Analyse the scale and severity of the challenges created by transboundary pollution (TBP).

Discuss the economic challenges that global interactions have created for different countries and communities.

Marks should be allocated according to the paper 3 part A markbands. These can be found under the “Your tests” tab > supplemental materials. 

Transboundary pollution may be a short-lived event or more pervasive problem involving movements of polluted bodies of air or water across national boundaries.

Possible themes include:

• The scale may vary from relatively localized issues affecting border areas, eg transboundary aquifers, to problems affecting entire world regions, eg smoke from forest fires in Indonesia affecting southeast Asia.
• Some pollution events have global-scale impacts, eg Fukuyama isotopes crossing the Pacific.
• Acid rain is a commonly occurring issue.
• Carbon emissions and climate change are valid themes in this context.
• The severity of any challenges is determined by the type of pollution and the scale/nature of the area affected and the vulnerability of people/places.
• Political challenges include arriving at stakeholder agreement on any action.

Good answers may apply (AO2) a wider range of knowledge and understanding (AO1) in a well-structured way (AO4). One approach might be to provide a structured systematic analysis of the severity of different types of challenges (environmental to political). Another approach might be to analyse the varying scale of each challenge (mortality may be relatively localized, with weaker dispersed effects evident on a larger scale).

Full marks may be obtained through use of a single case study provided there is sufficient analysis of the varying scale and severity of the associated challenges.

For 4–6 marks, expect some weakly evidenced outlining of one or two problems / challenges / impacts.

For 7–9 marks, expect a structured, well-evidenced analysis of:

• either a range of challenges created by one or more types of TBP
• or the varying severity and geographical scale of different TBP challenges.

For 10–12 marks, expect both of these traits.

Credit all content in line with the markbands. Marks should be allocated according to the paper 3 part B markbands. These can be found under the “Your tests” tab > supplemental materials. Credit unexpected approaches wherever relevant.

Possible applied themes (AO2) include knowledge and understanding (AO1) of:

• economic migration and its impacts on job availability
• global shift and deindustrialization in high-income countries
• negative economic consequences of outsourcing/offshoring for industrializing countries and communities, eg low rates of pay
• tax avoidance by large corporations and offshoring of profits
• the management of social and spatial inequalities which have grown in part because of global interactions / global shift.

Good answers may synthesize (AO3a) three or more of the above (or other) themes in a well-structured (AO4) way.

Good answers may additionally offer a critical evaluation (AO3b) of the statement, which discusses how the challenges are most severe in particular places and at certain scales (eg, US Rust Belt state populations have suffered more than other areas of the US). Another approach might be to discuss how challenges lessen or become more severe over a longer timescale (eg, post-industrial cities in high-income countries have been redeveloped and regenerated on account of global shift). A good discussion might conclude with a substantiated final judgement on the relative severity of different economic challenges.

For 5–8 marks, expect weakly evidenced outlining of two or three relevant themes.

For 9–12 marks, expect:

• either a structured synthesis that links together several well-evidenced themes from the Guide
• or a critical conclusion (or on going evaluation) informed by geographical concepts and/or perspectives.

For 13–16 marks, expect both of these traits.

This was the second most popular question. There were many satisfactory answers focused on proper examples of transboundary pollution. Candidates had often thoroughly revised the topic and used good supporting evidence of forest fires in Indonesia or issues arising from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown. Many answers were extremely detailed, making the scale and severity of the pollution very clear.

The best answers used the words scale and severity repeatedly, with sustained use of supporting evidence. They also understood the difference between an impact and challenge, allowing them to analyse the geopolitical and legal dimensions of transboundary pollution, not merely the numbers of deaths and asthma attacks.

It was disappointing to see so many candidates using the antiquated example of Chernobyl rather than the more contemporary Fukushima incident. The latter also lends itself well to analysis due to its coastal location and the way transboundary pollution occurred via the ocean, a global common. However, the Chernobyl TV series has understandably caught the imagination of a new generation of learners. If teachers continue to use this study, however, it would be good to encourage candidates to focus their learning on the geography of the pollution event rather than the sometimes lurid details of the meltdown incident.

Most candidates provided a satisfactory answer to this question by linking together three or four economic challenges or issues. Popular themes included trade conflict between the USA and China, the global shift of manufacturing work, tax avoidance by large companies and the costs of managing Covid-19.

Examples were often detailed, with some clear explanation of the challenges which particular governments or groups of citizens have experienced.

Occasionally, the role of global interactions was only implied rather than explicit. For example, candidates described the challenges that the USA and China now face because of increased tariffs. However, the link with global interactions was unclear. They were unable to explain the global interactions that gave rise to the latest wave of protectionism in the first place. In other words, only part of the story was being told.

Another weakness appearing in some answers was a tendency to write about business challenges while ignoring the phrase "countries and communities" in the question. It would have been self-evident to these candidates that businesses belong to particular countries and communities but it would have been helpful if they had justified the inclusion of material dealing with business challenges more securely.