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100+ Free IGCSE Geography Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: IGCSE Geography Exam

A*-G

Grading scale

Cambridge International

3 themes

Population and settlement, Natural environment, Economic development

Cambridge 0460 syllabus 2025-2026

195 marks

Total across Papers 1, 2 and Paper 4 / Component 3

Cambridge 0460 syllabus

100

Free practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

Cambridge IGCSE 0460 Geography runs on the 2025-2026 syllabus. All candidates take Paper 1 (1 hr 45 min, 75 marks, three themes) and Paper 2 (1 hr 30 min, 60 marks, geographical skills), plus either Component 3 Coursework or Paper 4 Alternative to Coursework (60 marks). Candidates are eligible for grades A* to G.

Sample IGCSE Geography Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your IGCSE Geography exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In Stage 2 of the Demographic Transition Model, what happens to birth and death rates?
A.Both remain high and fluctuating
B.Death rate falls rapidly while birth rate stays high
C.Birth rate falls while death rate is low
D.Both are low and stable
Explanation: Stage 2 (early expanding) sees a rapid fall in the death rate due to improved sanitation, food supply and medicine, while the birth rate stays high. This produces a high natural increase and rapid population growth, as currently seen in many sub-Saharan African countries.
2A country has a birth rate of 28 per 1,000 and a death rate of 8 per 1,000. What is the natural increase rate?
A.2.0%
B.0.2%
C.20%
D.36 per 1,000
Explanation: Natural increase rate = (birth rate - death rate) / 10 expressed as a percentage. (28 - 8) = 20 per 1,000 = 2.0% per year. This is a high natural increase typical of a Stage 2 country.
3Which country is most commonly used as a case study for a high-growth (Stage 2) population?
A.Japan
B.Germany
C.Niger
D.United Kingdom
Explanation: Niger is the standard IGCSE case study for a country with very high population growth. Its birth rate is around 46 per 1,000 and total fertility rate exceeds 6 children per woman, driven by low contraceptive use, early marriage, high infant mortality and reliance on subsistence farming.
4Calculate the dependency ratio for a country with 30 young dependants, 10 elderly dependants and 60 working-age people (figures in millions).
A.40
B.50
C.66.7
D.166.7
Explanation: Dependency ratio = (young + old) / working-age x 100 = (30 + 10) / 60 x 100 = 40/60 x 100 = 66.7. This means for every 100 workers there are about 67 dependants to support.
5Which country is the standard IGCSE case study for an ageing population?
A.Niger
B.Brazil
C.Japan
D.India
Explanation: Japan has the world's highest proportion of people aged 65 and over (around 29%) and a shrinking working-age population. Causes include high life expectancy (~84 years), low birth rate (~1.3 children per woman), and restrictive immigration policy. Consequences include rising healthcare costs and labour shortages.
6A population pyramid with a very wide base and a narrow top indicates which type of population?
A.Ageing and declining
B.Youthful with high birth rate
C.Stable and stationary
D.Inverted with more elderly than young
Explanation: A wide base shows large numbers of young children, meaning a high birth rate. The narrow top shows low life expectancy or a high death rate among the elderly. This shape is typical of LEDCs in Stage 2 of the DTM, such as Niger or Afghanistan.
7Which of the following is a PUSH factor for migration?
A.Higher wages in the destination
B.Better schools in the destination
C.Civil war in the home country
D.Family reunification
Explanation: Push factors drive people away from their home area, such as war, persecution, drought, famine, unemployment or natural disasters. Civil war is a classic forced-migration push factor that creates refugees, as seen in Syria and South Sudan.
8Under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, a refugee is someone who:
A.Moves to find better-paid work
B.Has crossed an international border due to a well-founded fear of persecution
C.Has been internally displaced by flooding
D.Voluntarily moves home within their own country
Explanation: A refugee, in the strict legal sense, is a person who has crossed an international border because of a well-founded fear of persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and economic migrants are categorised differently.
9Which settlement type is at the TOP of a typical settlement hierarchy?
A.Hamlet
B.Village
C.Town
D.Conurbation
Explanation: Settlement hierarchies rank places by population and the range of services they offer. From smallest to largest: isolated dwelling, hamlet, village, town, city, conurbation, megalopolis. A conurbation (e.g., Greater London, Tokyo-Yokohama) is the highest level given in this list.
10The 'sphere of influence' of a settlement refers to:
A.The area from which it draws people and customers
B.Its political voting power
C.The size of its CBD
D.The number of bus routes it has
Explanation: The sphere of influence is the geographical area served by a settlement — the area from which it attracts shoppers, workers, students and visitors. Larger settlements offer high-order services (universities, regional hospitals) and have a much larger sphere of influence than villages with only low-order services.

