IB DP · Thinka-original Practice Paper

2025 IB DP Geography Practice Paper with Answers

Thinka May 2025 SL (TZ1) IB Diploma Programme-Style Mock — Geography

50 marks75 mins2025

An original Thinka practice paper modelled on the structure and difficulty of the May 2025 SL (TZ1) IB Diploma Programme Geography paper. Not affiliated with or reproduced from IB.

Section A

Answer all three multi-part questions covering core topics: Changing population, Global climate, and Global resource consumption and security.

9 Question · 16 marks

Question 1 · Data Interpretation

1 marks

In a hypothetical nation, Country Alpha, the population is structured as follows: 15 million people aged 0–14, 50 million people aged 15–64, and 10 million people aged 65 and over. Calculate the total dependency ratio for Country Alpha.

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Worked solution

To calculate the total dependency ratio, use the following formula: $\text{Total Dependency Ratio} = \frac{(\text{Population 0-14}) + (\text{Population 65+})}{\text{Population 15-64}} \times 100$. Substituting the given values: $\frac{15\text{ million} + 10\text{ million}}{50\text{ million}} \times 100 = \frac{25}{50} \times 100 = 50\%$.

Marking scheme

Award [1 mark] for the correct answer of 50% or 50. Do not credit calculations that do not arrive at the correct final ratio.

Question 2 · Data Interpretation

1 marks

In 2020, a nation's ecological footprint was measured at 4.5 global hectares (gha) per person, while its local biocapacity was 2.1 gha per person. Calculate the ecological deficit for this country in 2020.

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Worked solution

The ecological deficit is calculated by subtracting the biocapacity from the ecological footprint when the footprint exceeds biocapacity: $\text{Ecological Deficit} = \text{Ecological Footprint} - \text{Biocapacity} = 4.5\text{ gha/person} - 2.1\text{ gha/person} = 2.4\text{ gha/person}$.

Marking scheme

Award [1 mark] for the correct calculation of 2.4 gha per person (accept 2.4 or -2.4 if the deficit is framed as a negative balance).

Question 3 · Structured Explain

2 marks

Explain one way in which a country's high youth dependency ratio can influence government spending on infrastructure.

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Worked solution

Governments in countries with a high youth dependency ratio must allocate a large proportion of their public infrastructure budget to social infrastructure, such as schools, nurseries, and clinics. This diverts financial resources away from economic infrastructure, such as industrial zones or national transport networks.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for identifying a specific infrastructure need of youth (e.g. schools, immunization clinics, or playgrounds) and [1] for explaining how this shifts or prioritizes the government's overall infrastructure budget allocation.

Question 4 · Structured Suggest

2 marks

Suggest how a country's topography can influence its uneven population distribution.

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Worked solution

Topography affects accessibility and economic viability. Steep mountain slopes present physical challenges for constructing housing and transport links, as well as practicing commercial agriculture, resulting in low population density. Conversely, low-lying flat plains are easier to build on and farm, attracting dense human settlement.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for identifying a topographic contrast (such as mountains versus plains, or steep versus flat terrain) and [1] for explaining how this physical constraint or advantage shapes settlement density (such as ease of building or farming).

Question 5 · Structured Explain

2 marks

Explain how the ice-albedo feedback loop contributes to global warming.

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Worked solution

Rising global temperatures cause snow and ice to melt, exposing darker land or ocean surfaces beneath. These darker surfaces have a lower albedo (reflectivity) and therefore absorb more solar radiation, which increases local temperatures and leads to further melting, creating a positive feedback loop.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for outlining how melting ice reduces Earth's albedo by exposing darker surfaces and [1] for explaining how this increased absorption of solar radiation drives further warming.

Question 6 · Structured Suggest

2 marks

Suggest one way in which civil society organizations can help a vulnerable community build resilience against extreme weather events.

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Worked solution

Civil society organizations (such as local NGOs) can design and implement community-based early warning systems, as well as conduct education campaigns and evacuation drills. This directly prepares local citizens, ensuring they know how to respond when a hazard strikes, reducing vulnerability and losses.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for outlining a clear community-level action led by civil society (such as disaster drills, early warning networks, or retrofitting homes) and [1] for explaining how this action reduces vulnerability or increases adaptive capacity.

Question 7 · Structured Explain

2 marks

Explain one way in which shifting towards a plant-based diet can reduce an individual's water footprint.

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Worked solution

Producing meat and dairy is highly resource-intensive as livestock require immense amounts of water for drinking, processing, and growing feed crops (high virtual water content). By consuming plants directly, humans skip the inefficient trophic level of livestock, drastically lowering the direct and indirect water required per calorie of food.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for noting the high virtual water consumption of livestock/animal feed compared to crops, and [1] for explaining how bypassing animal consumption reduces overall water footprint.

