This memory aid covers The DECIDE Mnemonic — Choosing Your Presentation Technique within Fieldwork Presentation and Evaluation Skills for GCSE Geography. Revise Fieldwork Presentation and Evaluation Skills in Geographical Skills for GCSE Geography with 13 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 13 of 16 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
🧠 The DECIDE Mnemonic — Choosing Your Presentation Technique
When you face an exam question asking you to choose or justify a presentation technique, run through DECIDE:
What kind of data do you have? Continuous (measured values on a scale), discrete (counted categories), ordinal (ranked), or locational (tied to specific places)?
What are you trying to show? A trend over time? A spatial distribution? A relationship between two variables? A comparison of categories? Different questions need different techniques.
How many data points do you have, and where were they collected? Twelve paired measurements suit a scatter graph. Data from a transect at 50 cm intervals suits a kite diagram. Data collected across administrative zones suits a choropleth.
What pattern are you trying to communicate? Correlation between two variables? Proportions of a total? Relative values across a map? The pattern you want to show determines the technique that will show it most clearly.
Whatever technique you choose, draw it correctly: labelled axes with units, consistent scale, title, legend where needed, north arrow and scale bar on maps. Technical accuracy earns marks even if the analysis is weak.
This is the mark-earning step. State why your chosen technique suits your data type and research question. Mention at least one alternative technique and explain why it would be less appropriate. This is what separates Level 2 from Level 3 answers.
DECIDE: Data type → Examine the question → Consider scale → Identify the relationship → Draw accurately → Explain your choice.
Practice questions for Fieldwork Presentation and Evaluation Skills
A student is investigating whether pebble size decreases with distance from a cliff. They have 20 paired measurements of distance (metres) and pebble long axis (mm). Which presentation technique is most appropriate?
Explain the difference between a label and an annotation on a field sketch or photograph. Why do annotations earn more marks? [3 marks]