1. OS map skills for rivers
LO:
To use information learnt during the rivers topic e.g. how a river changes from source to mouth to answer skills based questions for paper 1.
To develop geographical skills such as use of grid references, contours, cross sections, analysing patterns of data, using graphs annotating maps/photos.

2. General rivers skills questions
Either for paper 1 or Rivers section of paper 2.

3. General rivers skills

7. Techniques – interpreting aerial photographs
Name the river landform shown in this aerial photograph.
What else can you identify?
How can you tell that this is not the upper course of a river?

8. DATA PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES AND DATA ANALYSIS

9. Rivers fieldwork questions
What kind of graph is this?
What does it show?
Rivers fieldwork questions
Describe the pattern of results shown in the graph (3)

12. OS Map skills for rivers

13. Fieldwork and research questions

14. The Bradshaw model

15. River Browney

16. Geographical investigation skills exam questions
What geographical hypothesis could you investigated linked to this river? (2)
1 a. Explain why this hypothesis would be suitable (3)
2. Explain the primary and secondary data that could be collected to investigate this (6)

17. How is relief shown on a map?
Relief is shown on maps in three main ways:
contour lines
spot heights 19 32 37 31 40 30 21 46 14 20 10 12
colour shading.
10-20 m
21-30 m
31-40 m
41-50 m

18. Contours
Relief is often shown on OS maps by light brown/orange lines known as contour lines.
Contours are lines that join points of equal height.
Contour lines usually have a number attached to them. This number indicates the height of the land above sea-level.

19. Shape of slope/ slope patterns

22. Relief on maps
On this OS Map the contour lines are far apart. This means that the gradient is less steep. The numbers on the contour lines represent the height at which is at in metres. If there are no lines or if they are far apart from each other we can conclude that the land is flat.

23. First of all are you comfortable with 4 fig and 6 fig grid references?

25. Higher level question
Compare the relief on the west and east of the River Otter (4)

26. Foundation question

27. Answer

28. 2. OS Maps
Identify v-shaped valleys and spurs of land.

30. Skills practice

32. Answers

33. Mapwork
A common question in the final exam is being asked to describe a river and its valley between two set points. You must remember to mention all of the following to gain maximum marks.
First of all describe the river:
> The direction of flow (remember a river normally gets wider as it flows downstream, so this can give you a clue here)
> The width of the river and any changes that occur (use the scale on the map to help you here)
> The speed of the river (this can be worked out by looking at the gradient over which it flows)
> Sinuosity (how much the river meanders, with grid references)
> Identify specific features (eg waterfalls, ox bow lakes – these may used later in the same question for feature formation)

34. Mapwork
To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Now describe the valley:
> Width of the valley (again use the scale to help here – look at the the distance between the first contours on each side of the river itself to get the valley’s width)
> The shape of the valley (eg v shape with tight contours and steep slopes or a flatter valley with few contours)
> The stage that the river is in (this is done by taking all of the information into account)

35. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Question: Describe the river and its valley between GR and GR
Point 1 :
Point 2 :
The question will give you the two points on the map between which you have to describe the river and its valley. Be careful to plot these accurately.

36. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The direction of flow
The River Nevis here flows in two clearly different directions. Firstly it flows westerly, then north-westerly…
from GR
Use the grid references to show at which point the direction changes ie

37. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The width of the river and any changes that occur
The width of the river stays virtually the same all along its course on the map and is
50m.
Use the scale to help you to work out how wide the river is. Remember on this scale of map there is 1km segment which is divided into ten equal parts – each of these then is 100m (the length of a football pitch).

38. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The speed of flow
The speed of the river likely to be fast flowing.

39. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Sinuosity
with meanders (when the river “wanders” over flat land.
The river flows between interlocking spurs in is first westerly flowing section from to In second north-westerly flowing section from to there are a few meanders as the land is flatter eg at GR
Remember not to mix up interlocking spurs (higher bits of land getting in the way of the river)

40. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Identify specific features
There are several tributaries joining the main river channel eg from GR 1469.

41. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Identify specific features
There is an island in the middle of the river at GR

42. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Identify specific features
There are numerous waterfalls eg GR

43. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
Identify specific features
At the end if it course the river becomes tidal .
The colour at the side of the river is normally dark blue, but where it changes to black this shows that the river is tidal ie the water level goes up and down with the tides.

44. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The width of the valley
Measure the width of the valley by looking at the distance between the first contours on each side of the river itself. Again use the scale to help here.
If the contour pattern shows some “white” ie flat land then there is flat land beside the river ie a floodplain.
If the contour pattern goes right to the edge of the river it will be a v-shape valley.

45. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The width of the valley
The valley width changes slightly from being close to the river ~ a v-shape valley generally the same width as the river: m wide. But in is north-westerly flowing section it widens and there is some flat land beside the river: m wide in places.

46. To get full marks you must mention the valley too!
The shape of the valley
The valley is a steep sided v-shape valley in it westerly flowing section. In its north-westerly flowing section it still has steeps sides but has a slightly wider and flatter valley floor.

47. Describe the course of the river from 090900 to 090930

48. Describe the course of the river from 090900 to 090930
Settlement on banks
Road crosses the river
Meanders- could use grid references to refer to point of the river where they are located
Wide flood plain – use scale to give size

49. Mark scheme
Mark per point. Answers should include information on the river and the valley. Accept both human and physical features.
There is a wide floodplain to the West of the river (1)
The east of the rivers slopes are slightly steeper with a spot height of 44m at (1)
There are a number of (meander) bends (1)
In grid square 0891 the river has its largest meander. (1)
At a road crosses the river (1)
The village of Tipton St John is to the East of the river in grid square 0991 (1)
Max 2 without map evidence.
2 marks available for map evidence.

50. How to draw a cross section

51. What your cross section should look like

54. Examination question Study the map of a river valley below: X Y
Height (m) X Y X Y
Sketch a cross-section of the river valley from X to Y.
Label two features of this river valley.
State at what stage of a river’s course you would expect to find this type of valley. Give reasons for your answer.

55. In the box below draw a sketch section across the River Otter valley from to (Do not worry about getting this exactly right, but try to show the differences in relief.)
Annotate your sketch section to show:
(a) The position of the river
(b) A concave slope
(c) A hill-top
(d) The two minor roads.

57. Fieldwork and research questions

58. River Browney

59. The Bradshaw model

60. Geographical investigation skills exam questions
What geographical hypothesis could you investigated linked to this river? (2)
1 a. Explain why this hypothesis would be suitable (3)
2. Explain the primary and secondary data that could be collected to investigate this (6)