Photographs & Pictorial Material (Cambridge International IGCSE Geography)

Spec point — Questions may include field sketches of physical and human landscapes to stimulate geographical description and annotation. Cartoons illustrating a geographical theme may be set for interpretation and analysis.

Photographs & Pictorial Material

Photographs

• The command word for photographs is usually 'describe'

• This is about observational skills and understanding about what is being viewed

• When describing, look for:

  • Physical features: vegetation, climate, relief, drainage, distinct features (cliff, river, desert, landslide, etc.), rocky outcrops, etc.
  • Human features: grouping of buildings: offices, homes, factories, etc. Urban, rural or fringe settlements. Industry and transport; developed or developing areas and general condition of features: busy, quiet, modern, old, etc.
  • Relief: height and shape of ground surface, named features, overall appearance
  • Agriculture: animals—type and spread; vegetation type—grass, barren, sparse, etc. Land type: arable or pasture, ploughed or fallow, crops or harvested, etc. Types of farm buildings and machinery along with their condition
  • Settlements: rural or urban, features of buildings, types of buildings, use of settlements and buildings, spacing between or among buildings—linear, dispersed, nucleated, etc.
  • Housing: size and storey: bungalow, large, multistorey, skyscraper, etc. number of windows, are there building plots or vacant sites on the urban fringe or new builds, etc.

Exam Hint

• When the exam question asks you to describe, it is asking you to 'say what you can actually see', not 'what you think you see'
• The 'what and why' usually comes in a later question
• You will not gain extra marks for explaining, but you will lose out on precious time

Example

• There is a photograph of a black cat and I describe it as:

  • The cat has black fur with a little bit of white on her tummy. Her fur is soft, and she has long whiskers and a stubby tail. She has sharp claws and purrs a lot; even though she has lost a tooth, she can still bite when she is annoyed.

• How do I know all this? The photo wouldn't tell me that the cat is female, has long claws, lost a tooth, bites, purrs or has soft fur.

• Always remember to say what you can only see in the photograph

Field sketches

• Field sketches should include:

  • title
  • location/site number
  • compass direction
  • key features found at a site

Exam Hint In the exam, you can be asked to sketch and label key features from a photograph. Total accuracy or artistic prowess is not assessed; however, important features such as rivers, coastlines, hills, etc. must be identified.

Follow the geographical rules for sketching:

• Draw a box to frame the sketch
• Always draw in pencil
• Use colour to highlight a feature
• Use a ruler for straight lines and arrows
• The arrows always go to the feature, not the label
• Never cross arrow lines
• Write horizontally to the arrow in pen

Worked Example The photograph below shows a feature of a river in its upper course.

1. Identify the landform in the photograph [1 mark]
2. Sketch and label the key features of this landform [4 marks]

Final answer: Answer

1. Waterfall and gorge [1 mark].

Sketch of photograph showing key labelling of features