DoRevision
Log in Sign up free

Pre-Release Prep

How to get ready for the Paper 3 issue evaluation: what the pre-release booklet is, the kinds of resource it holds, and how to spot the issue, the stakeholders and the options before the exam.

⏱️ 17 min 🎯 14 activities
Best used for
Homework Intervention Mock preparation

Use it, the way the marks are given

Free interactive practice at using the material, which is what the marks are for.

Start revising free

What you'll cover

Getting ready for the issue

Paper 3 begins with an issue evaluation, and it works differently from the rest of the course. There is nothing new to memorise here; the skill itself is what is tested. AQA sends out a pre-release booklet twelve weeks before the exam, so you study it in advance, but in the exam you get a fresh, clean copy to work from. The issue is drawn from the compulsory parts of the course and is synoptic, meaning it links physical and human geography together. The booklet is full of resources: maps at different scales, graphs, statistics, photographs, satellite images, sketches, written extracts and quotes from different people. Your job before the exam is to read it all, work out the issue, and spot the stakeholders and the options. This module covers that preparation.

Issue evaluation words

Learn these before you open any booklet, and remember your job at this stage is to prepare, not to decide.

Effects on people against the environment

Because the issue is synoptic, it always has two sides you must look for, and a good preparation notes both.

How to prepare the booklet

Use the weeks before the exam well. Read every resource, not just the words, since a map or a graph often hides the key clue. As you go, work out what the issue really is, then jot down who is affected and what each of them wants, because those groups usually disagree. List the options that are on the table too. Do all of this now, so that in the exam you can move straight to weighing and deciding rather than meeting the issue cold.

Match the resource to what it shows

  • a map of the area
  • a graph
  • a stakeholder quote
  • a photograph
  • where things are and how they vary across the area
  • a trend or comparison shown in numbers
  • the view of a person or group affected
  • what a place actually looks like

Who are these people?

A booklet on a proposed new reservoir includes the views of local farmers, the water company, a wildlife charity and nearby residents. What are these groups best described as?

  • Stakeholders in the issue.
  • The options.
  • The resource types.
  • The examiners.

Preparing well

Select the TWO things that make good preparation for the issue evaluation.

  • Study the booklet in the weeks before the exam
  • Identify all the stakeholders and their views
  • Memorise a fixed answer to write out in the exam
  • Ignore the maps and graphs and read only the text

Weeks of study left

The pre-release booklet is issued twelve weeks before the exam. A student has already studied it for 5 weeks. Subtract to find how many weeks of study remain before the exam.

Order your preparation

Put the steps of preparing for the issue evaluation in order, earliest first.

  • The booklet is released twelve weeks before the exam
  • You read all the resources carefully
  • You identify the issue, the stakeholders and the options
  • You practise the process on past booklets

Complete the facts

The resources AQA issues twelve weeks early are the _____ booklet. The geographical problem the booklet is built around is the _____. A person or group affected by it, with their own view, is a _____. One of the possible choices for dealing with it is an _____.

pre-release issue stakeholder option fieldwork answer examiner sample

Match the prep step to what you do

  • interpret the issue
  • identify the stakeholders
  • list the options
  • gather the evidence
  • work out what the problem actually is
  • list who is affected and what each wants
  • note the possible choices on the table
  • pull the key facts from the resources

Spot the true prep facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true about the issue evaluation.

  • The booklet is released twelve weeks before the exam
  • You sit the exam with a clean copy of the booklet
  • You can memorise one answer and write it out
  • The issue only ever affects the physical environment

Prepare the issue

Read each case and choose the best response, with a reason.

  • A booklet includes a bar graph of local rainfall. A student skips it to read the text. What is the better approach?
  • A student lists only the residents as affected by a new road, missing the businesses and the wildlife charity. How should the preparation improve?
  • A student wants to write a full answer now and memorise it for the exam. Why is this a poor plan?

Explain how to prepare

A student has just been given the pre-release booklet for the issue evaluation. Explain how they should prepare for the exam.

  • Explain what the pre-release booklet is and when it arrives
  • Explain why reading every kind of resource matters
  • Explain how to identify the issue from the booklet
  • Explain why all the stakeholders and their views should be listed
  • Finish with a judgement on why thorough preparation beats memorising an answer