To explain a location, pick a factor, quote the evidence for it, and say how it helps the business. The skill appears in questions that give a map, a table or a short text about a farm, factory or shop and ask why it was sited there.
It builds on classifying a stated activity by role, because the sector tells you which factors matter most. It is part of the economic activities and resources module.
What do location factors mean in practice?
A factor is only a heading. Common headings are raw materials, labour, transport links, market, power or water, land cost and government support. Each heading becomes useful once you attach a number or a labelled feature from the resource to it.
A reliable sentence pattern is: Factor, evidence, effect. For example: “Site A is 4 km from the highway (evidence), so lorries reach the market quickly (effect), which keeps delivery costs low (link to the business).”
How do you build the explanation, step by step?
- Read the resource first and mark every piece of evidence: distances, costs, workers, features.
- Match each piece of evidence to a factor.
- Choose the factors that matter most for this activity.
- Write one Factor, evidence, effect chain for each chosen factor.
- Finish with a judgement if the question asks you to choose or compare sites.
Worked example
A company plans a bottling plant for fruit drinks and compares two sites. The figures are invented for this example.
| Evidence | Site A | Site B |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the highway | 4 km | 25 km |
| Road distance from highway to main market | 46 km | 30 km |
| Land cost per square metre | RM120 | RM80 |
| Workers living within 30 km | 12 000 | 4 000 |
The plant needs 5 000 m² of land and sends 10 000 tonnes a year to the market. Transport costs RM0.50 per tonne per kilometre.
Transport distance. Site A: 4 + 46 = 50 km. Site B: 25 + 30 = 55 km.
Transport cost per tonne. Site A: 50 × 0.50 = RM25. Site B: 55 × 0.50 = RM27.50.
Yearly gap. (27.50 − 25) × 10 000 = RM25 000 more for Site B each year.
Land cost. Site A: 5 000 × 120 = RM600 000. Site B: 5 000 × 80 = RM400 000. Site B saves RM200 000 once.
Break-even. 200 000 ÷ 25 000 = 8 years. Site B is cheaper for the first 8 years, then Site A becomes cheaper overall.
Written explanation. “Site A has a shorter route to the market, 50 km against 55 km, so its transport cost is RM25 a tonne instead of RM27.50. It also has 12 000 workers within 30 km, compared with 4 000, so recruiting is easier. However, Site B’s land is RM200 000 cheaper, which outweighs the extra transport cost for the first 8 years. If the company expects to operate longer than that, Site A is the better choice.”
What is the mistake to watch for?
The usual slip is to name the factor and stop.
Mistaken answer: Site A has good transport and labour, so it is better.
This is not wrong, but it has no evidence and no effect, so it earns little. The correction is to attach a figure from the resource and say what that figure does for the business. A figure with no link to the choice is also incomplete.
Check yourself
1. A table shows a farm is 3 km from a river and 40 km from the nearest town. Write one Factor, evidence, effect sentence about water.
Show answer
“The farm is 3 km from the river (evidence), so water for irrigation can be pumped a short distance (effect), which lowers its running costs (link).”
2. A factory sends 2 000 tonnes a year over 60 km at RM0.40 per tonne per kilometre. Find the yearly transport cost.
Show answer
Per tonne: 60 × 0.40 = RM24. Per year: 24 × 2 000 = RM48 000.
3. Why might a cheaper site not be the right choice?
Show answer
Land cost is a one-off, while transport and labour costs recur every year. A cheap site with higher yearly costs can lose its advantage over time, as the break-even above shows.
Where does this lead next?
Next, compare resource demand and supply in a case to see why some locations are chosen because a resource is plentiful. The statistics and distribution explorer can help you read a table of site data. Practise the whole module with the mixed practice set.
Location answers are one of the quickest places to gain marks once the evidence habit is in place. Our teachers in online one-to-one Geography tuition can check your written chains against the marks available.