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New
New
Year 11
AQA

The north-south divide

I can evaluate strategies that attempt to resolve regional differences in the UK.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
AQA

The north-south divide

I can evaluate strategies that attempt to resolve regional differences in the UK.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Regional differences exist in the UK between the north and the south.
  2. Social and economic indicators can be used to identify a north-south divide in the UK.
  3. There are strategies for resolving regional differences.

Keywords

  • Regional inequality - differences in the standard of living and wealth between two areas of the same country

  • Core - the economic centre of a country or region; in the UK, this is London

  • Periphery - the area of a country or region that serves the core and therefore has a weaker economy

Common misconception

Everyone living in a particular region will have a similar lived experience of a place.

Though in general the north and south of the UK show evidence of economic inequality, there are lots of pockets of very high levels of wealth in the north and areas of extreme poverty in the south.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: The north-south divide, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students can look at current ONS data for areas in the north and south and evaluate if these have been successful in reducing regional inequality.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What regions make up the United Kingdom?
England, France, Wales, Northern Ireland
England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
Correct answer: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
Q2.
What is an economy?
a country's military strength
Correct answer: a system of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
a type of government policy
Q3.
Match the type of industry with its definition.
Correct Answer:primary industry,the production or extraction of raw materials
tick

the production or extraction of raw materials

Correct Answer:secondary industry,the manufacturing of goods, e.g. cloth from cotton
tick

the manufacturing of goods, e.g. cloth from cotton

Correct Answer:tertiary industry,providing services to people, e.g. a doctor
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providing services to people, e.g. a doctor

Correct Answer:quaternary industry,knowledge-based industries or high-tech industries, such as ICT
tick

knowledge-based industries or high-tech industries, such as ICT

Q4.
Match the key words with their definitions.
Correct Answer:regional inequality,differences in standard of living & wealth between two areas in the UK
tick

differences in standard of living & wealth between two areas in the UK

Correct Answer:core,the economic centre of a country or region, e.g. London
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the economic centre of a country or region, e.g. London

Correct Answer:periphery,area of a country/region that serves the core and has a weaker economy
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area of a country/region that serves the core and has a weaker economy

Q5.
Which of the following is a key cause of economic change in the UK during the Industrial Revolution?
the rise of digital technology
Correct answer: the shift from agriculture to manufacturing industries
the expansion of the service sector
the decline in global trade
Q6.
How do historical events impact regions?
immediate but brief changes
Correct answer: long-lasting effects on development
little to no impact

5 Questions

Q1.
Geographers think about the north-south divide as an example of a (the south) and a periphery (the north).
Correct Answer: core
Q2.
There is some disagreement over where the north-south divide actually sits. Most geographers agree that the north has:
higher population density
Correct answer: lower income and employment levels
higher house prices
Correct answer: poorer health and lower life expectancy
Q3.
To understand the causes of the north-south divide geographers look at the regional history. The correct sequence of events in the north of the UK that led to the current divide is ...
1 - An abundance of natural resources, such as coal, fed industrial growth
2 - manufacturing industries using coal power grew rapidly from 1850 to 1950
3 - by the 1970s coal mines closed and factories moved overseas
4 - left behind high levels of unemployment and little to attract new investment.
Q4.
Enterprise zones are areas with ...
Correct answer: grants and loans available to new businesses
Correct answer: improved digital infrastructure (such as superfast broadband)
fewer transport links
expensive rent for businesses
Q5.
The ‘Northern ’ was an initiative to try to boost industrial growth specifically in the north of England.
Correct Answer: powerhouse