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.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers Key Idea 1.1 of WJEC Unit 1: the distinctive landscapes of Wales and the UK. You need to explain what makes a landscape distinctive, describe the location and characteristics of the main UK landscape types (upland, lowland and glaciated), and explain the physical and human factors that shape them. As a data-response theme, you must read these from maps, photographs and OS maps.
What makes a landscape distinctive
The main UK landscape types
The factors that shape landscapes
OS map and photograph skills
Try this
Q1. What is meant by a "distinctive landscape"? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A landscape whose particular combination of relief, geology, drainage, soils, ecology and human features makes it look different from other areas.
Q2. Explain one physical and one human factor that shape an upland landscape. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Physical: resistant rock and past glaciation create high, steep relief and glacial valleys. Human: sheep grazing and forestry keep the slopes as open moorland or plantation rather than woodland or town.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Unit 1 (Theme 1)4 marksDescribe the characteristics of an upland landscape in the UK.Show worked answer →
A short data-response describe question (point marking). Reward described characteristics, ideally read from a photograph or map, with no need to explain causes.
Relief. Upland landscapes are high above sea level (often over 200 metres) with steep slopes, sharp peaks or rounded summits and deep valleys.
Drainage and cover. They have fast, narrow rivers in V-shaped valleys near their source, thin acidic soils, and land cover such as moorland, rough grazing or coniferous forest rather than dense settlement.
Top marks. Two or three clear, described characteristics, using evidence from the resource if one is given.
WJEC Unit 1 (Theme 1)6 marksExplain how physical and human factors make a landscape distinctive.Show worked answer →
A short explain question (levels marking). Reward developed factors, linked to how they create a distinctive character.
Physical factors. Geology controls the rock type and therefore the relief and shape. Resistant rock such as granite forms uplands; weaker rock such as clay forms lowlands. Climate, weathering and past glaciation also shape the landforms.
Human factors. Land use shapes the look of a landscape: farming, forestry, quarrying, reservoirs and settlement all change it. For example, sheep grazing keeps Welsh uplands open, while flat lowlands are intensively farmed and built on.
Top band. Link both physical and human factors to a named or described landscape, showing how they combine to make it distinctive.
Related dot points
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Key Idea 2.1: the urban-rural continuum in Wales and the UK, the links and flows between urban and rural areas, the processes of counter-urbanisation, suburbanisation and the growth of commuter and dormitory settlements, and the impacts on rural communities.
A focused answer on Key Idea 2.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1: the urban-rural continuum in Wales and the UK, the links and flows between urban and rural areas, counter-urbanisation and suburbanisation, commuter settlements, and the impacts on rural communities.
- Key Idea 3.1 (Theme 3): tectonic processes and landforms, the structure of the Earth and plate tectonics, the three main plate boundaries (constructive, destructive and conservative) and the landforms and hazards (earthquakes and volcanoes) associated with each.
A focused answer on Key Idea 3.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Theme 3): the structure of the Earth and plate tectonics, constructive, destructive and conservative plate boundaries, and the landforms and hazards (earthquakes and volcanoes) at each.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Geography (Wales) specification (3110) — WJEC (2019)