Why are some people more vulnerable to tectonic hazards, and how can the risks be reduced?
Key Idea 3.2 (Theme 3): vulnerability and hazard reduction, why people live in tectonically active areas, why the impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes differ between richer and poorer countries, and how hazards can be reduced through prediction, protection (building design) and preparation (planning and education).
A focused answer on Key Idea 3.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Theme 3): why people live in hazardous areas, why earthquake and volcano impacts differ between richer and poorer countries, and how risks are reduced through prediction, protection and preparation.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers Key Idea 3.2 of WJEC Unit 1 Theme 3: vulnerability and hazard reduction. You need to explain why people live in tectonically active areas, why the impacts of earthquakes and volcanoes differ between richer and poorer countries, and how hazards can be reduced through the three Ps: prediction, protection and preparation.
Why people live in hazardous areas
Why impacts differ between rich and poor countries
Reducing the risk: the three Ps
Comparing impacts and responses
Try this
Q1. What are the three Ps of hazard reduction? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Prediction (monitoring for warning signs), protection (hazard-resistant buildings and defences) and preparation (planning, education, drills and warning systems).
Q2. Explain one reason an earthquake causes more deaths in a poorer country than a richer one. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Poorer countries often cannot afford earthquake-proof buildings, so many structures collapse during the shaking, trapping and killing people, while weaker emergency services and infrastructure slow the rescue.
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 3)4 marksDescribe why people choose to live in areas at risk from tectonic hazards.Show worked answer →
A short data-response describe question. Reward described reasons, ideally with examples.
Resources and farming. Volcanic areas have very fertile soils for farming, and geothermal energy and minerals can be exploited.
Other reasons. Tourism brings income, some people cannot afford to move, others have family and jobs there, and many believe a serious event is unlikely in their lifetime.
Top marks. Two or three clear reasons, such as fertile soil, geothermal energy, tourism and lack of alternatives.
WJEC Unit 1 (Theme 3)8 marksExplain why the impacts of an earthquake are often greater in a lower-income country.Show worked answer →
An extended question (levels marking). Reward developed reasons comparing richer and poorer countries.
Buildings and infrastructure. Poorer countries often have weaker, non-earthquake-proof buildings that collapse, and roads, water and power that fail, so more people die and recovery is slow.
Money and preparation. Less money for prediction, monitoring, early-warning systems, emergency services and rebuilding, and faster, less planned urban growth, all raise vulnerability.
Top band. Contrast with a richer country (better building codes, services, planning and funds) and reach a supported conclusion that wealth is a key factor in vulnerability.
Related dot points
- 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.
- Key Idea 4.1 (Theme 4): vulnerable coastlines, the physical and human factors that make a coast vulnerable to erosion and flooding, the threat of coastal erosion and retreat (for example soft cliffs), and the increasing risk of coastal flooding from storm surges and sea-level rise.
A focused answer on Key Idea 4.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Theme 4): the physical and human factors that make a coast vulnerable, the threat of coastal erosion and cliff retreat, and the rising risk of coastal flooding from storm surges and sea-level rise.
- Key Idea 4.2 (Theme 4): managing coastal hazards, the use of hard engineering (sea walls, groynes, rock armour, gabions) and soft engineering (beach nourishment, managed retreat, dune regeneration), and the costs, benefits and sustainability of different coastal management strategies.
A focused answer on Key Idea 4.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 1 (Theme 4): hard engineering (sea walls, groynes, rock armour, gabions) and soft engineering (beach nourishment, managed retreat, dune regeneration), and the costs, benefits and sustainability of coastal management.
- Key Idea 6.1: measuring global inequalities, what development means, the economic and social indicators used to measure it (GNI per head, the HDI, birth and death rates, literacy and life expectancy), the limitations of single indicators, and the global pattern of development (the development gap and the LIC, NIC, HIC classification).
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.1 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: what development means, the economic and social indicators used to measure it, the limitations of single indicators, and the global pattern of development including the development gap and the LIC, NIC and HIC classification.
- Key Idea 6.2: the causes and consequences of uneven development at the global scale and within one low-income country (LIC) and one newly industrialised country (NIC), the physical, economic, historical and political causes, the consequences of uneven development, and the strategies used to reduce the development gap.
A focused answer on Key Idea 6.2 for WJEC GCSE Geography Unit 2: the physical, economic, historical and political causes of uneven development, its consequences within a LIC and a NIC, and the strategies used to reduce the development gap.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE Geography (Wales) specification (3110) — WJEC (2019)