Question 8 · Structured Outline

2 marks

Outline how the increased production of first-generation biofuels can negatively impact food security.

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Worked solution

First-generation biofuels are made from food crops like maize, sugarcane, and soy. Increasing their production means that fertile agricultural land and freshwater resources are diverted away from food production to energy crops. This reduction in the food supply can cause price spikes, reducing food security for low-income populations.

Marking scheme

Award [1] for identifying the resource competition between biofuel crops and food crops for land/water, and [1] for explaining how this leads to reduced food availability or increased food prices.

Question 9 · Description of Distribution

2 marks

Describe the global distribution of countries with a very high ecological footprint (greater than 6.0 global hectares per person).

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Worked solution

To describe a distribution pattern effectively for 2 marks:
1. Identify a primary cluster or spatial concentration: High ecological footprints ($> 6.0$ gha/person) are concentrated in high-income regions, predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere, specifically North America (USA, Canada) and Western Europe.
2. Identify another cluster or highlight a contrasting region of absence: There is another significant cluster in the Middle East (Gulf States), while there is a near-total absence of such countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southern Asia.

Marking scheme

Award 1 mark for each descriptive point up to a maximum of 2 marks:
- Award 1 mark for identifying a major regional concentration or cluster (e.g., North America, Western Europe, or the Middle East/Gulf States).
- Award 1 mark for identifying a region where they are absent or sparse (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia) OR for identifying that the distribution is highly uneven and predominantly aligns with high-income/industrialized nations.

*Note: Do not award marks for a simple list of countries without geographic context or pattern description.*

Section B

Answer the single infographic-based question on population characteristics and migration trends.

4 Question · 10 marks

Question 1 · Identify

1 marks

Based on the infographic 'Figure 1: Global Remittance Inflows (2022)', which shows the following inflows: India ($111 billion), Mexico ($61 billion), China ($51 billion), and the Philippines ($38 billion), identify the country that received the second-highest volume of remittances in 2022.

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Worked solution

According to the data provided in Figure 1, the remittance inflows are: India ($111 billion), Mexico ($61 billion), China ($51 billion), and the Philippines ($38 billion). The country with the second-highest inflow is Mexico ($61 billion).

Marking scheme

Award [1] mark for identifying Mexico. Reject any other country.

Question 2 · State

1 marks

Based on the infographic 'Figure 2: East Asian Demographic Profiles (2023)' which displays the percentage of the population aged 65 and over (Japan: 29.1%, South Korea: 18.4%, China: 13.7%, and Taiwan: 17.6%), state the percentage of the population aged 65 and over for the country with the lowest proportion of elderly citizens among those listed.

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Worked solution

The percentage of the population aged 65 and over for each country is: Japan (29.1%), South Korea (18.4%), China (13.7%), and Taiwan (17.6%). The country with the lowest proportion of elderly citizens among those listed is China, at 13.7%.

Marking scheme

Award [1] mark for stating 13.7% (accept '13.7' or '13.7 percent').

Question 3 · Suggest inaccuracy

2 marks

An infographic displays global migration flows using proportional straight-line arrows drawn directly from the center of origin countries to the center of destination countries.

Suggest one visual or geographical inaccuracy that arises from representing migration flows in this way.

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Worked solution

The use of straight-line proportional arrows creates a visual simplification that implies a direct, uninterrupted path from the center of the origin country to the center of the destination country. In reality, migration routes are highly complex, often involving crossing multiple national borders, stopping in transit countries, or utilizing specific transport corridors. By bypassing these transit hubs, the map inaccurately depicts the spatial reality of the migration journey. Alternatively, placing the arrow at the geographic center of a country masks significant sub-national variations, such as whether migrants are originating from specific rural provinces or concentrated urban hubs.

Marking scheme

Award 1 mark for identifying a valid inaccuracy or limitation, and 1 mark for an explanation/development of how it distorts geographical reality.

- **Inaccuracy/Limitation (1 mark):** e.g., Identifies that straight arrows imply direct movement, simplifies origins/destinations to a single central point, or obscures transit countries.
- **Explanation (1 mark):** e.g., Explains that actual migration is step-wise or transit-based, or that regional variation within large countries (such as rural-to-urban origins) is completely masked.

*Do not accept generic criticisms of data collection methods (e.g., 'unregistered migrants are not counted') unless directly tied to how the data is visually represented.*

Question 4 · essay

6 marks

To what extent does an aging national population inevitably lead to an increase in international inward migration?

