Eduqas GCSE Geography A Theme 6 Development and Resource Issues: a complete overview

What this theme actually demands

Theme 6, Development and Resource Issues, is the human and economic strand of Component 2, Environmental and Development Issues. It runs from how we measure development, through why it is so uneven and how globalisation, trade and aid shape it, to resource issues (especially water) and the environmental challenges of rising consumption. Eduqas tests knowledge of the processes and indicators and the ability to apply them to named countries and to judge strategies.

This guide walks through the theme in specification order, then sets out the exam patterns Eduqas repeats. Each part has a matching dot-point page with practice questions; this overview ties them together.

Measuring development

The theme opens with measuring development: economic indicators (GDP and GNI per capita) and social indicators (life expectancy, literacy, infant mortality), and the difference between misleading single indicators and fuller composite ones, above all the Human Development Index (HDI). The global pattern shows a broad North-South divide, blurred by the rapidly developing NICs.

Uneven development

Next come the causes and consequences of uneven development: the physical, historical, economic and political causes, the consequences at the global scale and within an LIC and an NIC, and the strategies (aid, fair trade, trade and investment, microfinance, debt relief, intermediate technology) used to narrow the gap.

Globalisation, trade and aid

The theme then covers globalisation and TNCs, the unequal patterns of world trade, the contrast between free and fair trade, the types and value of aid, and tourism as a development strategy, each weighed for its benefits and drawbacks.

Water resource management

The resource strand focuses on water: the global pattern of supply and demand, the causes and consequences of water insecurity, and the strategies for sustainable management (dams, transfers and desalination versus conservation).

Environmental challenges and sustainability

Finally, drawing on the optional Theme 8, the theme covers rising consumerism and its impact, climate change responses (mitigation versus adaptation), ecosystem degradation and restoration, and sustainable tourism and resource use.

How this theme is examined

A typical Eduqas profile for Theme 6:

• Short answer. Defining indicators, explaining a single cause or strategy, and describing global patterns.
• Data questions. Reading, calculating and interpreting development statistics and graphs.
• Case-study questions. Using a named LIC and NIC and named strategies.
• Extended Assess and Evaluate answers. Judging the causes of uneven development or the effectiveness and sustainability of strategies, with SPaG marks at stake.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall and applied questions covering the theme. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

1. Explain why GDP per capita can be a misleading measure of development. (4 marks)
2. Explain why the Human Development Index gives a fuller picture than economic indicators alone. (6 marks)
3. Explain two physical causes of uneven development. (4 marks)
4. Explain how transnational corporations can both help and harm a host country. (4 marks)
5. Explain the difference between free trade and fair trade. (6 marks)
6. Explain two reasons why global water demand is rising. (4 marks)
7. Explain the difference between mitigation and adaptation as responses to climate change. (4 marks)
8. Assess the effectiveness of strategies used to reduce the global development gap. (8 marks)