Cambridge AS & A Level Geography 9696/22 is the May/June 2026 Paper 2 (Core Human Geography), variant 2. It is an AS Level component, lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and is worth 60 marks. You answer four questions: all three 10-mark resource questions in Section A, then one 30-mark question from Section B. The biggest single parts are the 15-mark “evaluate” and “how far do you agree” essays that end each Section B question, marked in levels. This guide goes through every question and shows what the official mark scheme gave marks for. The paper, insert and mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of all four 9696 papers from this series, see A Level Geography 9696 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

9696/22 at a glance

The rubric is: answer all questions in Section A, and one question from Section B. Four questions in total.

Question	Section	Topic	Marks
1	A (compulsory)	Population: calorie consumption per capita, 1961–2020, and food security	10
2	A (compulsory)	Migration: migrants to the USA from Central and South America, 2021	10
3	A (compulsory)	Settlement dynamics: a declining rural settlement in a European HIC	10
4	B (choice)	Youthful and ageing populations, falling death rates in LICs and MICs, the DTM	30
5	B (choice)	Chain migration, intra-urban migration, climate change and international migration	30
6	B (choice)	Retailing leaving the CBD, residential segregation, the growth of shanty towns	30
		Total answered (Questions 1 to 3 + one from 4 to 6)	60

Each Section B question ends with an 8-mark part (b) and a 15-mark part (c); part (a) is worth 7.

Question-by-question walkthrough

How Paper 2 is marked

• Section A and Section B part (a) are point-marked. Most parts give 1 mark for a simple point and 2 for a point with development, such as detail or an example.
• Section B part (b), 8 marks, uses three levels: Level 3 (6–8) clearly explains with detailed knowledge and integrated examples; Level 2 (3–5) explains on a largely secure base; Level 1 (1–2) describes. On this paper every part (b) was capped at 4 with no valid examples.
• Section B part (c), 15 marks, uses four levels: Level 4 (12–15) thoroughly assesses with integrated examples; Level 3 (8–11) assesses, though examples may lack detail; Level 2 (4–7) is mainly descriptive with some concluding remarks; Level 1 (1–3) does not address the question. No examples caps the essay at 6.

Question 1: calorie consumption and food security (10 marks)

Figure 1.1 was a line graph of average daily calorie consumption per capita for Oceania, Asia and Africa from 1961 to 2020.

• 1(a) Compare the changes (4 marks): 1 mark per comparative point, with 1 mark reserved for using data. Credited points: all three increased overall, but Oceania only slightly (by about 100 kcal) while Asia and Africa rose faster; Asia’s rise was the largest (about 1850 to 2900 kcal); Oceania stayed well above the other two throughout; Asia overtook Africa around 1978–82; Asia and Africa followed similar trends from about 1982, but Africa levelled off from 2010 while Asia kept rising; all three fluctuated.
• 1(b) Two problems caused by rising calorie consumption (2 marks): obesity and related illness such as heart disease and diabetes; pressure and costs for healthcare; lower life expectancy or productivity; a need to import food; environmental pressure (more livestock methane, more land cultivated, habitat loss); and possible food shortages.
• 1(c) Impacts of climate change on food security (4 marks): 1 mark simple, 2 developed. Lower yields; areas becoming too hot, wet or dry to farm; rising sea levels taking farmland; more pests and disease; changes in what can be grown; more intense floods, storms and droughts causing shortages; higher prices and greater inequality; disrupted supply chains. Security could also improve where new crops become possible.

Question 2: migrants to the USA (10 marks)

Table 2.1 gave the number of migrants to the USA in 2021 and the total population for six source countries: Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador and Brazil.

• 2(a) Greatest number of migrants relative to population (3 marks): Honduras (1 mark), plus 2 for justification. It had the second largest number of migrants (341 thousand) but the second smallest population (10.3 million), about 3.3%, while every other country was at 2% or below (Mexico about 0.6%, Brazil about 0.03%).
• 2(b) Why more migrants came from Mexico than Brazil (3 marks): 1 mark simple, 2 developed. Distance and distance decay, a cheaper and easier journey, the long land border, more intervening opportunities for Brazilians, established family links and chain migration, a ready-made language and community network for Mexicans in the USA, and stronger push factors in Mexico. You did not need detailed knowledge of either country; valid push, pull and intervening factors were credited.
• 2(c) Why young adult males migrate internationally (4 marks): fewer family ties, ambition, fitness for travel and manual or risky work, more job opportunities and better pay, cultural expectations to support the family through remittances, education, escaping violence, persecution or conscription, and being less risk-averse.

