Question Constellation Sign up for free AQA · GCSE · Geography · Higher
River erosion and deposition landforms
Explain how river features are created by erosion and deposition. Use Figure 17 and your own understanding.
Write your answer first. You can study the marking guidance whenever you need it.
Study the marking See what earns credit and compare it with a full-mark answer.
Marking points
- 1 Explains erosion and deposition processes.
- 2 Explains formation/development of at least two river features for high-level credit.
- 3 Applies Figure 17 evidence.
Full-mark answer
Meanders form because water flows faster on the outside of a bend, causing lateral erosion and undercutting to create a river cliff. On the inside bend, slower water deposits sediment to form a slip-off slope. Over time the meander neck narrows; during high flow the river may cut through the neck and deposition seals the old bend, creating an oxbow lake like those visible in Figure 17. Floodplains build when repeated floods deposit alluvium over the valley floor.
Why this answer loses marks
Erosion and deposition happen in rivers.
It names processes but does not sequence how they create the features shown or studied.