1. HSC GEOGRAPHY Presenter Mr
HSC GEOGRAPHY Presenter Mr. Steven Newman All Saints College St Mary’s Maitland (Senior School)

2. Important Documents
The Syllabus
HSC Examination Paper Structure

3. 1.0 Syllabus Key to successful HSC study is to KNOW your SYLLABUS.
HSC questions come from there.

4. 1.1 Important Syllabus Check List
The Sacred “Dot Points”
THREE UNITS
Ecosystems at Risk
Urban Places
People and Economic Activity
Outcomes? (2007 Ecosystem question)

5. 1.1.1 Sacred “Dot Points”
Dot Points should act as your Headings and Subheadings.
Memory Joggers
HSC questions (especially extended response questions) come from the dot points.
They can act as a good summary guide.
Mind Maps

6. 1.1.2. Units: Ecosystems at Risk
TWO Parts
Ecosystems and their management
Case Studies

7. Ecosystems and their Management
General Information on Ecosystems and how they work (function)
Important to be able to draw upon a variety of examples to support each dot point. Do not rely on TWO case studies here.

8. Ecosystem Case Studies
Have TWO specific Case Studies.
Markers comments from 2007:
Defining an area as an ecosystem is inappropriate and students studying case studies such as islands or stretches of coast that contain several ecosystems should be specific about naming and differentiating between the collection of ecosystems.
Identify and Define the type of Ecosystem you are studying e.g Coral Reefs, Coastal Sand Dunes
Identify a specific example of one: e.g Great Barrier Reef, Stockton Bight Sand Dunes
Basic Geography of your case study RELATAIVE location and ABSOLUTE location. Be able to draw a quick MUD MAP.

9. Urban Places Three Clear Topics World Cities Mega Cities
Urban Dynamics

10. World Cities
Spatial Distribution of these places; Predominantly located in the Developed World
World Cities are best understood in terms of FLOWS.
World Cities command and control the flow of money, ideas, people and culture in a Globalised world.
This gives World Cities their distinct Characteristics:
Money: Financial Centres (Flow of money) stock exchanges, HQs for Fortune 500 companies.
In turn controlling the flow of money requires the infrastructure to be able to do this, Telecommunication nodes, Air travel hubs, transportation nodes.
Culturally, people with money want to be where other people with money are. Hence the Cultural Authority

11. Mega Cities A definition based purely on population Size.
Syllabus uses old United Nations Definition of 8 million or more inhabitants of a Metropolitan Area.
New Definition used by UN and World Bank etc is “10 million”.
You are safe to use both.
Spatial Pattern: A Developing World Phenomena
Characteristics: Can use challenges as Characteristics, but ensure you use the term “characteristics” in a response.
Need to draw upon a few examples not just ONE case study. Remember the Bossy “s”.

12. Urban Dynamics This is in 3 Sections 9 urban Dynamics of Change
Case Study of ONE Urban Dynamic
Study of a Large City

13. 9 Urban Dynamics Suburbanisation Exurbanisation Counterurbanisation
Decentralistaion
Urban Decay
Urban Renewal
Urban Consolidation
Urban Village
Spatial Exclusion
Crucial to have examples of each.
Focus on ONE for your Case study of a country town or suburb

14. ONE Case Study
Ensure you have studied ONE Urban Dynamic in ONE Suburb/Country Town.
That is, NAME the Urban dynamic and NAME the suburb/town
E.g.
Urban Dynamic: URBAN RENEWAL
Suburb/ Town: Pyrmont

15. Large City Needs to be a city form the developed world
Better off doing an Australian City
Sydney is an obvious choice because of proximity and most have had contact with it.
Ensure you understand the results of Urban Dynamics
SCEG
Social
Cultural
Economic
Growth

16. People and Economic Activity
Two Parts to this unit:
Economic Activity
Economic Enterprise
Distinguish between the two

17. Economic Activity Define your Economic Activity
Is an Activity that is occurring Globally- Tourism, Viticulture, Aquaculture
Define your Economic Activity
Good little Acronym to remember the second dot point BEESPOT
Biophysical
Ecological (link to global warming)
Economic
Sociological
Political
Organisational
Technological

18. Economic Enterprise
Refers to a specific example or Case Study of ONE business (enterprise) that is involved in the Economic Activity you studied.

19. 2.0 HSC EXAM Know the Exam Structure 3 hour Exam
20 Multiple Choice (20 marks)
Short Answer Questions (40 marks)
2 Extended Response (40 marks)
Combination of Skills and knowledge

20. 2.1 Multiple Choice 35 minutes
Skills Check list
Calculating Skills (ratios)
Scale
Vertical Exaggeration (VE=x)
Gradient (1:x)
Percentage change
Proportional Circles
Vertical Exaggeration
Gradient
Distance, speed, time
Percentage change.
Bearings
Interpreting/reading Skills
Topographic maps
Cartograms
Choropleth / Thematic Maps
Line, Column, Bar ,Compound and Pie Graphs
Semi-logarithmic graphs
tables,
flow diagrams
Photos Types (Oblique, Aerial, Satellite)
Orientate a photo to a map.
Direction
Constructing Skills
Cross Sections
Vegetation Transects
Proportional Circles
Precis Maps
Choropleth/ Thematic Maps

21. 2.2 Short Answers You have 70 minutes
Combination of Skills and Knowledge.
Get straight into question. Answer question in first sentence and then support with detailed examples.
You do not benefit by writing more than the lines provided. The skill here is to write succinctly!

22. Extended Responses 75 minutes
Choice of TWO extended responses from Three questions (ONE question for each unit)
Essay writing
Read Question
Determine Dot point
Bossy word
Bossy S
Paragraphs (Body of Extended Response)
ONE paragraph = ONE point
Sentence Back
Paragraph Structure
Identify a trend, pattern or major point
Explain it using geographical concepts
What are the implications
Signposts – key words that show you are answering the question.
Try to use Stimulus Booklet
Get past the staple in 8 page booklet
Use statistics and illustrative example throughout.
BOS states 600 words is sufficient, I recommend that you use time as a better gauge.

23. All these notes can be found at