About the IGCSE Geography Exam

Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460) is the international upper-secondary qualification in Geography taken by Year 10-11 students worldwide. The course is built around three themes — Population and settlement, The natural environment, and Economic development — and is assessed via Paper 1 Geographical Themes, Paper 2 Geographical Skills, and either Component 3 Coursework or Paper 4 Alternative to Coursework. Case studies from named locations (e.g., Niger, Japan, Rocinha, Haiti, Tohoku, Three Gorges Dam) are required throughout.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

Paper 1: 1 hr 45 min; Paper 2: 1 hr 30 min; Paper 4: 1 hr 30 min

Passing Score

Grade C or above is the typical higher-tier pass; all candidates eligible for A*-G

Exam Fee

£60-£140 per subject (school-set entry fee, varies by centre) (Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE))

IGCSE Geography Exam Content Outline

Theme 1

Population dynamics

Demographic Transition Model stages 1-5, birth and death rates, natural increase, reasons for high/low birth rates, ageing populations (Japan), high-growth populations (Niger), over- and under-population

Theme 1

Migration and settlement

Push/pull factors, voluntary vs forced migration, refugees, internal vs international migration, settlement hierarchy, sphere of influence, settlement functions

Theme 1

Urban environments

CBD characteristics, bid-rent theory, urbanisation, megacities, rural-urban migration, Burgess concentric and Hoyt sector models, squatter settlements (Rocinha), counter-urbanisation in MEDCs

Theme 2

Plate tectonics and hazards

Convergent, divergent, transform/conservative boundaries, hot spots, shield (Mauna Loa) vs composite (Mt St Helens, Pinatubo, Eyjafjallajokull) volcanoes, earthquakes (focus, epicentre, Richter, Mercalli), tsunamis (Banda Aceh 2004), Haiti 2010 vs Japan 2011 LIC/HIC contrast

Theme 2

Rivers and coasts

Long and cross profiles, drainage basin terms (watershed, tributary, confluence, mouth, source), erosion (hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution), transport (traction, saltation, suspension, solution), landforms (waterfall, gorge, meander, ox-bow lake, levee, delta), destructive vs constructive waves, longshore drift, headland and bay, cave-arch-stack-stump, spit (Spurn Head), tombolo, bar, coral reefs and mangroves

Theme 2

Weather, climate and ecosystems

Stevenson screen, max-min thermometer, anemometer, rain gauge, climate graphs, hot deserts, tropical rainforests, biotic vs abiotic, food chains/webs, Gersmehl nutrient cycle, hurricanes/cyclones (Katrina 2005, Haiyan 2013, Idai 2019), Amazon deforestation

Theme 3

Development and employment

Primary/secondary/tertiary/quaternary sectors, Clark-Fisher sectoral shift, informal sector, GDP per capita, GNI, HDI, infant mortality, life expectancy, literacy, MEDC vs LEDC vs NIC, BRICS

Theme 3

Food, industry and tourism

Subsistence vs commercial, intensive vs extensive, arable vs pastoral, Green Revolution, Weber's least-cost industrial location, TNCs (Apple/Nike/Toyota) and impacts on LEDCs, tourism case studies (Kenya safari, Jamaica, Lake District), fragile environments

Theme 3

Energy, water and environment

Renewable vs non-renewable energy, energy mix changes, water supply problems, Three Gorges Dam (China), Aral Sea, Sahel drought

Paper 2

Geographical skills

Latitude/longitude, OS map conventions, 4 and 6-figure grid references, scale, contours, gradient, bearings, sketch maps, transects, cross-section drawing, choropleth/isoline/dot/proportional symbol maps, line and climate graphs, pie charts, scattergraphs and correlation, satellite/aerial photo interpretation

How to Pass the IGCSE Geography Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Grade C or above is the typical higher-tier pass; all candidates eligible for A*-G
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: Paper 1: 1 hr 45 min; Paper 2: 1 hr 30 min; Paper 4: 1 hr 30 min
  • Exam fee: £60-£140 per subject (school-set entry fee, varies by centre)

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

IGCSE Geography Study Tips from Top Performers

1Learn at least one named case study per theme — Paper 1 extended responses score top marks only when the answer cites a specific real place with statistics and outcomes
2Master the Demographic Transition Model stages 1-5 with example countries (UK stage 4-5, Niger stage 2, Japan stage 5) — diagrams are tested almost every series
3Practise OS map skills weekly: 6-figure grid references, scale (1:50,000 means 2 cm = 1 km), contour gradient, and cross-section drawing — Paper 2 is heavily skills-based
4Memorise the Burgess concentric and Hoyt sector urban land-use models and be able to apply them to MEDC vs LEDC cities (Rocinha is the canonical squatter-settlement example)

Frequently Asked Questions

How is IGCSE Geography 0460 assessed?

All candidates take Paper 1 Geographical Themes (1 hour 45 minutes, 75 marks, three structured questions of 25 marks each) and Paper 2 Geographical Skills (1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks). They also take either Component 3 Coursework (60 marks, teacher-assessed) or Paper 4 Alternative to Coursework (1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks).

What are the three themes in IGCSE Geography 0460?

The three themes are Theme 1 Population and settlement, Theme 2 The natural environment, and Theme 3 Economic development. In Paper 1, candidates answer one question from each theme, so all three themes must be studied in depth.

Do I need case studies for IGCSE Geography 0460?

Yes. Extended-response parts on Paper 1 require named real-world case studies. Commonly used examples include Niger (high growth), Japan (ageing population), Rocinha favela (squatter settlements), Haiti 2010 vs Tohoku 2011 (LIC vs HIC earthquake), Banda Aceh 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina 2005, Three Gorges Dam, the Aral Sea, and the Sahel drought.

Is the 2026 syllabus different from previous years?

The current syllabus covers the 2025-2026 examination series and the structure is unchanged from 2025. The next revised syllabus is published for the 2027-2029 series. Past papers from 2023-2025 remain useful for practice as the assessment structure is the same.