Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Population and Employment — Practice Questions (0448)

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs — Cambridge International holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Population and Employment study guide and revision notes

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What do these questions practise? All four parts of Section 8 Population and employment in Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448 Paper 2: structure and growth, movements of population, distribution and density, and employment. Question 7 uses a small data table, as Paper 2 often gives figures to interpret.

Section A: recall

1. Define natural increase. [1]

2. State the difference between distribution and density of population. [2]

3. Give two push factors that cause rural–urban migration in Pakistan. [2]

4. What is a katchi abadi? [1]

5. Name the province of Pakistan with the lowest population density. [1]

6. Define underemployment. [1]

Section B: interpretation and explanation

7. The table shows illustrative birth and death rates (per 1,000 per year) for a country.

Year	Birth rate	Death rate
1960	45	22
1990	40	11
2020	28	7

(a) Calculate the natural increase in 1990, as a rate per 1,000. [1] (b) Describe the trends shown. [3] (c) Suggest two reasons for the fall in the death rate. [2]

8. Explain three social or economic reasons why families in rural Pakistan have many children. [3]

9. Describe the problems caused in large cities by rapid rural–urban migration. [4]

10. Explain the physical factors that cause low population density in Balochistan. [4]

11. Explain how unemployment and underemployment affect Pakistan’s GNP and GDP. [3]

Section C: evaluation

12. Evaluate self-help schemes as a way of improving living conditions in katchi abadis. [6]

13. “Educating girls is the most effective way to reduce population growth in Pakistan.” How far do you agree? [6]

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Answers

1. Birth rate minus death rate (usually per 1,000 per year) [1].

2. Distribution is the pattern of where people live [1]; density is the number of people per square kilometre [1].

3. Any two: lack of jobs; low farm wages; landlessness; poor schools and health care; floods or drought; mechanisation reducing farm work [2].

4. An unplanned shanty settlement in a Pakistani city, often without legal title or basic services [1].

5. Balochistan [1].

6. Having some work but not enough to be fully employed, such as only seasonal farm work [1].

7. (a) 40 − 11 = 29 per 1,000 [1]. (b) The birth rate fell, slowly at first then faster after 1990 [1]. The death rate fell sharply, halving between 1960 and 1990 [1]. Natural increase rose from 23 to 29 per 1,000 and then fell to 21 per 1,000 [1]. (c) Any two: vaccination programmes; better medical care and hospitals; clean water and sanitation; better nutrition [2].

8. Any three: children help with farm work and add income [1]; sons support parents in old age [1]; early marriage lengthens the child-bearing years [1]; high infant mortality in the past encouraged families to have more children [1]; limited access to family planning [1].

9. Any four: growth of katchi abadis with poor housing [1]; shortage of clean water and sanitation, spreading disease [1]; overcrowded schools and hospitals [1]; traffic congestion and air pollution [1]; unemployment and low-paid informal work [1]; crime [1].

10. Much of the province is plateau and mountain with steep, rocky land unsuitable for farming [1]; low and unreliable rainfall means little water for crops [1]; deserts such as the Kharan have poor soils [1]; extreme temperatures, very hot summers and cold winters in the uplands, make living conditions hard [1].

11. Unemployed people produce nothing, so national output is lower than it could be [1]. Underemployed people work below their capacity, adding little output [1]. Lower output means lower GDP and GNP, less tax revenue and less money for development [1].

12. For: residents use their own labour and money, so costs are low and more homes benefit [1]; the Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi showed residents could build lane sewers at low cost [1]; communities gain skills and ownership [1]; improves health by reducing disease [1]. Against: needs technical advice and organisation [1]; poorest residents may not afford contributions [1]; without legal title people may not invest [1]; better conditions can attract more migrants, adding pressure [1]. Judgement needed. Maximum 6.

13. For: educated women tend to marry later and have fewer children [1]; they know more about health and family planning [1]; they can earn income, reducing the need for child labour [1]. Against: family planning services must also be available and affordable [1]; social attitudes favouring large families and sons also need to change [1]; lowering infant mortality reduces the need for many births [1]; economic development and old-age security matter too [1]. A supported judgement, for example that girls’ education is very important but works best with other measures, gains the top mark. Maximum 6.

Frequently asked questions

Are the figures in question 7 real? No. They are illustrative figures to practise data skills; use the real statistics provided in the exam paper.

How should I answer a “how far do you agree” question? Argue both sides with examples from Pakistan, then give a clear conclusion that answers the question.

Based on the Cambridge IGCSE Pakistan Studies 0448 syllabus for examination in 2026, Paper 2 Section 8.