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Quiz yourself on Weather HazardsGet your flashcardsBuild my revision planTrack my progress💡 Exam Tips for Weather Hazards
🎯 Common Question Types and Approach
- "Explain the formation of..." — walk through the process as a linked sequence using causal language ('this causes', 'as a result', 'because'); the 8-step cause-chain in this topic maps directly onto these questions; include Coriolis, latent heat, and 26°C ocean temperature as minimum requirements
- "Using a named example, describe..." — 'describe' means state what happened; name your case study (Typhoon Haiyan or Somerset Levels) and support with specific statistics — not vague generalisations
- "Using a named example, explain..." — you must both describe AND explain why it happened/why it had the effects it did; description alone reaches Level 1 at most
- "Assess how effectively..." — requires evaluation: state what works, then identify limitations; reach a judgement at the end ("Overall, monitoring is most effective at reducing deaths, but only when combined with planning to translate warning into evacuation...")
- "Compare..." — always use comparative language ('whereas', 'in contrast', 'however') and refer to both contexts in every paragraph, not in separate paragraphs
📝 Key Command Words
- Describe: State what/where/when — use statistics and place names; no explanation needed but add some if you have space
- Explain: Say WHY using causal language — 'because', 'this led to', 'as a result', 'which means that'
- Assess / Evaluate: Judge — state strengths, state limitations, reach an overall conclusion about effectiveness or relative importance
- Compare: Show similarities AND differences between named examples; use comparative connectives in every sentence if possible
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saying "the wind killed most people" — it was the storm surge in Haiyan. Always specify which hazard caused which effect
- Confusing hurricane/typhoon/cyclone — all the same type of storm; the name depends only on ocean basin. Typhoon = Pacific; Hurricane = Atlantic; Cyclone = Indian Ocean / Southern Hemisphere
- Saying storms form AT the equator — they cannot; Coriolis = 0 there. They form between 5° and 20° latitude
- One-cause answers for Somerset — "it rained a lot" is Level 1. Use DRIPS: record rainfall + saturated ground + un-dredged rivers + low topography
- Generic LIC/HIC statements without evidence — "LICs have less money" alone is Level 1. State HOW less money translates into specific vulnerability: can't enforce codes, can't fund evacuation, can't afford rapid reconstruction
- Forgetting secondary effects — disease, displacement, economic disruption, and psychological trauma are separate mark points; listing only wind damage and flooding gives a partial answer
Quick Check: A student writes: "Tropical storms form at the equator because it is warmest there. The winds spin clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere." Identify and correct both errors.
Error 1: Tropical storms cannot form AT the equator because the Coriolis effect is zero there — moving air is not deflected, so no rotation develops, and no organised storm structure can form. Storms form between 5° and 20° latitude where both warm ocean temperatures (≥26°C) AND sufficient Coriolis deflection coexist. Error 2: In the Northern Hemisphere, tropical storms rotate ANTICLOCKWISE, not clockwise. The Coriolis effect deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere; as air rushes inward toward the low pressure centre and is deflected rightward, the resulting circulation is anticlockwise. Clockwise rotation applies in the Southern Hemisphere.
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