The human impact: past paper questions
Real questions on the human impact
The newest 20 of 46 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.
- 9696/11 · May/June 2026 · Q4c[15]
With the aid of examples, assess the view that physical factors are more important than human factors in causing a river to flood. Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/12 · May/June 2026 · Q4b[8]
Explain how hard engineering could prevent river flooding.
See it on the paper → - 9696/12 · May/June 2026 · Q4c[15]
‘The impact of the flood was greater on people than on the environment.’ With the aid of a case study of a recent river flood event, how far do you agree with this statement? Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/13 · May/June 2026 · Q4b[8]
Explain how hard engineering could prevent river flooding.
See it on the paper → - 9696/11 · October/November 2025 · Q1b[2]
Suggest two ways Fig. 1.1 could be used to help manage the risks of river flooding.
See it on the paper → - 9696/11 · October/November 2025 · Q1c[4]
Explain two ways a river can be managed to reduce river flooding. Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/13 · October/November 2025 · Q4c[15]
‘Wetland and riverbank conservation are the most effective ways of reducing the impacts of river floods.’ With the aid of examples, how far do you agree with this statement? Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/21 · October/November 2025 · Q3b[2]
Suggest two environmental advantages of the railway shown in Fig. 3.1.
See it on the paper → - 9696/12 · May/June 2025 · Q4c[15]
‘Hard engineering is more effective than soft engineering in preventing river flooding.’ With the aid of one or more examples, how far do you agree with this statement? Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/21 · May/June 2025 · Q6b[8]
Explain the challenges of improving the infrastructure.
See it on the paper → - 9696/21 · May/June 2025 · Q6c[15]
Evaluate the success of the attempted strategies used to improve the infrastructure.
See it on the paper → - 9696/11 · October/November 2024 · Q1c[5]
Explain how changes in land use might cause a river to flood. Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/11 · October/November 2024 · Q4c[15]
‘Soft engineering can reduce the impacts of river floods but cannot prevent them.’ With the aid of examples, how far do you agree with this statement? Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/13 · October/November 2024 · Q4c[15]
With the aid of examples, assess the view that soft engineering is less effective than hard engineering in reducing river flooding. Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/22 · October/November 2024 · Q3b[2]
Suggest two reasons why planners may limit the height of buildings.
See it on the paper → - 9696/22 · October/November 2024 · Q3c[4]
Explain why tall buildings are a typical feature of central business districts (CBDs). Section B Answer one question from this section. All questions are worth 30 marks. Population
See it on the paper → - 9696/12 · May/June 2024 · Q4c[15]
With the aid of a case study, evaluate the attempts to reduce the impact of a recent river flood event. Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/41 · May/June 2024 · Q1b[6]
Suggest the environmental impacts of the changes shown in Fig. 1.1.
See it on the paper → - 9696/13 · October/November 2023 · Q4c[15]
‘River floods cannot be prevented but their impacts can be reduced.’ With the aid of one or more examples, how far do you agree with this statement? Atmosphere and weather
See it on the paper → - 9696/42 · October/November 2023 · Q10a[4]
Identify evidence from the satellite images which suggests there is social inequality between the two areas shown in Fig. 10.1.
See it on the paper →
What examiners said
Answers varied in quality, but there were some excellent answers. The better answers first discussed why it is difficult to prevent river floods, but then went on to discuss how it is possible to reduce their impact. There were some excellent and detailed case studies. Weaker answers focused on the impacts of flooding and a general awareness of hard and soft engineering, without much exemplificati...
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9696/13 Q4(c) (Cambridge)
Most candidates could contrast the two areas identifying basic differences such as Rocinha appears unplanned, whereas Zona Sul is organised in a block system of streets or Rocinha has little vegetation, whereas Zona Sul has lots of trees and a park area. Linking these basic observations to evidence of social inequality was less frequently seen such as: density of housing is higher in Rocinha, sugg...
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9696/42 Q10(a) (Cambridge)
Better responses were founded on accurate definitions of the measures or indices and could link this to economic inequality. One way to do this for each measure/index was to explain the scale it works at: between countries, within countries, for groups of people. Whilst a second way was to comment on how easy (or not) the measure/index is calculated.
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 9696/42 Q10(b) (Cambridge)
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