GCSE Leisure and Tourism

48404/Unit 4 Investigating tourism destinations and impacts Report on the Examination 4840 June 2013 Version: 1.0

Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright © 2013 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.

REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE LEISURE AND TOURISM – 48404 – JUNE 2013

General For 2013, the controlled tasks were new. A number of schools/colleges submitted tasks that were adapted from the 2012 versions. A problem here was that some students produced work that was vague in nature, as they seemed unsure of the task they were attempting. The best work came from students who set out at the start which controlled task they were covering.

Strand A How you planned and carried out your investigation The assessment grid for this unit is set out in a similar way to that for Unit 2. In this strand students need to cover three areas:– where they got information from – what information was gathered from each source – why those sources were used. Most students were able to outline ‘where’ information was gathered from. As with Unit 2 some of the description of ‘what’ was collected was too simplistic. Comments such as ‘information about the activities’ and ‘to see what was there’ were too general. Students need to give examples of specific information gathered from each source. A list of websites used is a good starting point, but students need to describe the information gained from each one in more detail. In Unit 4 much of the information is researched from websites, as many of the destinations are abroad. Schools/colleges need to encourage students to use other sources such as textbooks and printed material in order for students to have a slightly wider range of sources. This helps students gain marks when they are justifying ‘why chosen methods were used’. Access to marks at the top of Level 2 and into Level 3 was gained by students explaining ‘why’ the chosen methods were used. The ‘why’ element from the list above was not done well. Students who used websites because they ‘were updated regularly with information like prices’ and leaflets because they ‘gave details about specific events’ gained deserved credit. Students who used websites ‘because they gave us lots of info’ were being too vague. Summary – Students need to describe in more detail exactly what information was gathered from each source – The justification of why certain sources were used needs more detail.

Strand B Where the chosen destination is located In this strand students need to describe the location of the chosen destination. Many students just used a map for showing the location of a destination. Students need to be encouraged to use written description as well as maps, in order to give some idea of distance and journey time in relation to the UK or within the UK. For overseas destinations many students just located the country as a whole, when the destination was a resort or area within the country. Some students gave details of how to get there, which gains no credit in this strand.

3 of 6

REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE LEISURE AND TOURISM – 48404 – JUNE 2013

Summary – Students should be encouraged to use written description as well as maps when locating destinations – Students do not need to describe how to get to the destination in this strand. Strand C The suitability of available attractions and activities In this strand students have to describe and comment on the suitability of a variety of attractions and activities available in the chosen destination. Generally this strand was done well. Students described a variety of attractions and activities available in the chosen destination, which allowed them access to Level 2 marks. Those students who described a variety of attractions/activities and related their suitability to the target group of travellers, such as a group of young adults, were rightly awarded marks in Level 3 The better work came from students who identified the target market for their holiday and then related the activities they had chosen to that target market. This meant that the ‘suitability’ of the activities/attractions for the target market was always being commented upon. Once they had described the attractions/activities on offer and related these to the target market, students were then in a good position to come to some conclusions about the range of attractions/activities available. Drawing conclusions is still a weak element in this strand. Students should to be encouraged to say what they think of the activities in relation to the target market. Comments such ‘I think this is a good activity for a group of young adults because….’ are good ways for students to draw some conclusions Summary – Students need to relate their suggested activities to the target market in their chosen task. – Students need to be encouraged to draw conclusions about why the activities would suit the target market. Strand D The suitability of available travel options to the destination In this strand students need to explain the suitability of a variety of travel options to the destination and attempt to draw conclusions. The better work came from students who chose 2 or 3 travel options, not necessarily using different modes of transport. For overseas destinations there was a tendency, in some cases, for students to describe the general advantages/disadvantages of air travel for a group of people rather than look in detail at actual air routes to the destination from the UK. Students who described a variety of direct and non-direct flights at different times of the day or week gained more marks than those who simply looked at the method of transport. To access marks at Level 2 and into Level 3 students need to draw some conclusions as to which they would see as the best, or most practical, option. At Level 3 there also needs to be some evaluation of the method of travel. A paragraph at the end of the strand where students recommend one of the travel options, then described and explained why it was the best option for the target group of people, was often the best way to cover the evaluation and conclusion elements required.

4 of 6

REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE LEISURE AND TOURISM – 48404 – JUNE 2013

Summary – Students need to describe actual transport routes, not just describe the advantages/disadvantages of different methods of transport. – Students need to draw conclusions as to which route they think is best for the target market involved.

Strand E Impacts of the package/programme on the destination In this strand students need to describe some impacts of the travel option on the destination and attempt some evaluation. There were some excellent student responses in this strand. Impacts were often categorised into economic, environmental and cultural. The better responses were where impacts were outlined and then related to specific examples within the destination. In some cases students described generic impacts of tourism that would apply to almost any destination in the world. These descriptions gained few marks. Impacts that related specifically to the chosen area/destination gained deserved credit. Summary – Students need to relate impacts to the chosen area/destination. – Students who split the impacts into economic, cultural and environmental tended to fare better in this strand.

Strand F Why the recommendation is an example of responsible tourism In this strand students need to explain why the recommended package is an example of responsible tourism. Students who described measures that tourists could use to be responsible on the journey and at their chosen destination gained high marks. Students who described general ways that any tourist could be responsible in any destination fared less well. Detail about how the package would use local guides creating local employment, about choice of hotels because of building construction and specific details on how the visitors would care for the local environment, gained good marks. Students need to be encouraged to use specific examples from their chosen destination. Extracts copied directly from company or travel agent websites, citing environmental policies scored no marks. Summary – Students need to use local examples of what was responsible about their package. – General points on responsible tourism copied from textbooks or websites scored no marks.

5 of 6

REPORT ON THE EXAMINATION – GCSE LEISURE AND TOURISM – 48404 – JUNE 2013

Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator www.aqa.org.uk/umsconversion

6 of 6