Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460): Theme 3.3 – Industry – Revision Notes

These notes condense the Industry study guide; read that first for full explanations and worked answers.

They cover section 3.3 Industry of the Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460) syllabus for examination in 2025 and 2026, Version 2 (published November 2022). This section is part of Theme 3: Economic development. It is assessed in Paper 1 Geographical Themes, where you answer three 25-mark questions, one from each section. Paper 2 Geographical Skills can also set knowledge questions based on the three themes. Practise with the Industry practice questions, and track progress on the Cambridge IGCSE Geography hub and checklist.

The syllabus in one box

• Understand an industrial system: inputs, processes, outputs (products and waste).
• Know four industry types: manufacturing, processing, assembly, high technology.
• Describe and explain the distribution and location of factories and industrial zones.
• Factors: land, labour, raw materials, fuel and power, transport, markets, political factors. Because the guidance says “including”, learn all of them.
• Show how factors combine to shape location, scale of production, methods of organisation and products.
• Discuss locational and siting factors for zones or factories.
• Case study: an industrial zone or factory.

Key terms

Term	Definition
Industrial system	A way of showing industry as inputs, processes and outputs
Input	Anything that goes into production: raw materials, energy, labour, capital, land
Process	What is done to inputs: cutting, smelting, mixing, welding, assembling, packing
Output	Products for sale, plus waste (solid, liquid, gas, heat, noise)
Feedback	Profit reinvested as a new input
Processing industry	Turns raw materials into more useful products, often losing weight
Manufacturing industry	Makes finished goods from materials
Assembly industry	Puts together components made elsewhere
High-technology industry	Uses research, skilled staff and advanced equipment to make high-value products
Footloose industry	Not tied to raw materials or power, so it can locate in many places
Location	The general area or region where a factory is found
Site	The actual plot of land a factory stands on
Greenfield site	Land not built on before
Brownfield site	Land used before and now cleared or reused
Industrial zone	A planned area for many firms with shared roads and services
Science park	An industrial zone for research and high-tech firms, usually linked to a university
Free trade zone	An area where goods can be imported and re-exported without customs duty
Just-in-time	Parts delivered only when needed, so little stock is kept
Industrial inertia	Industry staying in a place after the original reason has gone

The industrial system at a glance

Draw this as three boxes joined by arrows, with a feedback arrow from outputs back to inputs.

Inputs	Processes	Outputs
Physical: raw materials, water, land, energy	Cutting, smelting, mixing, pressing	Products for sale
Human: labour, capital, skills, machinery, research, government help	Welding, painting, assembling, testing, packing	Waste: solid, liquid, gas, heat, noise

Quick example. A fictional furniture factory takes in timber, glue, electricity and 40 workers. It saws, sands, joins and varnishes the wood. It sends out tables and chairs, plus sawdust, offcuts and fumes. Sawdust sold to a chipboard maker becomes a by-product.

Command words you will meet

The syllabus defines these command words. Match your answer to the word.

• Describe: state the points of a topic, or give characteristics and main features. Say what the data or map shows; no reasons needed.
• Explain: set out purposes or reasons, and support with relevant evidence. Every point needs a “because” or “so”.
• Suggest: apply knowledge to a situation where there are several valid responses. Use the source’s details.
• Compare: identify or comment on similarities and/or differences. Use “whereas” or “while” to link the two things.
• Calculate: work out from given facts, figures or information. Show working and units.
• Justify: support a case with evidence or argument. Use details from every option you are given.

Location factors at a glance

Factor	Pull towards	Most important for
Land	Flat, cheap, large plots with room to expand	Large plants and zones
Labour	Skilled or low-cost workers	High-tech (skills); assembly (cost and numbers)
Raw materials	Source of bulky, weight-losing inputs	Processing industry
Fuel and power	Cheap, reliable energy	Energy-hungry industries such as smelting
Transport	Ports, motorways, rail, airports	Importers, exporters, just-in-time firms
Markets	Customers	Fragile, perishable or weight-gaining products
Political	Grants, tax breaks, free zones, trade agreements	Firms choosing between countries

