This memory aid covers Exam Framework: CLEVER within Tectonic Hazards for GCSE Geography. Revise Tectonic Hazards in The Challenge of Natural Hazards for GCSE Geography with 18 exam-style questions and 24 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 9 of 12 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.

🧠 Exam Framework: CLEVER

Use this framework to structure any tectonic hazard answer, especially comparisons between two countries:

C — Context and Causes — What type of plate margin? Why does the hazard occur here? (Chile: Nazca subducting beneath South American Plate. Nepal: Indian colliding with Eurasian Plate.)

L — Location details — Where exactly? Magnitude? Depth of focus? Urban or rural? Proximity to coast (tsunami risk)?

E — Effects (primary and secondary) — Immediate: deaths, buildings destroyed, infrastructure damage. Delayed: fires, disease, economic disruption, landslides, aftershocks.

V — Vulnerability factors — Why was this place more or less able to cope? Building quality, wealth, terrain, governance, population density.

E — Emergency response — How quickly did help arrive? What were the barriers? National vs international response?

R — Rebuilding and recovery — How long did it take? Was it effective? What was improved for the future?

For plate margin types, use: D.C.C.

Destructive — subduction — earthquakes AND volcanoes (Chile)
Collision — crumpling — earthquakes ONLY (Nepal / Himalayas)
Conservative — sliding — earthquakes ONLY (San Andreas Fault)
(Constructive — pulling apart — mild earthquakes + shield volcanoes)

Practice questions for Tectonic Hazards

At which type of plate margin do two plates move towards each other, causing one to be forced beneath the other?

A. Constructive margin
B. Conservative margin
C. Destructive margin
D. Transform margin

1 markfoundation

Explain why the 2010 Chile earthquake caused far fewer deaths than the 2015 Nepal earthquake, even though Chile's earthquake was more powerful.

3 marksstandard

Exam Framework: CLEVER

🧠 Exam Framework: CLEVER

Practice questions for Tectonic Hazards

Quick recall flashcards

18 questions on Tectonic Hazards — practise free