Fiducia TogetherEconomic sectors
Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary — and how the mix changes with development.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Primary extracts raw materials; secondary manufactures; tertiary provides services; quaternary is research and information.
Where it applies
GCSE geography human topics, and business studies.
How it works
The Clark-Fisher model describes the shift from primary through secondary to tertiary as a country develops, which is why sector employment is used as a development indicator.
Deindustrialisation is the decline of the secondary sector, with regional consequences.
How to use it in your work
Link sector employment to development stage and use figures.
For deindustrialisation, name a region and its social and economic consequences.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Geography Song The GCSE geography topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.