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examBoard: Cambridge
examType: IGCSE
lessonTitle: Cartoon, Picture and Diagram Analysis
Geography is a visual subject! Maps, photos, cartoons and diagrams help us understand our world in ways words alone cannot. Being able to analyze these visual sources is an essential skill for your iGCSE Geography exams and beyond.
Key Definitions:
Visual sources in geography help us to:
In your iGCSE Geography exam, you'll need to:
Photographs provide a snapshot of reality that can reveal a lot about places, people and environments. Learning to "read" photos is a key geographical skill.
When analyzing a photograph in geography, ask yourself these key questions:
What can you see in the image? Identify physical and human features, activities and evidence of processes.
Where was the photo taken? Look for clues about location, such as landscape, buildings, vegetation, or people's clothing.
When was the photo taken? Consider time of day, season and historical period. Look for clues like technology, fashion, or development.
Why is this scene important for geography? What processes or issues does it illustrate? Why might the photographer have taken this image?
What can't you see that might be important? What might be just outside the frame? What might have happened before or after the photo was taken?
Looking at a photo of a city skyline:
This analysis helps us understand urban growth, land values and development pressures in cities.
Geographical cartoons often tackle environmental and social issues with humour, exaggeration and symbolism. They can provide powerful perspectives on topics like climate change, globalisation, or resource management.
Follow these steps to analyze cartoons effectively:
What geographical topic or problem is the cartoon addressing? Look for clues in the imagery, captions and labels.
Cartoonists use symbols to represent ideas. Common examples include:
Cartoonists often exaggerate features to make a point. This can help identify what the cartoonist thinks is most important about the issue.
Every cartoon has a viewpoint. Ask yourself:
Climate change cartoons often show:
These visual metaphors communicate complex issues about responsibility, urgency and inequality in climate impacts.
Diagrams help explain geographical processes and systems that would be difficult to show in photographs. They range from simple cycles to complex models.
Show processes that repeat (water cycle, carbon cycle, rock cycle). Look for inputs, outputs and storage points.
Show what's beneath the surface (river valleys, coastal features, tectonic boundaries). Note the vertical and horizontal scales.
Show how different parts interact (ecosystems, urban systems). Look for connections and feedback loops.
When faced with a diagram in your exam, follow these steps:
Modern geography uses infographics to communicate data. When analyzing these:
When analyzing visual sources, be careful not to:
Visual analysis questions often ask you to "describe," "explain," "suggest," or "evaluate" based on an image or diagram. Here's how to approach these:
Example: "Describe the coastal features shown in the photograph."
Approach: Identify and name specific features, use geographical terminology and mention their location within the image.
Example: "Using the diagram, explain how a waterfall forms."
Approach: Refer to specific parts of the diagram, explain processes and use cause-effect language.
When writing about visual sources, use the P.E.E.L structure:
Example: "The photograph shows evidence of coastal erosion (Point). The collapsed cliff material at the base of the headland (Evidence) indicates that wave action has undercut the cliff, causing it to become unstable (Explain). This demonstrates the process of hydraulic action and abrasion that occurs in high-energy coastlines (Link)."
The best way to improve your visual analysis skills is through practice. Try these activities:
Remember, visual analysis is not just about describing what you see it's about making geographical meaning from visual information. This skill will serve you well in your exams and in understanding the world around you!
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