PastPaper.question 1 · structured-essay
25 PastPaper.marksTheme 1: Population and Settlement
Question 1
(a) (i) Define the term immigration. [1]
(ii) Give two social push factors that might cause people to migrate. [2]
(iii) Explain how a country's physical environment can act as a push factor. [3]
(iv) Describe the potential positive impacts of immigration on the destination country. [4]
(b) (i) Explain how economic factors act as pull factors for international migration. [3]
(ii) Explain the challenges faced by migrants when they arrive in their destination country. [5]
(c) For a named international migration route you have studied, explain the causes of the migration and its impacts on the source country. [7]
Question 1
(a) (i) Define the term immigration. [1]
(ii) Give two social push factors that might cause people to migrate. [2]
(iii) Explain how a country's physical environment can act as a push factor. [3]
(iv) Describe the potential positive impacts of immigration on the destination country. [4]
(b) (i) Explain how economic factors act as pull factors for international migration. [3]
(ii) Explain the challenges faced by migrants when they arrive in their destination country. [5]
(c) For a named international migration route you have studied, explain the causes of the migration and its impacts on the source country. [7]
PastPaper.showAnswersPastPaper.hideAnswers
PastPaper.workedSolution
(a) (i) Immigration is the movement of people into a foreign country to live there permanently.
(ii) Two social push factors: 1. Escape from war, civil conflict, or persecution. 2. Lack of educational or medical facilities in the home area.
(iii) Physical environments act as push factors through natural hazards (e.g., active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, or severe hurricanes) which destroy homes and infrastructure; prolonged drought or desertification making agriculture impossible; or rising sea levels and flooding in low-lying coastal areas.
(iv) Positive impacts of immigration on destination countries include: filling gaps in the labor market (both low-skilled and highly skilled jobs); paying taxes which contribute to public services; introducing new cultures, languages, and food (cultural enrichment); and helping to offset the effects of an aging population or low birth rates.
(b) (i) Economic pull factors include: higher wages and better paying jobs than in the source country; a greater abundance and variety of job opportunities; and the prospect of a higher standard of living or greater wealth.
(ii) Migrants face many challenges upon arrival, such as: language barriers which make communication and finding employment difficult; discrimination, prejudice, or social isolation; difficulty securing legal status, work permits, or formal documentation; expensive or poor-quality housing, often in segregated areas; and challenges in accessing essential public services like healthcare and schooling.
(c) Case study: Migration from Mexico to the USA.
Causes: Higher average wages in the USA (e.g., in agriculture, construction, and hospitality) compared to lower wages and high unemployment rates in rural Mexico. Push factors in Mexico include rural poverty, high crime rates associated with drug cartels, and limited access to secondary education. Pull factors include the presence of established family networks in the USA and better educational opportunities.
Impacts on the source country (Mexico): Positive impacts include billions of dollars in remittances sent home annually, which improves family living standards and funds local businesses or schools. However, negative impacts include a 'brain drain' and loss of young, working-age males, leaving behind an aging population and a gender imbalance in rural villages.
(ii) Two social push factors: 1. Escape from war, civil conflict, or persecution. 2. Lack of educational or medical facilities in the home area.
(iii) Physical environments act as push factors through natural hazards (e.g., active volcanoes, frequent earthquakes, or severe hurricanes) which destroy homes and infrastructure; prolonged drought or desertification making agriculture impossible; or rising sea levels and flooding in low-lying coastal areas.
(iv) Positive impacts of immigration on destination countries include: filling gaps in the labor market (both low-skilled and highly skilled jobs); paying taxes which contribute to public services; introducing new cultures, languages, and food (cultural enrichment); and helping to offset the effects of an aging population or low birth rates.
(b) (i) Economic pull factors include: higher wages and better paying jobs than in the source country; a greater abundance and variety of job opportunities; and the prospect of a higher standard of living or greater wealth.
