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WalesGeography

Landscapes and Physical Processes (Core Theme 1)

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do waves and coastal processes create distinctive coastal landscapes?

Key Idea 1.2 (coasts): the processes that operate along a coastline (weathering, mass movement, erosion, transportation and deposition), constructive and destructive waves and longshore drift, and the formation of distinctive coastal landforms of erosion (headlands, bays, caves, arches, stacks) and deposition (beaches, spits and bars).
A focused answer on coastal landscapes for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Key Idea 1.2): weathering, mass movement, erosion, transportation and deposition, constructive and destructive waves, longshore drift, and the formation of erosional landforms and depositional landforms.
14 min answer →

What makes a landscape distinctive, and how are the landscapes of Wales and the UK described and mapped?

Key Idea 1.1: the distinctive landscapes of Wales and the UK, what makes a landscape distinctive, the location and characteristics of upland, lowland and glaciated landscapes, and the physical and human factors that shape them, using maps, photographs and OS map skills.
A focused answer on Key Idea 1.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1: what makes a landscape distinctive, the location and features of upland, lowland and glaciated landscapes in Wales and the UK, and the physical and human factors that shape them, with OS map skills.
13 min answer →

How do drainage basins work, why do rivers flood, and how can flooding be managed?

Key Idea 1.3: the drainage basins of Wales and the UK, the drainage basin as an open system (inputs, stores, flows and outputs), the storm hydrograph and the factors affecting it, the physical and human causes of river flooding, and the hard and soft engineering used to manage flooding.
A focused answer on Key Idea 1.3 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1: the drainage basin as an open system, the storm hydrograph and the factors affecting it, the physical and human causes of river flooding, and the hard and soft engineering used to manage it.
14 min answer →

How do rivers shape distinctive landscapes through their processes and landforms?

Key Idea 1.2 (rivers): the processes that operate in a river landscape (erosion, transportation and deposition), how the long profile and cross profile change downstream, and the formation of distinctive fluvial landforms such as waterfalls, meanders, ox-bow lakes and floodplains.
A focused answer on river landscapes for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Key Idea 1.2): the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition, the changing long and cross profile downstream, and the formation of waterfalls, meanders, ox-bow lakes and floodplains.
14 min answer →