Use of qualitative and quantitative evidence

Geography draws on two kinds of evidence: numerical (quantitative) and descriptive (qualitative). The strongest answers use both, weighing strengths and weaknesses.

Quantitative data

• Numerical — counts, percentages, statistics.
• Examples: GDP per capita, house prices, river velocity, EQI scores, satellite imagery pixel counts.
• Strengths — objective; easy to compare; allows statistical tests; reproducible.
• Weaknesses — strips out context; may oversimplify (a single statistic doesn't capture lived experience).

Qualitative data

• Descriptive — interviews, photographs, written extracts.
• Examples: residents' interviews after a flood; testimony in newspaper articles; field sketches.
• Strengths — captures meaning, motivation, emotion; rich detail.
• Weaknesses — subjective; small samples; harder to generalise.

Sources of evidence

• Primary — collected by you (river measurements, EQI surveys, questionnaires).
• Secondary — collected by others (Census data, government reports, news articles, satellite imagery).

The best enquiries combine the two — fieldwork (primary) plus published statistics (secondary).

Evaluating sources

For each source, ask:

1. Who produced it? Government, NGO, news outlet, residents — different agendas.
2. When? Out-of-date data may not apply now (climate has shifted, populations moved).
3. Why? A campaign group may emphasise damage; a government may downplay it.
4. How was it collected? Sample size, methods, scientific rigour.

These four questions are AQA's framework — examiners reward students who apply them.

Comparing sources

When sources disagree:

• Could one have more recent or larger sample?
• Are they measuring the same thing in the same way?
• Does one have a vested interest?

For example, comparing news reports on a TNC's environmental impact: a Shell-issued statement may emphasise jobs and tax revenue; an NGO source may emphasise oil spills and pollution. Both can be partly true; the geographer weighs them.

Drawing conclusions

• Make sure conclusions are supported by evidence.
• Quote specific evidence ("Figure 4 shows…", "Table 2 indicates…").
• Acknowledge uncertainty — "the data suggests…" rather than "this proves…".
• For decision-making, use the SEC structure: Statement → Evidence → Counter-argument.

Justifying decisions

A 9-mark decision-making question asks you to justify a choice. Strong answers:

• Cite multiple sources from the booklet.
• Bring in wider knowledge (course case studies).
• Address why the rejected options are weaker.
• End with a clear, reasoned conclusion.

Examiner tips

• Always name the evidence type — "Figure 5 (a quantitative source) shows… while the resident's interview in Figure 8 (a qualitative source) suggests…".
• Combine both types — examiners explicitly reward triangulation.
• Don't dismiss qualitative evidence as "just opinions" — interviews capture impacts that numbers miss.
• For evaluation questions, applied the four W's: Who, When, Why, How.