Case studies at a glance

Case study	Type	Key facts	Main location factors	One evaluation point
Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, UAE	Industrial zone	Began 1985 with 19 companies; about 57 km²; operator says over 11,000 businesses; run by DP World	Beside Jebel Ali Port (opened 1979), the world’s largest man-made harbour and the Middle East’s busiest port; about 24 km from Al Maktoum airport; free-zone rules with no foreign ownership restrictions	Political and transport factors outweigh raw materials, but much activity is trade and storage, not making goods
Toyota, Burnaston, Derbyshire, England	Factory (car assembly)	First car built 16 December 1992; engines from Deeside, North Wales	Flat site of former Derby Airport; beside A38, near A50 and M1; UK then in the European Community, so no import duties on cars sold to other members; engineering skills in Derby	Shows how trade rules can change and add costs to a plant built for one market
Cambridge Science Park, England	High-tech zone (short example)	Founded by Trinity College in 1970; about 3 km north of the city	University links, skilled graduates, A14 road and Cambridge North station	Footloose firms still cluster where knowledge and skills are found

Must-know distinctions

• Location vs site. Location is the region (“near a port”); site is the plot (“flat, 50 hectares, next to a road junction”).
• Processing vs assembly. Processing changes raw materials; assembly joins ready-made parts.
• Products vs waste. Both are outputs. A by-product is waste that can be sold or reused.
• Physical vs human inputs. Raw materials, land and water are physical; labour, capital and skills are human.
• Weight-losing vs weight-gaining. Weight-losing industries locate near raw materials; weight-gaining ones locate near markets.
• Greenfield vs brownfield. New land is cheaper to build on but may face objections; reused land may need clearing but is close to workers.

Mini essay plan

Question type: “To what extent is transport the most important factor in the location of industry today? Refer to examples.”

1. Introduction: define location factors; say that factors combine.
2. For transport: Jebel Ali sits beside a giant port; just-in-time car plants such as Burnaston need fast roads (A38, A50, M1).
3. Against, political: free-zone rules and avoiding import duties often decide which country a firm chooses.
4. Against, labour: high-tech firms in Cambridge Science Park follow skilled graduates more than transport.
5. Against, raw materials: processing industries such as sugar refining still locate near bulky raw materials.
6. Judgement: transport is often necessary but rarely enough; political and labour factors usually decide between several well-connected places.

Quick self-test

1. Name the two kinds of output in an industrial system.
2. Give one physical input and one human input.
3. What is an assembly industry?
4. Why is high-tech industry described as footloose?
5. What is the difference between location and site?
6. Name three political factors that can attract industry.
7. Why do weight-losing industries locate near raw materials?
8. What does just-in-time mean, and which factor does it depend on?
9. A fictional zone’s jobs rose from 30,000 to 42,000. Calculate the percentage increase.
10. In which year did Toyota build its first car at Burnaston, and what was the site before?
11. Give two reasons why Jebel Ali Free Zone attracts foreign firms.
12. State one advantage and one disadvantage of a brownfield site.

Answers

1. Products and waste.
2. Physical: raw materials, water, land or energy. Human: labour, capital, skills or machinery.
3. An industry that puts together components made elsewhere, such as cars or phones.
4. Its products are light and valuable, so transport and raw materials matter little; it can locate in many places.
5. Location is the general area; site is the actual plot of land.
6. Grants, tax breaks, free trade zones, cheap land, trade agreements, planning permission.
7. The raw material is bulkier than the product, so moving the product is cheaper.
8. Parts arrive only when needed; it depends on reliable transport and nearby suppliers.
9. (42,000 − 30,000) ÷ 30,000 × 100 = 40%.
10. 1992; the former Derby Airport.
11. It is beside Jebel Ali Port, and free-zone rules allow full foreign ownership and duty-free import and re-export.
12. Advantage: close to workers and existing roads. Disadvantage: old buildings may need clearing or the land may be polluted.

Case study answer checklist

Before you finish a case study answer, check that it has:

• the name and country of the zone or factory;
• at least two real facts, such as a date, a road, a port or the size of the site;
• a clear split between site points and location points when the question asks for both;
• a link from each factor to what the firm needs (“the port matters because most inputs arrive by sea”);
• a short judgement on which factor mattered most, if the command word asks for one.

Where marks are usually lost

• Mixing up location and site in “siting” questions.
• Leaving out waste when describing outputs.
• Naming a factor (“transport”) without saying which link and why the firm needs it.
• Giving a case study with no place names, dates or facts.
• Calling every firm “manufacturing” when processing or assembly fits better.
• Not using figures from a resource when the question says “Use the data”.
• Forgetting units or the percentage sign in calculations.
• Ending a “to what extent” answer with no judgement.

Official syllabus

These notes follow the Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460) syllabus for examination in 2025 and 2026, Version 2 (published November 2022), section 3.3 Industry. Check the latest version on the Cambridge International website; your teacher will confirm anything the syllabus does not print.