BOTSWANA EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL
Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education
CANDIDATE
NAME
CENTRE CANDIDATE
NUMBER NUMBER
GEOGRAPHY 1448
Paper 1 Written For Examination from 2025
SPECIMEN PAPER
1hour 30 minutes
Candidates answer on the Question Paper
Additional Materials: 1:50 000 Topographic map extract
INSTRUCTIONS
• Answer all questions.
• Write your candidate name, Centre number and candidate number in the spaces provided at the
top of this page and on all work you hand in.
• Write in dark blue or black pen.
• Write your answer to each question in the spaces provided.
• You may use an HB pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
• Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. For Examiner’s Use
• Do not write in any barcodes.
1
• Electronic calculators may be used.
2
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 60. 3
• You may lose marks if you do not show your working or if 4
you do not use appropriate units.
• The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each Total
question or part question.
This document consists of 9 printed pages and 3 blank pages.
© BEC 2025 [Turn over
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SECTION A For
Examiners
Answer All questions in this section. Use
This part of the paper is based on the 1:50 000 topographic map of Maun, Botswana.
1 (a) The following questions are based on the area of the map between northings 86 and 90
and eastings 36 and 42.
(i) State any one man-made feature found in the area.
__________________________________________________ [1]
(ii) What is the six-figure grid reference of Trig point BPT512?
__________________________________________________ [1]
(iii) What is the bearing of Trig point BPT512 from the school in grid square 4088.
___________________________________________________ [1]
(b) A bus carrying tourists travels along Sehithwa road towards Maun.
(i) In what general direction is the bus travelling?
____________________________________________________ [1]
(ii) What is the distance in kilometres covered by the bus travelling along
Sehithwa road, from where it crosses Shashe River in grid square 3585 to the
road junction in grid reference 391894?
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ [1]
(iii) Calculate the average gradient along the road between the points stated in
question (b)(ii). Show your working.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ [4]
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(c) Study Fig 1. which shows an extract from part of the map of Maun. Locate on the map the For
Examiners
part shown by this extract and answer the questions that follow. Use
39 40 41 42
91 91
90 90
89 89
88 88
39 40 41 42
Fig. 1
(i) Describe the main pattern of buildings in the part of the map shown.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ [1]
(ii) Calculate the area of land on the map enclosed between the roads as shown in
Fig. 1. Use the squares of area 0.25km2
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ [3]
(iii) Describe three factors that could have influenced the location of the settlement
within the part of the map shown on Fig. 1.
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ [3]
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(iv) Name the main type of natural vegetation shown on the map. For
Examiners
_____________________________________________________________ [1] Use
(v) State three services provided by Maun village.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ [3]
[Total Marks: 20]
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SECTION B For
Examiners
Answer all questions in this section. Use
2 (a) Study Fig.2 which shows records on arable farming production for Botswana in 2022.
Fig. 2
(i) State the most planted crop. ____________________________________________ [1]
(ii) Describe the physical factors which affect crop production in Botswana.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________ [2]
(iii) What was the amount of sorghum produced in 2022? ________________________ [1]
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(iv) Calculate the percentage difference between the area planted and area harvested For
Examiners
for beans/pulses. _____________________________________________________ Use
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________ [3]
(b) (i) Using Fig.2, describe the relationship between the area planted and area
harvested.___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ [1]
(ii) Suggest problems which may result from low food production in Botswana.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________[4]
(iii) Suggest strategies which the government may adopt to improve food production
in Botswana. _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ [3]
[Total Marks: 15]
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For
Examiners
3 (a) Study Fig. 3 which shows cases of reported conflicts between humans and wildlife for Use
the years 2012 to 2019.
10000
Number of Incidents
7500
5000
2500
5000
9
0
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Years
Source: Nineteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties Panama City
(Panama)
Fig. 3
(i) State the
number of cases reported in 2017; ____________________________________
year that recorded the least number of cases; __________________________
year that recorded the highest number of cases.__________________________ [3]
(ii) Describe the general trend shown by the number of incidents between 2012 and
2019. ___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ [1]
(iii) State the two periods which showed a sharp decline in the number of incidents.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________ [2]
(iv) Name any two examples of wild animals that could have been reported in the
conflict between humans and wildlife.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ [2]
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For
Examiners
(v) Name two wildlife management areas in Botswana. Use
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ [2]
(b) Fig.3 shows a sharp increase in the number of reported cases between 2014 and
2015.
(i) Suggest how the increase in the population of wild animals may negatively affect
human beings and the environment. ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________ [5]
(ii) Suggest five possible ways of reducing the human wildlife conflicts.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ [5]
[Total Marks: 20]
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For
o Examiners
4 Students at a university in Columbia (120 west) plan to hold an online zoom meeting Use
with a professor of science at an institution in Mongolia (117o East), the students will start
the connection at 1800hrs on Monday. Calculate the time and day the professor will join the
meeting.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________ [5]
[Total marks: 5]
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