Geography is one of the four subjects a 3+1+2 candidate can pick as a re-elected subject (再选科目), alongside chemistry, biology and politics. Like the other three, it can be combined with either physics or history as the first choice. The paper is out of 100 and, in many provinces, lasts around 75 minutes.
Because it is a re-elected subject, the raw mark is not used directly. It is converted through 等级赋分, a rank-based scheme in which candidates are placed in grade bands across the province and given a converted score. The bands and grade shares are set by each province.
The syllabus covers physical and human geography. The compulsory books deal with the Earth's movements, the atmosphere, water, landforms, population, cities, agriculture, industry and transport. The elective-compulsory modules go into the foundations of physical geography, regional development, and resources, environment and national security.
The first part of the paper consists of multiple-choice questions, usually arranged in small groups that share one stimulus: a map, a climate chart, a data table or a short case study about a real place. Several questions in a row test different reasoning steps about the same material.
The second part consists of longer comprehensive questions. Candidates analyse a region or a problem, explain why something happens where it does, and suggest measures. Good answers follow a clear chain of factors, physical then human, or location, terrain, climate and water in order, and link each factor back to the material.
What the paper rewards: map reading, reasoning about cause and effect, and the ability to apply textbook principles to an unfamiliar place. Pure memorisation is less useful than in the past, because the case-study regions often change from year to year. As with every gaokao subject, details such as question count and mark split differ by province, so local past papers are the best reference.