Question 3: a declining rural settlement (10 marks)

Figure 3.1 was a photograph of a settlement in a rural area of a European HIC.

• 3(a) Two pieces of evidence of decline (2 marks): derelict buildings, only a few modernised buildings, vegetation growing over and between buildings, mostly unsurfaced tracks, only a small area of farmland looking cared for, and no services visible apart from a church. Points had to come from the photograph.
• 3(b) Why the population is declining (3 marks): 1 mark per point, 2 for development. Remoteness and poor access, few services, poor housing that is costly to upgrade, poor farmland or falling farm incomes, few jobs (perhaps only seasonal tourism) and mountainous terrain that makes building difficult.
• 3(c) Ways to reverse rural decline (5 marks): farm subsidies and diversification, better transport, government policy, tourism and second homes, infrastructure such as mobile networks for home working, affordable housing, retirement migration, overseas recruitment or refugee settlement, and new services such as shops, clinics and schools.

Question 4: population (30 marks)

• 4(a) Compare youthful and ageing populations (7 marks): differences in age structure, sex ratio (more elderly women in ageing populations), birth and death rates, employment and retirement, future working population, mobility and health; similarities such as the working-age group, a possibly similar dependency ratio and shared pressures such as healthcare. Labelled population pyramids could help. No comparison capped the answer at 4.
• 4(b) Why death rates are falling in many LICs and MICs (8 marks, levels): lower infant mortality, better healthcare, medicines and vaccination, better diets and fewer famines, education and child labour laws, sanitation and clean water, urbanisation bringing access to services, greater security, and government investment and public health campaigns.
• 4(c) Evaluate the DTM for predicting future population change (15 marks, levels): limitations include its basis in Western Europe’s history, death rates falling much faster today, cultural differences over contraception and children, no allowance for disasters, wars or climate change, governments manipulating birth rates, and little on migration. On the other side, it does seem to fit many countries as they develop, suggests ways to influence population change, and has been updated with Stage 5. A sound conclusion is that it is useful when applied with caution.

Question 5: migration (30 marks)

• 5(a)(i) Define chain migration (3 marks): pioneer migrants encourage or enable family or community members to follow them to the same place, forming a chain; they pass on information and may help with transport, housing and jobs. “One migrant follows another” alone earned only 1 mark.
• 5(a)(ii) Benefits for migrants (4 marks): less fear and more security, lower costs on arrival, better information, maintained family links and culture, jobs through personal recommendation, less reliance on official help, and easier integration.
• 5(b) Impacts of intra-urban migration on urban areas (8 marks, levels): economic (property prices, jobs), social (gentrification, social groupings), demographic (age, ethnicity, sex ratio), political (voting, tax base, service provision such as schools) and environmental (congestion and pollution), plus segregation and changes in land use and housing. The impacts depend on the direction of the move, such as out to the suburbs or back towards the CBD fringe.
• 5(c) “Increased rates of international migration are due to climate change.” How far do you agree? (15 marks, levels): for, extreme weather, flooding from sea level rise, drought and heatwaves making farming impossible, and spreading disease and pests. Against, better transport and communications, education and ambition, economic migration, chain migration, conflict and persecution. Strong answers note that these causes interact (climate change can be a hidden driver through food insecurity and unrest) and that much climate-driven migration is internal rather than international.

