge of the concept of sustainable tourism was shown but descended into broad and vague discussions with few references to examples and little evaluation. Failing to draw a conclusion followed by over-generalizing were the two most common problems.