Decision-Making Exercise extract (8 marks)

Question: Using the Resource Booklet (Figures 5–8), choose ONE of the three flood-management options for the River Lagan catchment and justify your choice. You must explain why you rejected the other two options.

Mark scheme (8 marks — Level-marked):

• Level 1 (1–3): States choice; minimal use of resources; rejects others without reasons.
• Level 2 (4–6): Uses 2–3 resources; gives reasons for choice with some figures (cost £, hectares protected, population benefiting); rejects other options briefly.
• Level 3 (7–8): Synthesises evidence from 4+ resources; chosen option justified with cost-benefit analysis (e.g. Option B: floodplain restoration — £2.4 m, protects 1 200 homes, sustainable, biodiversity gain); explicitly rejects Option A (hard engineering — £8 m, displaces wildlife) and Option C (do-nothing — leaves 800 properties at risk) with reasoned counter-arguments. Conclusion is clear, comparative and substantiated.