How do you use Ordnance Survey grid references and scale in the Advanced Higher question paper?
Using OS maps in the question paper: reading the 1:25,000 Explorer sheet, giving four and six-figure grid references, working with scale, measuring distances and drawing to scale.
How to use the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey Explorer map in the SQA Advanced Higher Geography question paper: four and six-figure grid references, scale, measuring straight-line and winding distances, and drawing or measuring to scale to support a response with map evidence.
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What this key area is asking
The question paper uses a 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey Explorer map of an area of England or Wales, and you are expected to bring prior map-reading skill. The foundation is locating points with grid references, understanding scale, and measuring straight-line and winding distances. These skills let you support answers with precise map evidence, which is what the 20-mark map interpretation section rewards.
Grid references
Grid references are the language of the OS map, and the exam expects them given accurately and in the right order. The phrase "along the corridor and up the stairs" captures the order: eastings first, northings second.
- Four-figure (for example 4156). The bottom-left corner of a 1 kilometre square; used to name a square.
- Six-figure (for example 432567). Adds a tenth across and up, fixing a point to about 100 metres.
Scale and distance
Two kinds of distance come up. Straight-line distance is measured with a ruler in centimetres and divided by 4 to give kilometres. Winding distance (a river, a road) is measured by laying a paper strip or thread along the feature, marking every bend, then straightening it against the linear scale. Following every bend matters, because cutting corners underestimates the true length.
A reliable measuring routine
- Check the scale. Confirm 1:25,000, so 4 cm = 1 km and each square is 1 square kilometre.
- Give the grid reference. Eastings first, then northings; six figures for a precise point.
- Measure carefully. Ruler for straight lines; paper strip or thread for winding features.
- Convert and state. Divide centimetres by 4 for kilometres, and show the conversion.
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. On a 1:25,000 map, how many centimetres represent 1 kilometre on the ground? [1 mark]
- Cue. 4 centimetres (1 cm to 250 m).
Q2. In what order are the two parts of a grid reference read? [1 mark]
- Cue. Eastings first (along the bottom), then northings (up the side).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA AH map4 marksUsing the OS map extract, give the six-figure grid reference of the named feature and measure the straight-line distance to a second feature in kilometres.Show worked answer →
A six-figure grid reference fixes a point to the nearest 100 metres. Read the eastings (the numbers along the top and bottom) first, then the northings (up the sides): take the two-figure grid square, then estimate tenths across and up. For example, a feature two tenths east and seven tenths north of square 4156 is at 432567.
For distance on a 1:25,000 map, 4 centimetres on the map equals 1 kilometre on the ground (1 cm to 250 m). Measure the straight-line distance with a ruler in centimetres and divide by 4 to get kilometres, or use the linear scale bar. A full answer gives the grid reference in the correct easting-then-northing order and converts the measured distance accurately, stating the working.
SQA AH map3 marksExplain how you would measure the length of a winding river along the OS map extract and convert it to a real distance.Show worked answer →
A winding feature cannot be measured with a straight ruler. Lay a piece of paper or thread along the river, marking each bend, then straighten it against the linear scale or a ruler. On a 1:25,000 map divide the measured centimetres by 4 to get kilometres.
Strong answers name the paper-strip or thread method, stress following every bend to avoid underestimating, and convert using the 1:25,000 scale (4 cm = 1 km). They may add that the value is an estimate and that more bends followed gives a more accurate result.
Related dot points
- Interpreting relief and landforms: reading contours, spot heights and gradient, recognising slopes, valleys, ridges and physical features, and using map evidence to describe and explain the landscape.
How to interpret relief and physical landforms from the 1:25,000 OS map in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: reading contours, spot heights and gradient, recognising valleys, ridges, slopes and drainage, and using map evidence to describe and explain the physical landscape.
- Interpreting human features: reading settlement site, situation, shape and function, communications, and land use from map symbols, and explaining how relief and other factors shape them.
How to interpret human geography from the 1:25,000 OS map in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: reading settlement site, situation, shape and function, communication networks and land use from symbols, and explaining how relief and other factors influence them.
- Using supplementary items: combining the OS map with photographs, sketches, cross-sections, transects, graphical information and data tables, and cross-referencing them to build an evidenced response.
How to use the supplementary items supplied with the SQA Advanced Higher Geography question paper: photographs, sketches, cross-sections, transects, tracing overlays, graphical information and data tables, and how to cross-reference them with the OS map to support a response.
- The 50-mark question paper: a 2 hour 30 minute exam split between map interpretation (20 marks), gathering and processing techniques (10 marks) and geographical data handling (20 marks), using a 1:25,000 OS map, supplementary items and an atlas.
The shape of the SQA Advanced Higher Geography question paper: 50 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes, split 20 marks for map interpretation, 10 for gathering and processing techniques and 20 for geographical data handling, sat with a 1:25,000 OS Explorer map, supplementary items and a general atlas.
- Mapping and map-based diagrams: annotated overlay, choropleth map, cross section, dot map, flow line map, isoline map, proportional symbols, sphere of influence map and transect, and choosing the right one for the data.
The examinable mapping and map-based diagram techniques in SQA Advanced Higher Geography: annotated overlay, choropleth, cross section, dot map, flow line, isoline, proportional symbols, sphere of influence and transect. Covers what each shows and how to choose the right one.
Sources & how we know this
- Advanced Higher Geography Course Specification — SQA (2019)
- Advanced Higher Geography Specimen Question Paper — SQA (2019)