The big idea: Option E opens with a data-response read of a real map — a topographic map (like an OS or national-park map), a tourist town map, or a resort/piste map. You are asked to pull facts straight off it.
Four skills do most of the work: grid references (find a feature), scale (measure distance), direction (a compass bearing), and height (read contours and spot heights). A fifth, higher skill is site suitability — judging whether a place suits a tourism, sport or recreation use from what the map shows.
Every mark is read straight off the map, so accuracy and units matter.
Key cartographic terms
- Grid reference — a coordinate that locates a feature; an eastings-then-northings number (four-figure = a square, six-figure = a point in it).
- Scale — the ratio of map distance to real distance (e.g. 1:50 000 means 1 cm on the map = 500 m on the ground).
- Scale bar — the ruler on the map you use to convert map distance to real distance.
- Compass direction — the bearing of one place from another (N, NE, E, ... or an exact bearing in degrees).
- Contour — a line joining points of equal height; close contours = steep, wide contours = gentle.
- Spot height — a single labelled point giving an exact altitude in metres.
- Site suitability — how well a place fits a leisure use, judged from map evidence (access, flat land, scenery, accommodation).
Eastings first, then northings: Read a grid reference along the corridor, then up the stairs — the eastings (the numbers along the bottom) come first, then the northings (up the side).
For a six-figure reference, imagine each grid square split into tenths to pin the exact point.
How this is tested: Paper 1, Option E opens with short data_based reads worth 1-2 marks each: Identify the feature at a grid reference, Calculate or Estimate a distance using the scale, and State the compass direction between two places. Quote the units and stay within the marked tolerance.
| Six-figure grid ref | Map symbol / label | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| GR 264 235 | Tent / caravan symbol | Campsite |
| GR 271 241 | Triangle 'YH' | Youth hostel |
| GR 258 229 | Anchor | Marina / boat moorings |
| GR 280 233 | 'i' in a box | Tourist information centre |
| GR 249 246 | Crossed swords | Site of a historic battle |
| GR 267 228 | 'P' in a box | Car park |
| From -> To | Map distance | Real distance | Compass direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information centre -> Marina | 1.4 cm | 0.7 km (700 m) | SW |
| Campsite -> Youth hostel | 1.6 cm | 0.8 km | NE |
| Car park -> Battle site | 5.0 cm | 2.5 km | NW |
| Town centre -> Summit viewpoint | 8.0 cm | 4.0 km | N |
Turn map distance into real distance: Lay the edge of a paper strip along the route, mark the start and end, then hold the strip against the scale bar to read off the real distance.
On a 1:50 000 map, 2 cm = 1 km, so 1 cm = 500 m. Multiply your map measurement by 500 m (or 0.5 km) per centimetre.
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Height questions use contours and spot heights. To find a height difference (or altitude gained on a trek), read the two spot heights and subtract. Close contours mean steep ground; widely spaced contours mean gentle ground - useful when judging whether a site suits walking, skiing or camping.
| Point on the route | Spot height (m) | Contour spacing |
|---|---|---|
| Car park (start) | 95 | Wide - gentle |
| Lakeside path junction | 140 | Wide - gentle |
| Forest gate | 310 | Closer - moderate |
| Ridge viewpoint | 615 | Very close - steep |
| Summit cairn | 775 | Very close - steep |
Working out a height or altitude difference
- Read both spot heights off the labelled points (here 775 m and 95 m).
- Subtract the lower from the higher: 775 - 95 = 680 m of altitude gained.
- Check the contours - they bunch near the summit, so the final climb is the steepest part.
The Lake District (Keswick) — a festival and walking landscape: On a 1:50 000 OS map of Keswick in the English Lake District, a candidate festival site can be judged from the map: flat valley land by Derwentwater, a bus station and A-roads for access, campsites and a youth hostel for accommodation, and dramatic fell scenery. Reading the spot heights of two nearby tops also gives a height difference - the kind of exact-value (e.g. 135 m) read examiners ask for.
Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal — trekking tourism: On a topographic map of Sagarmatha National Park (the Everest region), trekkers read latitude off the grid (around 27 50' N) and altitude gained between spot heights - for example a 680 m climb between two labelled points. The closely packed contours show why the trails are so steep, shaping where lodges and rest stops are placed.
Aviemore & the Grand Canyon — resort and park maps: A piste map of Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands is read like any map: the funicular railway is identified as the quickest lift from base to top, and the run-difficulty key grades the longest run. On a Grand Canyon National Park map, the scale bar gives the ~76 km length of the Colorado River between two points, and a compass gives the direction of Las Vegas (WNW) from Flagstaff.
How this is tested — Outline + Identify from the map: The highest-skill part of this skills micro is not a 10-mark essay - it is a short Outline [2] or Identify [2] that asks you to judge a site from map evidence: why a place would suit a festival, sport or recreation use, or what features would make it hard to reach.
The markscheme always wants a reason PLUS specific map evidence - name the road, the campsite, the contour, the grid reference. A bare reason with no evidence caps the mark.
| Factor | What to look for on the map | Helps / hinders the site |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | A-roads, a bus or railway station, a car park symbol | Easy access HELPS a large event or resort |
| Flat, open land | Wide contour spacing, a valley floor or field | Flat land HELPS camping, stages, pitches |
| Accommodation | Campsite, youth hostel, hotel symbols nearby | Beds/pitches HELP a multi-day event |
| Scenery / attraction | A lake, coast, forest, viewpoint or summit | Scenery HELPS draw visitors |
| Water / coast | A marina, beach, lake shore | HELPS water sports; a HEADLAND suits walking, birdwatching |
| Congestion / no transport | Narrow streets, no parking, no main road | HINDERS access for away crowds |
Reason + map evidence: Every suitability mark is reason + evidence. Not "it is accessible" but "it is accessible - an A-road and a bus station lie just south of the site." Quote the actual feature, road or grid reference you can see.