(ii) Migrants face many challenges upon arrival, such as: language barriers which make communication and finding employment difficult; discrimination, prejudice, or social isolation; difficulty securing legal status, work permits, or formal documentation; expensive or poor-quality housing, often in segregated areas; and challenges in accessing essential public services like healthcare and schooling.
(c) Case study: Migration from Mexico to the USA.
Causes: Higher average wages in the USA (e.g., in agriculture, construction, and hospitality) compared to lower wages and high unemployment rates in rural Mexico. Push factors in Mexico include rural poverty, high crime rates associated with drug cartels, and limited access to secondary education. Pull factors include the presence of established family networks in the USA and better educational opportunities.
Impacts on the source country (Mexico): Positive impacts include billions of dollars in remittances sent home annually, which improves family living standards and funds local businesses or schools. However, negative impacts include a 'brain drain' and loss of young, working-age males, leaving behind an aging population and a gender imbalance in rural villages.
PastPaper.markingScheme
(a) (i) 1 mark for a correct definition: movement of people into a country to live.
(ii) 2 marks (1 mark per valid social push factor: e.g., persecution, war, lack of health facilities, religious intolerance).
(iii) 3 marks (1 mark per point / developed point): e.g., natural disasters like volcanic eruptions destroy housing [1]; droughts lead to crop failure and famine [1]; flooding makes lands uninhabitable [1].
(iv) 4 marks (1 mark per valid impact described): e.g., supply of cheap labor [1], fills labor shortages [1], pays taxes [1], cultural diversity [1], offsets aging population [1].
(b) (i) 3 marks (1 mark per economic pull factor explained): e.g., job vacancies in key industries [1], high wage rates compared to home country [1], chance of a higher standard of living [1].
(ii) 5 marks (1 mark per explained challenge): e.g., language barrier limits jobs [1], exploitation by employers due to lack of rights [1], high cost of living [1], social exclusion/racism [1], substandard living conditions/slums [1].
(c) Case Study Level-of-Response Marking:
Level 1 (1-3 marks): Simple statements explaining causes/impacts of migration in general terms, without specific place details (e.g., 'people move for money and send back cash').
Level 2 (4-6 marks): Developed statements explaining causes and impacts, with some specific details or names linked to the chosen route (e.g., 'Mexicans move to the USA to work in farms in California; they send remittances back to rural villages like Jalisco to build schools').
Level 3 (7 marks): Fully developed, detailed explanation covering both causes and impacts on the source country, with precise place-specific details and statistical support.
(ii) 2 marks (1 mark per valid social push factor: e.g., persecution, war, lack of health facilities, religious intolerance).
(iii) 3 marks (1 mark per point / developed point): e.g., natural disasters like volcanic eruptions destroy housing [1]; droughts lead to crop failure and famine [1]; flooding makes lands uninhabitable [1].
(iv) 4 marks (1 mark per valid impact described): e.g., supply of cheap labor [1], fills labor shortages [1], pays taxes [1], cultural diversity [1], offsets aging population [1].
(b) (i) 3 marks (1 mark per economic pull factor explained): e.g., job vacancies in key industries [1], high wage rates compared to home country [1], chance of a higher standard of living [1].
(ii) 5 marks (1 mark per explained challenge): e.g., language barrier limits jobs [1], exploitation by employers due to lack of rights [1], high cost of living [1], social exclusion/racism [1], substandard living conditions/slums [1].
(c) Case Study Level-of-Response Marking:
Level 1 (1-3 marks): Simple statements explaining causes/impacts of migration in general terms, without specific place details (e.g., 'people move for money and send back cash').
Level 2 (4-6 marks): Developed statements explaining causes and impacts, with some specific details or names linked to the chosen route (e.g., 'Mexicans move to the USA to work in farms in California; they send remittances back to rural villages like Jalisco to build schools').
Level 3 (7 marks): Fully developed, detailed explanation covering both causes and impacts on the source country, with precise place-specific details and statistical support.