Population explosion

A population grows when more people are born than die. For a long time, births and deaths were fairly close. Then the death rate fell sharply, while the birth rate stayed high. The gap is what makes numbers shoot up.

• Why deaths fell: better medical care, vaccination, cleaner water and better food supply.
• Why births stayed high: little awareness of family planning, and early marriage.
• What it leads to: pressure on food, water, land and fuels, along with fewer jobs and more pollution.

A small example

Picture a town where vaccines arrive and fewer children die young. Families still have as many children as before. In a few years the school, the water supply and the bus all feel crowded. Nothing went wrong in the town; the gap between births and deaths grew.

Where marks go

The 2027 specimen paper asks for two reasons for population explosion in India, for 2 marks. The draft marking scheme gives a high birth rate and a lack of awareness of family planning.

Vague answers lose here. For the 2025 paper, CISCE's report names "technology" or "economy" given in place of a specific reason, such as vaccination. It also names "everything" and "oxygen" as answers for a resource under pressure. Name the exact cause or resource. See the related idea, birth rate, and how to write answers that earn full marks.

About the author

Deepti Sardana

Founder Member & Academic Lead

An IIT alumna (M.Sc., M.Phil.) with over 25 years in teaching, child psychology and learning assessment. As Academic Lead at EduBrahma, she leads the method TRUtesting uses to find where and why a child loses marks.

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