Exam Strategies

The Exam

• 3 essay-style long answer questions
• 3 topics, one question on each:
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Tsunamis
• You have plenty of room, so can plan your answers!

Breaking Down a Question

• Start questions on volcanoes & earthquakes with a brief explanation of plate tectonics & convection currents.
  • Basic Earth structure
  • Crust structure
  • Convection currents
  • (Briefly) Wegner’s theory of continental drift

Suggested Topics

• Each question comes with a series of bullet points outlining what you should include in your answer.
• Each of these bullet points should be a whole paragraph in your answer.
• A diagram is always suggested, and students who include diagrams typically get better grades.

Planning

• Title each paragraph of your answer
• Include a series of bullet points below to outline your answer (for your benefit):

1. Tectonic Plates & Convection Currents

• Basic Earth structure
• Crust structure
• Convection currents
• (Briefly) Wegner’s theory of continental drift

[Your full answer here, leave lots of space]

2019 Q1 Bullet 1

2. Mantle-Crust Interaction & Volcano Formation

• Plate boundary, Pacific plate subducting under Australian
• Melting of plate
• Hot spot: plume of magma is rising
• Outer core is heating the mantle, causing it to rise
• Crust is stretching, becoming thin, cracks for volcanoes to form in

[Your full answer here, leave lots of space]

2019 Q1 Bullet 2

3. Magma Type & Characteristics

• [Basaltic/Andesitic/Rhyolitic] magma
• Viscosity (impact on eruption)
• Silica content (impact on eruption)
• Gas content (impact on eruption)
• Water content (impact on eruption)

[Your full answer here, leave lots of space]

2019 Q1 Bullet 3

4. Eruption Stages & Landscape Features

• Describe the field
• Shape of volcanoes
• Frequency of eruption
• Number of volcanoes (why)
• How the volcanoes erupt (violent, or more peacefully etc.)

[Your full answer here, leave lots of space]

Diagram

Illustrate what is happening with the crust, tectonic plates, mantle, and core to cause the volcanoes. E.g.: