Analyse how interactions between places can be affected by the physical environment.

“New technologies solve more global problems than they create.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

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

The physical environment sets parameters that can limit or accelerate interactions between places at varying scales: a good geographical response may analyse interactions between particular urban or rural localities in addition to international interactions.

• The focus should be an analysis of the physical environment’s effects, not a discussion of alternative influences on interactions between countries, such as political isolationism.
• However, credit may and should be given to an analysis of how far physical isolation can be overcome using technology (and the recognition that the role of the physical environment as a limiting factor is often over-stated).
• Only limited credit should be given to highly deterministic answers asserting that climate limits human development (unless any arguments can be substantiated).

Possible themes include:

• natural resource availability
• potentially limiting effects of isolation for rural or mountainous areas, or islands
• the importance of a coastline for trade
• the role of physical factors supporting activities that generate global flows, for example touristic flows
• the role of technology in overcoming isolation
• the importance of transit chokepoints such as Strait of Hormuz.

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 different aspects of the physical environment that may impact on interactions and connectivity. Another approach might be to analyse the influence of the physical environment at varying scales (local, national and world region scales). Another approach might be to critically analyse how far physical challenges can be mitigated for example by technology. Another approach might be to sequentially analyse different activities that depend on physical environments (tourism, trade, etc.).

For 4–6 marks, expect some weakly-evidenced outlining of one or more ways the physical environment limits or helps human activity (connectivity may only be implied).

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

• either multiple ways (two or more) in which the physical environment helps and/or hinders spatial interactions
• or interactions in varied place contexts (may consider different scales and/or access to technology).

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 all content in line with the markbands.

New technologies may include social media, artificial intelligence (AI), drones, crowd-sourcing and surveillance, etc. Credit may be given for a discussion of historical technologies (1990s - internet; 1950s - container shipping) which were ‘new’ in their day provided they are applied to a discussion of legitimate global problems. Global problems may be economic, social, cultural and environmental; short-term or long-term. Some are created by technology, others are solved by them (the content of a good answer should provide some balance, but do not expect a perfect balance). Credit consideration of local/individual problems (such as identity theft, or ‘fake news’ in a particular country’s election) if the answer addresses (or implies strongly) these are issues which the entire global community is facing.

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

• the shrinking world (4.2)
• isolated societies (4.3)
• supply chain monitoring (4.2, 6.3)
• various kinds of environmental monitoring (6.2, 6.3)
• cybersecurity issues (at a global scale) (6.3)
• crowdsourcing capabilities (at a global scale) (6.3).

Some answers may describe a range of online issues (hacking, identity theft, bullying/trolling etc.) for the citizens of ‘global society’ in general. These are unlikely to progress to the 9-12 band without some located knowledge of actual contexts where these issues are manifest.

Good answers may synthesise (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, and the extent to which problems are being created or solved in a planetary-scale context. Another approach might be to critically evaluate different types of technology (ICT, robotics, drones, 3D printing, transport), and the extent to which they each create or solve problems for specific evidenced places - and sometimes do both. Another approach might be to evaluate the extent to which perspectives may vary on whether the changes they cause are viewed as problems or not (such as the spread of cultural traits and memes via social media). A good discussion may conclude with a substantiated final judgement on the overall balance of newly-created and solved problems.

For 5–8 marks, expect weakly-evidenced and/or imbalanced 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 ongoing evaluation) informed by geographical concepts and/or perspectives.

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

Answers to this popular question were overwhelmingly coherent and correct. Popular themes included those included in the geography guide, namely countries lacking a coastline and the uneven distribution of natural resources. Many candidates wrote about the landlocked countries of Bolivia and South Sudan. Middle Eastern states such as Saudi Arabia were used as examples of countries whose natural resource endowments have led to them becoming global players in the oil industry. Other themes included: geostrategic locations and the extent to which some countries are located in proximity to important trading corridors such as the Suez Canal, which inevitably leads to a high degree of interaction; the size and location of countries in relation to their neighbours, with certain countries having far higher numbers of bordering neighbours than others, for example China, Austria, Brazil and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Typically, responses awarded a mark in the 7-9 band provided a simplistic analysis in which landlocked countries do not interact with the rest of the world while countries with natural resources do. In contrast, responses reaching the top 10-12 band were more likely to include a more sophisticated analysis which showed that global interactions are rarely controlled solely by physical factors in a deterministic way. Such candidates typically made mention of Switzerland in their analysis of coastlines to good effect. They explained that a lack of coastline has not prevented Switzerland from interacting on a global scale with financial markets.

This question generated a great many mediocre responses which 'patched' together a series of technological vignettes before concluding that some technologies create problems whereas others solve them. The internet, phones, 3D printing, drones, food technologies and water treatments were popular themes which suited the question context well. The inclusion of three varied case studies was usually sufficient for answers to reach the 9-12 band provided sufficient depth and detail was included, along with a basic evaluation of which technologies are most problematic, and why. Better answers tended to evaluate each technology on a case-by-case basis and to acknowledge steps already taken towards improved governance aimed at optimizing outcomes; they also maintained a strong focus on the global dimensions of any problem, for example by discussing ways in which the misuse of social media by hackers might actually be responsible for increased hostility between different countries and an overall weakening of global geopolitical cooperation.

Weaker responses typically presented some technologies as positive and other technologies as negative, rather than weighing up each technology's strengths and weaknesses. Global problems were often presented as problems occurring in a particular country, as opposed to challenges for the planet and its people as a whole. At times, it was unclear whether candidates had even studied the IB geography course due to the way they drew extensively on sensational social media reporting about nuclear weapons and cyberbullying. Other candidates wrote in the most generalized way imaginable about problems for "people" cause by hacking and identity theft, but without ever identifying any named geographical contexts where these things are actually experienced. Leeway was given to candidates using antiquated examples; however, higher-scoring answers were more likely to use contemporary examples drawn from those candidates' own lifetimes. 

The two examples below are typical of the contrast which existed between band 5-8 and band 9-12 answers to this question [New technologies solve more global problems than they create].

Example A (extract from band 5-8 response)

"Turning now to an example of a technology which creates problems, drones have created many difficulties for different countries and people in recent years. For example traffic had to be halted at Gatwick Airport in England when a drone flew over one of the runways without permission. Drones are also being used to wage warfare and are responsible for thousands of deaths in Afghanistan where the USA has used them. In conclusion this is a technology which creates many problems."

Example B (extract from band 9-12 response)

"Drones are another technology which are used and misused in different ways. On the one hand there is increasing use of drones in disaster zones to locate survivors. China has been using drones in this way since at least 2008, after the Sichuan earthquake. But drones can be used in ways which many people find problematic such as US drone strikes in Afghanistan. This creates a global legal problem because it is unclear whether international laws are being broken."