Short answer: For the Edexcel Geography Paper 3 synoptic 24 mark question, annotate the resource booklet, weigh each option using the players and the data, add your own knowledge, then commit to a justified decision. The 18-mark question needs the same habits: evidence, own knowledge and a judgement.
What Paper 3 asks you to do
Paper 3 (9GE0/03) lasts 2 hours 15 minutes, carries 70 marks and is worth 20% of the A-level. [1] (An A-level is the main two-year UK sixth-form qualification, taken in Year 12 and Year 13.)
It is a synoptic paper. Synoptic means it pulls together ideas from different parts of the course. You investigate a geographical issue in a place-based context, using a resource booklet. [1]
The issue is rooted in two or more compulsory content areas. It links to three synoptic themes: Players, Attitudes and actions, and Futures and uncertainties. [1]
The paper includes 8-mark, 18-mark and 24-mark extended writing questions. [1] You will not have studied the place before, so the skill is applying what you know to something new.
As a rule of thumb, 135 minutes for 70 marks [1] works out at just under two minutes a mark. Our own suggestion, worked out from those figures, is about 45 minutes for a 24-mark answer, including planning. Treat this as a guide, not a rule.
The assessment objectives and where the marks sit
An assessment objective (AO) is a skill the mark scheme rewards. Edexcel defines three. AO1 is knowledge and understanding. AO2 is applying that knowledge to interpret, analyse and evaluate. AO3 is using data and evidence to construct arguments and draw conclusions. [1]
Paper 3 is weighted towards AO3, as the table shows. Each figure is a percentage of the whole A-level. [1]
| Assessment objective | What it rewards on Paper 3 | Weighting (% of A-level) |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Accurate knowledge and understanding | 5.5 |
| AO2 | Applying knowledge to the place and issue, and evaluating | 6 |
| AO3 | Using data and evidence to build an argument and conclude | 8.5 |
| Total | 20 |
These are weightings for the whole paper. We do not split them by individual question.
The message is clear. Use the booklet data (AO3), apply your knowledge to the place (AO1 and AO2), and reach a supported conclusion (AO2 and AO3).
How to use the resource booklet
The booklet is your evidence base. Read it once for the big picture. Then read it again with a pen.
Annotate in three layers:
- Players. Circle each group with a stake in the issue, such as a government, a business, a community or an environmental group.
- Attitudes and actions. Note what each player wants, fears or has already done. Their attitudes explain why conflict exists.
- Data and futures. Underline trends, comparisons and anything that looks like a projection. Mark what is certain and what is uncertain.
This helps you cover the synoptic themes the paper is built around. [1] A plan built from your annotations already touches each theme.
Add a margin note linking each item to a topic you have studied. That is where your own knowledge starts.
How to plan an 18-mark evaluate answer
Edexcel's command word list says Evaluate means giving a balanced, substantiated judgement. You draw on strengths, weaknesses, alternatives and data. [1] Always check the exact command word in the question.
Use a simple plan:
- Claim. Write one sentence stating your overall view.
- Two or three points. Each one needs a booklet fact (AO3), your own knowledge (AO1) and an explanation of why it matters here (AO2).
- Counter-view. Show who disagrees and why.
- Judgement. Decide which point matters most, and explain because of what.
These are the same evaluation habits as in our 20-mark essay guide. The difference is that here your evidence comes from an unseen booklet.
How to plan the Edexcel Geography Paper 3 synoptic 24 mark question
The 24-mark question is the largest on the paper. [1] A decision-style question gives you options and asks which is most suitable. You must choose.
Plan it as a comparison:
- Criteria. Pick three: for example cost, who benefits, and long-term risk.
- Options against criteria. Test each option with booklet evidence and your own knowledge.
- Players. Say who gains and who loses under each option, and how strongly they will react.
- Futures. Ask what could change. An option that works only in one future is weaker.
- Decision. Choose one option, say why it beats the others, and state any condition that would change your mind.
Write your decision in the introduction and again in the conclusion. Examiners then see a clear line of argument from the start.
A worked example
Below is a CC practice question, in our own words. The place and every figure in it are invented for practice. They are not real data.
Booklet summary (invented for practice): Karrow is an island that imports all its fuel. Electricity demand is projected to rise by 20% by 2040 (invented figures). Three options are on the table: a gas-fired power station, an offshore wind farm, or an undersea cable to a neighbouring country. The government wants secure supply. Fishing communities fear loss of fishing grounds. An environmental group wants lower emissions.
Evaluate which option Karrow should choose to meet its future electricity demand. (24 marks)
Karrow should choose the offshore wind farm, provided it is paired with back-up supply. The gas station would still depend on imported fuel, so it would leave the island exposed to price shocks and supply disruption. That weakens the government's main aim of energy security.
Wind avoids fuel imports and cuts emissions, which meets the environmental group's demand. However, wind output varies with the weather, so the island would need storage or a link to another grid. The cable could supply that link, but it would make Karrow dependent on one neighbour. Fishing communities would lose some grounds, so compensation or shared siting would be needed. Because demand growth is a projection, a wind farm built in stages can adjust if demand rises more slowly. Overall, wind is the strongest choice because it best balances security, emissions and flexibility.
Notice that the paragraph opens with a decision. It uses the players' aims as criteria. It also brings in knowledge not found in the booklet, such as wind variability and import dependence. Finally, it treats the projection as uncertain and ends with a reasoned judgement.
Common mistakes
- Copying the booklet. Repeating its text earns little. Use a fact as evidence, then explain what it shows.
- Ignoring players. Without players and their attitudes, you miss a whole synoptic theme. Name who is affected and why they react.
- No decision. A list of pros and cons is not a judgement. Choose, justify, and say what would change your mind.
- No use of your own knowledge. The booklet is not enough. Bring in concepts, processes and examples from the compulsory content.
- Treating projections as facts. Write 'is projected to' and consider what could differ.
Futures are projections, not certainties
The UN's World Population Prospects 2024 estimated about 8.2 billion people in 2024. It projected a peak of around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, and about 10.2 billion by 2100. [2]
These are projections, so they depend on assumptions about births, deaths and migration. In Paper 3, this is how to handle any forecast in your booklet. Say what it suggests, say what could make it wrong, and show how that affects your decision. That earns AO2 and AO3 credit for evaluating evidence.
Practise the booklet method
Practise this skill topic by topic on the CC Geography revision platform, with versions for Edexcel A-level and IAL.
See the CC Geography revision platformEnergy often appears in synoptic questions, so read energy security for A-level Geography next.