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Worked solution

An aging population, characterized by a rising dependency ratio and a shrinking domestic workforce, creates significant economic pressure that often pulls international migrants to fill crucial labor shortages in healthcare, construction, and services. For example, countries like Germany and Canada have adapted their immigration pathways to attract young, skilled foreign workers to sustain their tax bases and social security systems. However, an increase in inward migration is not an inevitable outcome of population aging. First, governments can employ alternative domestic strategies, such as raising the retirement age, incentivizing higher female labor force participation, or utilizing fiscal pronatalist policies to boost natural increase. Second, technological substitution, particularly through automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (as heavily prioritized in Japan), can mitigate labor deficits without relying on immigration. Finally, political and cultural resistance within a host nation can lead to highly restrictive immigration policies that block inflows despite severe demographic shortages. In conclusion, while an aging population creates strong structural incentives for inward migration, the actual outcome is not inevitable and depends heavily on a nation's political choices, cultural openness, and capacity for technological adaptation.

Marking scheme

Markband 1-2 marks: The response shows basic understanding of aging populations or migration but lacks depth. It may list points without structuring them as an argument, or rely on unsupported generalizations. Markband 3-4 marks: The response explains how an aging population can drive migration and identifies at least one alternative strategy (such as automation or policy barriers) to counter the idea of inevitability. Some geographic terminology is used, though the evaluation may be unbalanced. Markband 5-6 marks: The response provides a well-balanced evaluative synthesis that directly addresses the concept of 'inevitability'. It clearly weighs demographic pressures against alternative national strategies and political barriers, supports the argument with relevant real-world examples, and reaches a clear, reasoned conclusion on 'to what extent' aging dictates migration.

Section C

Answer one out of two extended response essay questions concerning global resources and sustainability.

1 Question · 10 marks

Question 1 · essay

10 marks

To what extent does a 'circular economy' approach offer a realistic solution to the challenges of global resource insecurity?

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Worked solution

Introduction
Define 'circular economy' as an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources, contrasting it with the traditional linear economy ('take, make, dispose'). Define 'resource insecurity' in terms of water, food, and energy. State a clear thesis on the extent to which circular models can resolve these challenges.

Arguments supporting the circular economy as a realistic solution:
1. Resource Conservation and Waste Reduction: By keeping materials in use, it reduces the demand for raw materials (e.g., urban mining for electronic waste in Japan or Europe, reducing the need for destructive resource extraction).
2. Water and Food Security (The Nexus): Circular water systems (e.g., NEWater in Singapore) treat and reuse wastewater, directly combating water scarcity. In agriculture, organic waste can be converted to compost or biogas, returning nutrients to the soil and producing renewable energy, illustrating a closed-loop nexus solution.
3. Economic and Environmental Sustainability: Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation, which are major drivers of future resource scarcity (e.g., climate change impacts on agriculture).

Limitations and challenges of the circular economy:
1. Technological and Thermodynamic Constraints: Not all materials can be recycled indefinitely without degradation (e.g., plastics and paper). Some energy inputs are always required, meaning absolute circularity is thermodynamically impossible.
2. High Transition and Infrastructure Costs: Developing circular supply chains requires immense capital. Low-income countries (LICs) often lack the infrastructure, technology, and funding to implement large-scale circular systems, meaning resource insecurity may persist where it is most acute.
3. Consumer Behavior and Corporate Resistance: Linear business models remain highly profitable. Globalized supply chains make tracking and reclaiming products extremely difficult. Consumer preference for cheap, disposable goods is a major cultural barrier.

Conclusion:
Summarize that while the circular economy offers an essential framework for mitigating resource insecurity—particularly in high-consumption, high-income nations—it is not a standalone panacea. Its success is highly dependent on global cooperation, technology transfer to LICs, and systemic changes in consumer behavior and regulatory policies.

Marking scheme

Marking Scheme (Total: 10 Marks)

9–10 marks: The response shows an excellent understanding of the circular economy and resource insecurity. Explains both benefits and limitations thoroughly. Evaluates the term 'to what extent' with a nuanced, balanced argument. Integrates well-chosen, detailed case studies (e.g., Singapore, Japan, or specific city initiatives). Structure is highly logical with a clear, justified conclusion.
7–8 marks: Shows a good understanding of circular economy concepts and resource challenges. Discusses both strengths and weaknesses, though one side may be slightly more developed. Includes relevant examples. Offers a clear evaluation and structured conclusion.
5–6 marks: Describes the circular economy and resource insecurity but may lack depth in linking them. Arguments are mostly descriptive rather than evaluative. Examples are generic or lack detail. The conclusion is brief or repetitive.
3–4 marks: Shows basic, superficial knowledge of recycling or resource waste. Lacks a clear understanding of the 'circular economy' concept beyond simple recycling. No evaluation or specific case studies are present.
1–2 marks: Fragmented or irrelevant response. Shows little or no understanding of the question.

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