What do UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance cover in OCR Geography B?

These are the final two topics of Component 2, People and Society. UK in the 21st Century asks whether the UK is changing for the better: population change and an ageing population, migration and ethnic diversity, economic change and economic hubs, and the UK's global role through trade, the Commonwealth and international organisations. Resource Reliance asks whether we can feed nine billion people: food, water and energy security, the ecological footprint, the global food system, and sustainable food production. Both are assessed in Component 2, worth 70 marks and 35 percent of the GCSE.

What is the difference between agribusiness and permaculture?

Agribusiness is large-scale intensive agriculture: high inputs of capital, machinery and chemicals, often growing a single crop on a huge scale, producing very high yields of cheap food but causing pollution, soil degradation and biodiversity loss. Permaculture is a sustainable approach that works with natural processes, growing diverse crops with minimal external inputs, recycling nutrients and protecting soil, water and biodiversity, but with lower yields. OCR often asks you to compare them, weighing high output against long-term sustainability.

Why does the UK have an ageing population?

Two long-term trends combine. Life expectancy has risen because of better healthcare, diet, housing and working conditions, so more people reach old age. At the same time the birth rate has fallen, because more women are in work and education, children are expensive, and contraception is available, so there are proportionally fewer young people. The large post-war baby-boom generation is now reaching old age, which adds to the effect, raising the proportion of elderly people.

How are these topics examined in OCR Geography B?

Both topics mix short answer (1 to 4 marks) for defining terms, describing patterns and reading population pyramids, graphs and maps, with extended level-of-response questions (6 marks and higher) using command words such as Explain, Assess and Evaluate. The extended questions reward a balanced judgement: the impacts of ageing, the success of a food-security strategy, or the usefulness of the ecological footprint, with named examples. Three marks across the paper are for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology.

How should I revise the UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance content?

Learn the demographic and economic processes precisely (why the UK is ageing, why manufacturing declined, what the ecological footprint measures), then attach examples and data. Drill the balanced judgements OCR rewards: the costs and contributions of an ageing population, agribusiness versus permaculture, and whether the world can feed nine billion. Practise reading population pyramids and graphs, and rehearse the extended Assess questions against the mark scheme.

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OCR GCSE Geography B UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance: a complete overview of the changing UK and global resources

A deep-dive OCR GCSE Geography B guide to UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance in Component 2. Covers UK population change, economic change, the UK's global role, resource security, the global food system and sustainable food, with the exam patterns OCR repeats.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.818 min readJ384 Component 2Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What these topics actually demand
UK in the 21st Century
Resource Reliance
How these topics are examined
Check your knowledge

What these topics actually demand

UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance close Component 2, People and Society. They run from the changing population, economy and global role of the UK to the rising pressure on the world's food, water and energy. OCR's enquiry style frames each as a question, and the examiners test two linked skills: clear understanding of human and economic processes, and the confident use of data and named examples to support a balanced judgement.

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

UK in the 21st Century

The topic opens with population change: the ageing population (caused by rising life expectancy and a falling birth rate), its costs and contributions, and the patterns of internal and international migration and ethnic diversity, read from population pyramids and census data.

It then covers economic change: the shift from manufacturing to a post-industrial, service and knowledge economy, the growth of economic hubs and science parks, the resulting regional inequality, and the role of globalisation and technology. Finally it covers the UK's global role: political influence through international organisations and the Commonwealth, trade and investment, and cultural influence (soft power) through language, media and sport, all changing in the 21st century.

Resource Reliance

Resource Reliance asks whether we can feed nine billion people. It covers resource security and insecurity for food, water and energy, the ecological footprint as a measure of demand, and how population growth and development raise consumption.

It then covers the global food system (how food is produced, traded and consumed), the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and the central question of whether the world can feed nine billion. Finally it covers sustainable food supply, contrasting agribusiness with permaculture and local food, with a national case study.

How these topics are examined

A typical OCR profile for UK in the 21st Century and Resource Reliance:

Short answer. Defining terms (ageing population, food security, ecological footprint), describing patterns, and reading population pyramids, graphs and maps.
Process and explanation questions. Explaining why the UK is ageing, why manufacturing declined, or why demand for resources is rising.
Case-study questions. Using a UK economic hub or a national food-security strategy with specific facts.
Extended Assess answers. Judging the impacts of ageing, the success of a food strategy, or the nine-billion question, with a balanced conclusion and SPaG marks at stake.

Check your knowledge

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

Explain why the UK has an ageing population. (4 marks)
Explain one cost and one benefit of an ageing population. (4 marks)
Explain why employment in manufacturing has declined in the UK. (4 marks)
Explain why science parks are often located near universities. (4 marks)
Explain how the UK has cultural influence around the world. (4 marks)
Explain why Advanced Countries have larger ecological footprints than LIDCs. (4 marks)
Explain two causes of food insecurity. (4 marks)
Compare large-scale agribusiness with permaculture as ways to increase food security. (6 marks)

Solutions

Q1: Life expectancy has risen (better healthcare and living standards) so more people reach old age, while the birth rate has fallen (women in work, cost of children, contraception), so the elderly form a larger share, with the post-war baby boom now old.
Q2: Cost: pressure on the NHS, social care and pensions funded by a smaller working-age population. Benefit: older people work longer, volunteer and provide childcare, and the grey economy creates demand and jobs.
Q3: Globalisation moved manufacturing to cheaper countries; automation cut factory jobs; and old industries (coal, steel) became uncompetitive and closed, while services and high-tech grew.
Q4: Universities provide skilled graduates and research, so firms locate nearby to access talent and collaborate; good transport and an attractive environment add to the appeal, driving the knowledge economy.
Q5: The English language is global, UK media (the BBC, film, music), sport and universities reach worldwide audiences, giving the UK strong soft power, the ability to influence through attraction.
Q6: People in ACs consume far more per person (food, energy, goods), so producing those resources and absorbing the waste needs a large area of land and water, making the footprint large, while LIDCs consume less.
Q7: Any two: poverty (cannot afford food), climate and weather (droughts and floods cut harvests), conflict (disrupts farming), rising population, or poor infrastructure (food lost or cannot reach people).
Q8: Agribusiness gives very high yields of cheap food but causes pollution, soil degradation and biodiversity loss; permaculture works with nature for long-term sustainability but lower yields; the best choice trades short-term output against future sustainability.

Sources & how we know this

OCR GCSE (9-1) Geography B (J384) specification — OCR (2016)