Question 6: settlement dynamics (30 marks)

• 6(a) Why some retailing is moving out of CBDs (7 marks): moves to out-of-town sites, malls and online. Push factors: high rents, no room to expand, congestion, poor air quality, limited parking and falling customer numbers. Pull factors: cheaper land, space for parking and expansion, closeness to customers and ring-road or motorway access, the indoor mall experience, home working after Covid, internet shopping, and policies such as congestion charges.
• 6(b) Causes of residential segregation (8 marks, levels): ability to pay, government planning and cultural or ethnic preference, with the housing market, family and friends, history and inertia, land use zoning, physical and environmental attractions, and chain migration (such as the growth of Chinatowns).
• 6(c) “The growth of shanty towns in LICs/MICs is caused by ineffective management.” How far do you agree? (15 marks, levels): for, poor planning, weak finances, little attempt to manage inflows or improve rural areas, and few services. Against, large and continuous rural-urban migration, shanty towns as a cheap and flexible housing option, a normal stage of urbanisation, LICs lacking money to house every migrant, settlements becoming established communities, and residents sometimes rejecting management. Management could be read at local, national or even personal level.

Where the marks are on 9696/22

Split by section and marking style, for a candidate answering Section A and one Section B question:

Part of the paper	Marking	Marks
Section A, Questions 1 to 3	Point-marked (resource and short explain parts)	30
Section B part (a)	Point-marked comparison, definition or explanation	7
Section B part (b)	Three levels, max. 4 without examples	8
Section B part (c)	Four levels, max. 6 without examples	15
Total		60

• Examples decide the ceiling on 23 marks. Both levelled parts of Section B are capped without them.
• Resource reading is worth more than it looks. Question 1(a) reserved a mark for data, 2(a) needed a calculation from the table, and 3(a) had to come from the photograph.
• Most Section A explain parts reward development, so two developed reasons beat four bare ones.

How to self-mark 9696/22 with the mark scheme

1. Check the data first. Did 1(a) quote figures, and did 2(a) work out migrants as a share of population, not just name the largest total?
2. Score explain parts point by point: 1 for a simple point, 2 for one with detail or an example, up to the part’s maximum.
3. Apply the comparison rule in 4(a). Separate descriptions of each population cap at 4.
4. Level part (b) as a whole, then check the “no valid examples, max. 4” cap.
5. Level part (c) by asking whether you weighed the statement against other factors and reached a judgement. Cap generic essays at 6.
6. Log each lost mark as missing data, an undeveloped point, a missing example or a missing judgement.

Sit 9696/22 as a timed mock

The paper allows 90 minutes for 60 marks, a minute and a half per mark. A workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Read the insert and choose your Section B question	–	3 minutes
Question 1	10	13 minutes
Question 2 (including the 2(a) calculation)	10	13 minutes
Question 3	10	13 minutes
Section B part (a)	7	9 minutes
Section B part (b)	8	13 minutes
Section B part (c), including a quick plan	15	22 minutes
Check data answers and your conclusion	–	4 minutes

Pick your Section B question by the examples you know: both levelled parts need them, so choose the question where you can name real places.

Other May/June 2026 9696 papers

• 9696 Paper 12 (Core Physical Geography)
• 9696 Paper 32 (Advanced Physical Geography Options)
• 9696 Paper 42 (Advanced Human Geography Options)

Practise and download

• Download 9696/22 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 9696 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free A Level Geography quiz

Need help with a 9696 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an A Level Geography tutor →

Frequently asked questions

What topics were on 9696 Paper 22 May/June 2026? +

Section A covered calorie consumption in Oceania, Asia and Africa, migrants to the USA from Central and South America, and a declining rural settlement in Europe. Section B offered a choice of youthful and ageing populations with the DTM, chain and intra-urban migration with climate change, or retailing, residential segregation and shanty towns.

How many marks is 9696/22 and how long is it? +

It is out of 60 marks and lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. You answer all three 10-mark questions in Section A and one 30-mark question from Section B.

What was the answer to 9696/22 Question 2(a)? +

Honduras. About 3.3% of its population had migrated to the USA, a larger share than any other country in the table, which were all at 2% or below. It had the second largest number of migrants but the second smallest population.

Do I need examples for the 8-mark questions on 9696/22? +

Yes. In Questions 4(b), 5(b) and 6(b), an answer with no valid examples was capped at 4 marks out of 8.

How was 9696/22 Question 4(a) on youthful and ageing populations marked? +

As a comparison: 1 mark for a simple comparative point and 2 for a developed one. An answer that described the two populations separately, with no comparison, was capped at 4 out of 7.

Where can I download 9696/22 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

The question paper, insert and mark scheme are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge AS & A Level Geography 9696 past papers page.

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