- Topics such as Hong Kong’s latest urban development projects and infrastructure are likely to appear on the paper
- Check out these last-minute study tips from King’s Glory Education Centre star tutor Titus Chan
The geography exam is one of the papers that requires the most writing from students. Photo: ShutterstockTaking place on May 6, the DSE geography exam is one of the exams that involve the most writing. Instead of rote memorisation, the exam tests students’ abilities to apply their knowledge and explain their answers using logic and reasoning.
Less than two weeks before the exam, how can students prepare effectively? Titus Chan, a star tutor from King’s Glory Education Centre, maps out some last-minute tips to help you maximise your efficiency and rock the exam.
Keep an eye on current affairs
Paper 1 accounts for 75 per cent of marks on the subject. Students will have 2.5 hours to complete three sections, including multiple-choice, fieldwork or data-based questions (DBQs) and short essay questions.
Besides book knowledge of geography concepts, the exam includes questions on current affairs, particularly the city’s latest urban development projects and infrastructure.
The tutor outlined two chapters students should revise related to the news. The first one is “C4: Building a sustainable city infrastructure”. Over the past few years, infrastructure projects such as the Tung Chung New Town Extension and new development areas like Hung Shui Kiu have appeared on the exam.
“Students should pay attention to the city’s upcoming developments such as Tseung Kwan O Area 132, Yuen Long South Development,” said Chan.
Candidates should also review the chapter on “E3: Transport Development, Planning and Management”, Chan said, citing last year’s question on the Tseung Kwan O to Lam Tin tunnel.
“[Students] can look at the projects that didn’t feature in previous exams, like the Heung Yuen Wai highway and Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok tunnel, as well as future railway developments, such as the extension of the East Kowloon line to cover Tsz Wan Shan.”
Sometimes the question might not mention a specific piece of news. “For example, a question about earthquakes may not refer to a real case but ask more general questions. Students can still study the news and use them as examples in the Paper 2 essay,” the tutor noted, reminding candidates to note the year and date of the incident, the name of the plate, the magnitude, and the estimated number of deaths.
Don’t waste too much time on map-reading MCs
One common mistake candidates make is poor time management, especially on the multiple-choice questions in Paper 1.
Chan explained that students often struggle with the first six map-reading multiple-choice questions, which account for about seven points. “Some students will spend 20 minutes on these questions, affecting their performance on the DBQs and essay. So they should finish the map-reading questions efficiently, [spending no] more than 15 minutes [on their answers]. This can set you apart from other candidates,” Chan stressed.
The tutor suggested spending 30 minutes on each of the two DBQ questions and 40 minutes on the essay. Students should also ensure they write the appropriate amount on the essay; writing more won’t necessarily earn you more points, but you should still write enough to answer the question thoroughly.
“It depends on the quality of your answer. And the length will affect the markers’ impression. If students only write about 1.5 pages, it’s not enough to score level 5 or above,” he explained.
For the last question in the DBQ, he advised students to write more than half a page with an explanation.
Chan added: “In recent years, the last question of the DBQ tends to be more advanced and asks for more details and in-depth elaboration. You cannot get points by just hitting the keywords; you will need at least one to two sentences of elaboration, [explaining] how the measure can solve the problem or how the factor leads to the consequence.”
Carefully note the keywords in Paper 2
Worth 25 per cent of the final score, Paper 2 requires students to answer one DBQ question and a short essay within an hour and 20 minutes.
“Paper 2 is more difficult than Paper 1, and students need to be careful with the workings in the questions and try to filter out irrelevant points,” Chan said.
Chan cited an example from 2021 when a question in section E asked candidates to explain the relationship between water and mass waste in Hong Kong and discuss the impact of human activities on this relationship.
“The question was specifically restricted to human activities related to water,” the tutor said. “But many students threw out everything they knew about civil engineering and ignored the keyword ‘water’.”
Set criteria for comparison questions
In recent years, Chan has noticed an increasing number of comparison questions on the exams, such as how characteristics of China’s steel industry also apply to the IT industry.
Concepts that used to be asked in separate questions are more likely to be grouped, with students asked to identify their similarities. For example, he cited a question asking about connections between monsoons and tropical cyclones.
“Comparison questions are not hard to answer. Students just need to set the comparison criteria and for each point, write one paragraph including the two cases,” he explained.
“Candidates may find [the answer to these questions in their study books], but some have appeared in the DBQ on past exams. During the last few weeks, I would suggest students ... do more past papers and only refer to the book when they encounter difficult questions,” the tutor advised.
What to bring to the exam
As the subject requires a few supplies to complete the exam, Chan offered a checklist for students.
“A calculator is a must, as students need to do maths and statistics. For map-reading questions, students should prepare a 30cm transparent ruler, one non-shatter ruler, and colour pens and highlighters.”