A strong answer joins a generic process to local evidence. This lesson shows how to sort your statements so each sentence does one clear job.
It belongs to environmental management. The habit of not adding made-up detail is taught further in using a local example without inventing facts about my town.
What are the three kinds of statement?
- Generic: true of most places and taken from what you have learned.
- Local evidence: taken from the case, the table or the map in the question.
- Unsupported: claims about the case that nothing in the question supports.
The first two belong in an answer, joined together. The third does not belong at all unless marked clearly as an assumption.
Worked example: a flooding catchment
The numbers here are made up for illustration. A fictional river catchment has these records:
| Measure | 10 years ago | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Forest cover of catchment | 70% | 52% |
| Peak river level in a storm | 3.1 m | 4.0 m |
Forest cover fell by 70 − 52 = 18 percentage points. The peak level rose by 4.0 − 3.1 = 0.9 m.
Sort these statements:
| Statement | Kind |
|---|---|
| Trees intercept rain and slow its flow to rivers. | Generic |
| Peak level rose by 0.9 m while forest cover fell by 18 percentage points. | Local evidence |
| The new housing estate caused the higher peak. | Unsupported, since no estate is mentioned |
The combined sentence: “Forest cover fell from 70% to 52% and the peak river level rose from 3.1 m to 4.0 m, which fits the idea that trees intercept rain and slow its flow, so less forest lets water reach the river faster.”
The mistake that loses marks
The generic-only answer says: “Deforestation causes floods because there are fewer trees to absorb water.” It is correct as a textbook sentence and could be pasted under any river question. The marker has no sign you read this case.
| Generic only | Combined |
|---|---|
| Deforestation causes floods. | Forest cover fell 18 percentage points and the peak rose 0.9 m, which fits the process of lost interception. |
| Fewer trees means more runoff. | With 52% forest left, less rain is intercepted than when 70% remained. |
The word “fits” is chosen on purpose. The two records change together, but the table has no rainfall figure, so a proven cause is not yet shown.
How do I keep the balance?
Aim for one generic clause and one local figure in every explanation sentence. If a sentence has only the generic clause, add a number. If it has only a number, add the reason the number matters.
The claim, evidence and explanation revision desk lets you practise rewriting a generic sentence with a local figure.
Check yourself
Original data: a fictional town has 15% of its land covered in concrete and tar, and its drain overflowed on 2 days last year against 6 days this year. Rainfall days were equal. Sort the following and write one combined sentence: (a) hard surfaces stop water soaking in, (b) overflow days rose from 2 to 6, (c) the new car park is the cause.
Answer
(a) is generic, (b) is local evidence, and (c) is unsupported because no car park is mentioned.
Combined: “Overflow days rose from 2 to 6 with equal rainfall days, which fits the process that hard surfaces stop water soaking in and send it to drains.”
Note that the 15% figure describes the current coverage and gives no earlier value, so no change in hard surfaces can be claimed.
What to study next
Try the environmental management practice set, which mixes all four lessons in this cluster.
To have a teacher read your paragraphs and mark each sentence as generic, local or unsupported, see online one-to-one Geography tuition.