Cambridge O-Level Environmental Management: Rocks, Ores and Minerals (5014, 2027-2029)

Syllabus edition note. This resource follows the Cambridge O Level Environmental Management 5014 syllabus for exams in 2027, 2028 and 2029 (version 1), first examined in the June 2027 series (and also available in the November series in Mauritius only). If you sit 5014 in November 2026 in Mauritius, you sit the 2025-2026 syllabus (version 2), which differs: it has nine topics instead of seven, Paper 1 is “Theory” (Section A 20 marks, Section B 60 marks) and Paper 2 is “Management in context”, and it lists recommended case studies for each topic. For this topic, the 2025-2026 syllabus puts rocks and minerals in five sub-topics of its own Topic 1 (1.1-1.5), has no definition of an ore, names only surface and subsurface mining, has no permeability outcomes and a shorter list of extraction factors. Use the 2025-2026 Rocks and Minerals guide if you sit in November 2026.

This guide covers the first three sub-topics of Topic 1 Natural resources in the 2027-2029 edition of Cambridge O Level Environmental Management (5014): 1.1 Formation of rocks, 1.2 Extraction of rocks, ores and minerals and 1.3 Sustainable management of rocks, ores and minerals. The other three sub-topics of Topic 1 (1.4 Energy resources, 1.5 Conservation and management of energy resources and 1.6 Fracking) are in the companion Energy Resources guide.

Where this fits in 5014

The 2027-2029 syllabus has seven topics: 1 Natural resources, 2 Land, 3 Water, 4 The atmosphere and human activities, 5 Ecosystems, biodiversity and fieldwork, 6 Natural hazards and 7 Human population. Topic 1 opens with the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust, then the ores and minerals people extract from them, then the energy resources (fossil fuels among them) that come from the same crust. Permeability, introduced here in 1.1, comes back in 1.6 Fracking, which extracts gas from impermeable shale.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE O LEVEL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (5014), 2027-2029 — TOPIC 1 NATURAL RESOURCES, SUB-TOPICS 1.1-1.3

• 1.1 Formation of rocks
  • 1.1.1 Describe the formation of named igneous (granite and basalt), sedimentary (limestone, sandstone and shale) and metamorphic (marble and slate) rocks.
  • 1.1.2 Describe and interpret the rock cycle, limited to weathering, erosion, transportation, sedimentation, compaction, cementation, crystallisation and deposition.
  • 1.1.3 Define permeability.
  • 1.1.4 Classify rocks as permeable and impermeable.
• 1.2 Extraction of rocks, ores and minerals
  • 1.2.1 Define an ore.
  • 1.2.2 Describe the methods of extracting rocks, ores and minerals from mines: surface, subsurface and biological extraction.
  • 1.2.3 Describe the eight factors that affect the decision to extract.
  • 1.2.4 Describe and explain the environmental, economic and social impacts of extraction.
  • 1.2.5 Describe strategies for managing landscapes damaged by extraction.
  • 1.2.6 Discuss the benefits and limitations of those strategies.
• 1.3 Sustainable management of rocks, ores and minerals
  • 1.3.1 Define a finite resource.
  • 1.3.2 Define sustainable management of resources.
  • 1.3.3 Describe the seven sustainable management strategies listed.
  • 1.3.4 Discuss their benefits and limitations.

Almost every list in this syllabus is introduced with “limited to”. The items listed are the ones the syllabus requires; learn every item on each list by the syllabus’s own name.

How to approach it

Learn the sub-topics as one sequence: how a rock forms decides whether it is permeable and what it can be used for; extracting it brings impacts; the impacts call for management of the damaged landscape; and because the resource is finite, the last step is managing it sustainably. The command words matter here. 1.2.5 and 1.3.3 say “describe”, so a list of strategies with a sentence on each is enough. 1.2.6 and 1.3.4 say “discuss the benefits and limitations”, so each strategy needs at least one point for and one against. The syllabus names no case studies, so use examples from your own country or region where you can.

Official syllabus

Cambridge O Level Environmental Management (5014) syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029, section 3 Subject content, pp.12-14 — cambridgeinternational.org.

1.1 Formation of rocks

Type	How it forms	The syllabus’s named examples
Igneous	Magma or lava cools and crystallises	Granite (cools slowly underground, so large crystals); basalt (cools quickly at or near the surface, so small crystals)
Sedimentary	Sediment is deposited in layers, then compacted and cemented	Limestone (mostly calcium carbonate, often from shells and skeletons); sandstone (sand grains cemented together); shale (compacted mud and clay)
Metamorphic	An existing rock is changed by heat and/or pressure without melting	Marble (from limestone); slate (from shale)

The rock cycle (1.1.2). The syllabus names eight processes, and a rock-cycle answer should use them by name:

• Weathering breaks rock down where it is, by physical, chemical or biological action.
• Erosion removes the weathered material.
• Transportation carries it away, by rivers, wind, ice or the sea.
• Deposition is the dropping of that material when the transporting agent loses energy.
• Sedimentation is the settling and build-up of deposited sediment in layers, usually on lake or sea beds.
• Compaction squeezes the lower layers under the weight of those above, pushing out water.
• Cementation binds the grains together as minerals from the water crystallise between them, making sedimentary rock.
• Crystallisation forms igneous rock as magma or lava cools and minerals crystallise from it.

