This is a pretty tricky question so it's important to read it carefully. I decided to make a help sheet breaking down the question as a lot of students struggle with these types of essay questions.
Level 1 (1-6 marks)
Describes the Demographic Transition Model (DTM). Refers to strengths and/or weaknesses. General statements.
Level 2 (7-12 marks)
Uses an understanding of the DTM to begin to comment on its applicability to at least two types of country. Use of case study material to support. Tentative statements of ‘extent’.
Level 3 (13-15 marks)
Answer is purposeful in relation to task; clear statements of applicability or otherwise. Elements of debate may be present. Explicit statements of ‘extent’.
Next, I have broken down the question and tried to explain what it's asking. Remember, exam technique is EVERYTHING in AS Geography! After that I have written my own examples of thing you might include to give you some ideas of where to start. Please try to think of and research your own examples too, good luck! (p.s. if you do write a really good answer and would like to have it published on this blog please send it to hafsa@geogarific.com).
·
This question is
not just asking you to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the DTM, if you
do this you can’t get above Level 1, i.e. you will only get a maximum of 6
marks even with lots of detail.
·
It’s important
that you ANSWER the question set or you’ll lose a lot of marks. So what exactly
is the question asking? Let’s break it down…
Question Part
|
Explanation
|
To What Extent
|
The question is looking for
more than just a yes or no answer. You need to explicitly (i.e. spell it out) say if the model is very
applicable, somewhat applicable, applicable in some situations, not at all
applicable etc. Don’t just say it is or it isn’t.
|
Is The Demographic
Transition Model
|
Make sure you understand
what this is. The DTM shows what happens to the birth rate, death rate and
total population of a country over time. As time passes these 3 indicators
change in certain ways and the country becomes more developed.
|
Applicable
|
This word can be defined as
‘applying or capable of being applied; relevant, suitable or appropriate’. The question is asking if the model fits
different countries. Take Australia for example, they have a low birth and
death rate BUT a high total population growth rate. Does this fit the model?
|
To Countries At Different
Stages of Economic Development
|
Here the question is asking
you to use several different examples of countries, some rich, some poor and
some in-between. E.g. you could look at one very poor country that is
supposed to be in stage 1 or 2, one slightly better that could be in stage 3,
one developed country that might be in stage 4.
|
Here are some examples of how
you can answer this question:
·
Industrialised
countries fit the DTM model very well, after all this is what the model was
originally based on. For example the UK experienced
a sharp fall in death rate in death rate in the 1700s as vaccinations were
discovered and healthcare improved. Later in the 1800s its birth fell as family
planning was introduced, just as the model predicts. Small anomalies have
occurred such as the post WW2 baby boom, but not enough to offset the overall
fit of the model, in fact this can be regarded as one of the fluctuations of
stage 4. The model is very useful in explaining historical changes in
population change and also predicting what could happen in the future. However,
it does not take migration into account meaning the UK’s transition from stage
4 to 5 could be delayed as migration now accounts for a large proportion of UK
population growth (54% between 1991 and 2012) as well as impacting on birth
rates as migrant communities often have higher fertility rates.
·
Similarly, Australia, the USA and Canada all
skipped the early stages of the model completely as their populations grew due
to huge volumes of immigration (e.g. 27% of Australia’s population were born in
other countries and nearly 50% have parents who were). The DTM however,
suggests that population increases by natural change, which is clearly not
applicable to these countries even though they are more developed.
·
The model is somewhat
applicable to Newly Industrialised Countries
such as Singapore and South Korea. Although they progressed through the
model much faster than the UK (e.g. Singapore’s ‘Stop At Two’ policy saw the
fertility rate fall from 6.5 to only 1.5 children per women in less than 30
years, half that of the UK), the model is still applicable to some extent as
its time scales are flexible. It is particularly useful to these rapidly
changing countries to help them predict the outcome of their policies and how
they can progress to more developed stages of the model. However, the fact that
the model does not specifically account for government policies means the model
cannot predict their population change accurately.
·
The model is less
applicable to less developed countries that often have a much more rapidly
falling death rate through the introduction of Western medicines, compared to
their birth rate which may remain high for a lot longer than expect due to
cultural traditions. Instead of moving to stage 3 they often become stuck in
stage 2 of the model.
·
Some less
developed countries such as Botswana and
Uganda appear to have gone backwards due to the HIV epidemic (which has
caused an increase in both birth and death rate) so the model is less
applicable to these countries.
·
The model does
not account for variations within countries, for example there is a 14 year
difference in life expectancy between men and women in the richer west and poorer
eastern areas of Sheffield! Therefore the model can be useful for looking at
the average indices of an entire country but less applicable on a smaller
scale.
Thanks to www.coolgeography.co.uk for the image