What geographical skills are needed to handle and present data?
Cartographic, graphical and ICT skills, the interpretation of maps, photographs and data, and the use of geographical information systems.
A focused CCEA A-Level Geography answer on geographical skills and techniques, covering cartographic, graphical and ICT skills, the interpretation of maps, photographs and data, and the use of geographical information systems, applied across the written papers and the A2 3 Decision Making paper.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
CCEA wants you to use cartographic, graphical and ICT skills, interpret maps, photographs and data, and apply geographical information systems, choosing the right technique for the data and explaining what it shows. These skills are tested across every paper and especially in the A2 3 Decision Making resource paper.
Cartographic skills
You must read and interpret Ordnance Survey maps using four- and six-figure grid references, scale, direction and relief (contours, spot heights), and interpret thematic maps such as choropleth (shaded by value), isoline, dot and proportional symbol maps, plus aerial and ground photographs. Reading relief and drainage on an OS extract of, say, the Mourne Mountains is a common exam task.
Graphical skills
ICT and GIS
GIS lets geographers overlay data such as flood risk, land use and population, then run queries (buffering, overlay) to support analysis and decision making, for example siting development away from flood zones.
Interpreting data and resources
The examined skill is interpretation: describing patterns and trends, quoting figures, identifying anomalies, and drawing supported conclusions from maps, graphs and resource booklets, as required in the A2 3 Decision Making paper, where candidates weigh options using a resource pack.
Examples in context
Example 1. Reading an Ordnance Survey map of the Mourne Mountains. A typical exam resource shows Slieve Donard and the surrounding relief. Candidates give six-figure grid references for the summit, measure distance using the scale, describe the steep contour spacing (close lines meaning steep slopes) and the drainage radiating from the high ground, and link relief to land use (forestry, reservoirs such as the Silent Valley supplying Belfast). This applies cartographic skills to a located Northern Ireland landscape.
Example 2. GIS and flood-risk decision making. Planners assessing a proposed housing site near a river overlay GIS layers of floodplain extent, existing land use, road access and population. Buffering identifies homes within the flood zone; overlay shows whether the site sits on a floodplain. The visual output supports a reasoned decision to relocate development to higher ground with good transport, mirroring the resource-led reasoning of the A2 3 paper. It shows ICT skills applied to a real planning problem.
Try this
Q1. State when you would use a triangular graph. [2 marks]
- Cue. For data made up of three components that sum to , such as soil texture or employment by sector.
Q2. Explain one advantage of using GIS in geographical analysis. [3 marks]
- Cue. It overlays multiple data layers so spatial patterns and relationships can be analysed, queried and mapped quickly.
Q3. Study a choropleth map. Describe the pattern it shows and identify one anomaly. [4 marks]
- Cue. Summarise the trend with figures and direction, then name a unit that breaks the trend and quote its value.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA 20184 marksStudy Figure 1. Describe the pattern shown by the choropleth map and identify one anomaly.Show worked answer →
Worth 4 marks. Markers reward a described pattern supported by figures plus a correctly identified anomaly with data.
Describe the general pattern: state the overall trend, for example values are highest in the urban core (the darkest shading, over 80 per cent) and decrease toward the rural periphery (lighter shading, below 20 per cent).
Quote figures and use compass direction: refer to specific shading bands and named or gridded areas to anchor the description.
Identify an anomaly: name a unit that breaks the trend, for example one peripheral area shaded dark against its lighter neighbours, and quote its value.
Avoid simply listing every value; markers want a summarised pattern plus the exception.
CCEA 20216 marksExplain how a geographical information system (GIS) can be used to support decision making in geography.Show worked answer →
Worth 6 marks. Reward explained uses linked to a decision, not just a definition.
Layering: GIS overlays spatially referenced data such as flood-risk zones, land use, transport and population as separate layers that can be combined.
Analysis: it allows querying and buffering, for example finding all homes within a flood zone or within 500 metres of a proposed road.
Decision support: the visual output helps planners weigh options, for example siting a new development away from flood risk and close to transport, as in the A2 3 Decision Making paper.
A worked link from data layer to a specific decision earns the higher marks.
Related dot points
- Evidence for climate change, natural and human causes, the impacts of climate change, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation.
A focused CCEA A-Level Geography answer on climate change, covering the evidence for past and present change, natural and human causes, the environmental and human impacts, and the mitigation and adaptation strategies used to manage it, with located global and Irish examples including the Maldives and the Paris Agreement.
- The principles of sustainability, sustainable urban planning and design, managing transport and waste, and evaluating sustainable settlement schemes.
A focused CCEA A-Level Geography answer on planning for sustainable settlements, covering the principles of sustainability, sustainable urban design, managing transport, energy and waste, and evaluating sustainable settlement schemes, with located examples such as Freiburg-Vauban and Northern Ireland regeneration.
- The characteristics of tropical and extreme environments, the challenges they pose, human adaptation and use, and their sustainable management.
A focused CCEA A-Level Geography answer on tropical and extreme environments, covering the characteristics of tropical rainforests and hot deserts, the challenges they pose, human adaptation and use, and their sustainable management, with located examples such as the Amazon, the Sahel and Costa Rica ecotourism.
- Fieldwork design and sampling strategies, the collection of primary and secondary data, and statistical tests such as Spearman's rank and chi-squared.
A focused CCEA A-Level Geography answer on statistical and fieldwork methods, covering fieldwork design and sampling strategies, primary and secondary data collection, and statistical tests such as Spearman's rank correlation and the chi-squared test, with a worked calculation, assessed in the CCEA written papers.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Geography specification — CCEA (2016)