The 1.1.2 list does not name melting or metamorphism, but you need both to describe how igneous and metamorphic rocks form (1.1.1): rock that melts becomes magma, and rock changed by heat and pressure without melting becomes metamorphic. The cycle branches rather than running in one fixed order: any rock exposed at the surface can be weathered, and any rock that is buried deeply enough can be metamorphosed or melted.

Permeability (1.1.3-1.1.4). The syllabus defines permeability as “the ability of water to pass through the pore spaces of rock and soil”, and classifies rocks as:

• permeable: most sedimentary rocks, including limestone and sandstone;
• impermeable: igneous and metamorphic rocks, and some sedimentary rocks, including shale.

Permeability matters to environmental management because it controls where ground water collects and moves, and where oil and gas are trapped: they rise through permeable rock until an impermeable layer stops them.

1.2 Extraction of rocks, ores and minerals

Ore (1.2.1). The syllabus defines an ore as “rock containing minerals and metals”. Background: a mineral is a naturally occurring solid with a definite chemical composition and an ordered crystal structure; an ore is the rock that is mined because it contains enough of a useful mineral or metal. The proportion of the useful metal in an ore is its ore grade, one of the factors in 1.2.3.

Methods of extraction (1.2.2).

Method	What the syllabus lists	How it works
Surface extraction	Opencast, open-pit, open-cut and strip mining	The overburden (soil and rock above the deposit) is removed and the deposit is dug out from the surface. Strip mining removes the overburden in long strips, suiting shallow, near-horizontal seams.
Subsurface extraction	Deep mining and shaft mining	A vertical shaft is sunk and tunnels are driven to reach deposits too deep to dig from the surface.
Biological extraction	Phytomining and bioleaching	Phytomining: plants that absorb metal compounds are grown on low-grade ore or mine waste, harvested and burned, and the metal is recovered from the ash. Bioleaching: bacteria are used to release metal compounds from low-grade ore into a solution, from which the metal is recovered.

Biological extraction is slow, but it can recover metal from ore grades and mine waste that would not pay to work by digging and smelting, and it disturbs far less land.

Factors affecting the decision to extract (1.2.3). The syllabus lists eight:

1. Exploration — surveys and test drilling establish whether a deposit exists and how big it is.
2. Geology — the type, depth and structure of the rock around the deposit.
3. Accessibility and terrain — how easily people, machinery and transport can reach the site.
4. Quantity and quality of deposit (ore grade) — a large, high-grade deposit is more worth working than a small, low-grade one.
5. Climate — extreme cold, heat or heavy rainfall add cost and difficulty.
6. Environmental impact assessment — a study of the likely impacts, which can lead to permission being refused or conditions being set.
7. Supply and demand — high demand and limited supply raise the price the product can be sold for.
8. Cost and profit — extraction goes ahead only if expected income exceeds the cost of extraction, processing and restoration.

Impacts of extraction (1.2.4). The syllabus lists:

Impact	Environmental, economic or social	Example of the effect
Loss of habitat and biodiversity	Environmental	Vegetation and soil are stripped, and species lose their homes
Air, land, noise, visual and water pollution	Environmental and social	Dust from blasting; spoil heaps; drainage from mines and processing entering rivers
Water usage	Environmental and social	Processing uses large volumes of water, reducing supplies for people and farming
Waste management	Environmental	Waste rock and processing waste must be stored safely
Changes in employment opportunities	Economic and social	Jobs are created while a mine operates and lost when it closes
Local and national economies	Economic	Wages spent locally; taxes and export income for the country
Facilities and infrastructure	Social and economic	New roads, power supplies, housing and services built for the mine

Managing damaged landscapes (1.2.5). The syllabus lists two groups of strategy:

• Land restoration: replacement of overburden, soil improvement, bioremediation (using organisms such as plants and microorganisms to remove or break down pollutants) and tree planting.
• Repurposing land: landfill, lakes, recreation and nature reserves.

Benefits and limitations (1.2.6).

