Get That Grade

1	(a)	There are large lakes that have straight sides in parts and very irregular shapes in others. These look artificial. (2 marks for a developed point.) The phrase 'gravel pit' is marked 7374.
	(b)	Some small islands have been left to break up the water surface. These islands are wooded, and the woods were probably planted. Woods have also been planted along the edges of the lakes - e.g. 745749. There are no heaps of waste material.
	(c)	A marina.
	(d)	A suggested answer follows:
	This lake is sheltered and is quite large. It is almost 1km long and about 200 metres wide, so has room for quite a large number of boats to moor there.* It has easy connections to the River Thames through the channel at 736743, so it could be used to moor boats that sail on the Thames. A road has been built to connect the marina to the main A4155 road. The marina is also close to Reading for local people to use. Caversham, only a kilometre away, has a layout which suggests that it is a wealthy area (golf course; lots of open space) so the people living there may well be able to afford boats on the river.*

* The use of measurements from the map would raise the answer to Level 2 at this point.

** A clear, relevant grid reference also makes this level 2. The answer is probably worth 4/6 by now.

*** Precise references to the roads, another precise distance, and references to the type of housing in Caversham, all help to raise the answer into the top level.

This is a more open-ended question. Think carefully before you start to answer it. The main marks for this question will be given for the reasons you give for your answers. Make sure that you can give a clear explanation for what you write. Perhaps you could start by looking to see what is there already.

Note that there is a hotel at 692701. If this has been built recently it will probably be there either to take advantage of the peaceful, attractive, restored landscape, or it will specialise in water sports. You could start to develop your answer based on either of these ideas.

Also note that around 683703 there are several wooded islands. These might have been created to attract wildlife, and so this could become an important conservation area. If that happens then this area could be used for bird-watching, etc. Fishing is also a quiet pastime that would go well with bird-watching.

The largest area of water is in 6570. The motorway runs right past this, so it will not be very peaceful. This area could therefore be used for more active sports. Sailing would be possible, and so would canoeing, water-skiing, jet biking and so on. However, these should be kept well away from the quieter activities.

If a marina is going to be built here (like the one in the previous question) it needs to have easy access to the canal and the River Kennett. The lake in 6670 would be a possible location for this.

Note that the northern part of 6870 has a number of small lakes which lie close to the canal. There are several footpaths running in this area, and it is easily accessible to the road that leads to Reading. There is even a public house at 680708. This would seem to be a good area to encourage general public access for walking and biking. It might also be possible to set aside some areas for picnics and for paddling.

Finally, the lake to the east of the railway line in 6970 is rather cut off from the rest of the old workings. The label on the map suggests that this is still being actively worked. Nearby there are sewage works and another 'works'. This seems to be a less attractive area than the lakes to the west. I would suggest leaving this alone - for now. However, when the workings are finished it could become an important sporting area - because it is close to the stadium at 709704. Once the gravel working is over this could be developed in many interesting ways.

In your answer you need to take account of all the points made in the question. Here is one possible answer:

Meet at the public house at 664779. You can park in the pub car park then we will walk west along the footpath to Holly Copse.

Then take the footpath through Bottom Wood - still heading west. This path heads downhill quite steeply, until we reach a t-junction. Turn left towards Hardwick Stud Farm. Here you can look across a park, down to the river Thames.

Now we will walk eastwards along the track parallel to the river, near the foot of the steep slope, until we reach the pretty village of Mapledurham with its mill, church and old house.

From here we will walk northwards up the slope again. We follow the road to Bottom Farm, then take a footpath up the steepest part of the hill to Whittles Farm. People who are too tired can walk directly back to the pub along the B road, but the active members of the party can extend the walk through the woods to Nuney Green, then turn left and head back to meet the rest of the party at the pub.