Strategy	Benefit	Limitation
Replacement of overburden and soil improvement	Restores the land surface so vegetation can grow again	Costly; restored soil can take many years to become fertile
Bioremediation	Treats polluted ground without digging it all out	Slow, and works only for some pollutants
Tree planting	Stabilises soil, creates habitat and stores carbon	Trees take decades to mature; the new habitat differs from the original
Landfill	Fills the hole and generates income from waste disposal	Risk of leachate polluting ground water; the land has limited later use
Lakes	Flooded pits create wetland habitat and water storage	Deep, steep-sided lakes can be unsafe; water quality may be poor
Recreation	Provides amenity and income, for example water sports or parks	Needs investment and maintenance; may disturb wildlife
Nature reserves	Increase biodiversity in the area	Take time to establish, and generate little income

1.3 Sustainable management of rocks, ores and minerals

The two definitions the syllabus gives:

• A finite resource is “a natural resource that is used up at a faster rate than it is replaced”.
• Sustainable management of resources is “the use of strategies that ensure the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Strategies (1.3.3), with benefits and limitations (1.3.4).

Strategy	How it helps	Limitation
Reduce and reuse	Less material is needed in the first place	Depends on changes in behaviour and product design
Recycling: accessibility, ease and education	Recovers material from waste, so less ore is mined; people recycle more when facilities are accessible, recycling is easy and they are educated about it	Collection and sorting cost money; some materials are hard to separate; recycling also uses energy
Increased efficiency of extraction	More of the deposit is recovered and less is wasted	New technology is costly
Avoiding resource depletion	Rates of use are planned so reserves last longer	Hard to agree and enforce while demand keeps rising
Legislation	Laws can require restoration, recycling or pollution limits	Only works if it is enforced
Enforcement	Inspections and penalties make laws effective	Needs money, staff and political will; weak where corruption exists
Use of alternative materials	Substitutes replace a scarce material	Substitutes may cost more, perform less well or be finite themselves

Worked example

A copper ore has an ore grade of 0.8% copper by mass. Calculate the mass of copper in 5000 tonnes of ore, and the mass of rock left as waste.

copper = 0.8 / 100 x 5000 = 40 tonnes
waste  = 5000 - 40       = 4960 tonnes

This is why ore grade (1.2.3) and waste management (1.2.4) are linked: a low-grade ore leaves almost all of the rock mined as waste to be stored, and why biological extraction (1.2.2) is useful for recovering metal from low-grade ores and old mine waste.

Common mistakes

• Saying metamorphic rocks form by melting. They are changed in the solid state; rock that melts becomes magma and then igneous rock.
• Using “weathering” and “erosion” as if they were the same process. Weathering breaks rock down where it is; erosion removes it.
• Calling all sedimentary rocks permeable. The syllabus classes shale as impermeable.
• Leaving out biological extraction when asked for the methods of extraction. There are three in this edition, not two.
• Answering a “discuss the benefits and limitations” question with benefits only.
• Giving a definition of a finite resource or sustainable management in your own loose words when the syllabus gives an exact one.

Quick revision checklist

• Describe the formation of granite, basalt, limestone, sandstone, shale, marble and slate.
• Use all eight named rock-cycle processes in a labelled description.
• Define permeability and classify the syllabus’s rocks as permeable or impermeable.
• Define an ore and describe surface, subsurface and biological extraction, naming phytomining and bioleaching.
• List the eight factors that affect the decision to extract.
• Describe and explain the seven impacts listed in 1.2.4.
• Give a benefit and a limitation of each land restoration and repurposing strategy.
• Define a finite resource and sustainable management of resources, and discuss the seven sustainable management strategies.

What changed from the 2025-2026 syllabus

• Structure. Rocks and minerals were a whole topic (Topic 1 Rocks and minerals and their exploitation, sub-topics 1.1-1.5). They are now three sub-topics of Topic 1 Natural resources. The old 1.3 Impact and 1.4 Managing the impact are both inside the new 1.2, and the old 1.5 Sustainable use of rocks and minerals is replaced by the new 1.3 Sustainable management of rocks, ores and minerals.
• New content. The named rock-cycle processes, permeability (1.1.3-1.1.4), the definition of an ore (1.2.1), biological extraction (phytomining and bioleaching), and four more extraction factors (terrain, quantity and quality of deposit, climate, and cost and profit).
• Changed lists. Impacts now include biodiversity and water usage; land restoration adds replacement of overburden, and repurposing adds recreation. The 2025-2026 syllabus listed “safe disposal of mining waste” as a restoration strategy; the new list does not. Definitions of “sustainable resource” and “sustainable development” are replaced by “finite resource” and “sustainable management of resources”, and the strategy list adds reduce and reuse, avoiding resource depletion, enforcement and alternative materials.
• Case study. The 2025-2026 syllabus recommended a case study of a mine; the 2027-2029 syllabus has removed its recommended case studies.