Studying Geography at GCSE is learning for life. It helps you to understand the world in which you live and enables you to make informed comments about what is happening in the world today. Geography studies environments, both natural and manmade, and how people live in them. It explains the location of places and peoples’ activities in these places. Geography encourages us to care for people and the places where they live.
Quotes by recent GCSE Geography students include:
“I’ll remember our field trip for the rest of my life!“
“I had so much fun. I learnt a lot and was never bored!“
“It was one of the best school trips ever!”
The world is constantly changing and it helps you to make sense of those changes.
Geography is a subject that combines well with most other subjects as it bridges the Arts and Sciences and gives flexibility for further education.
Course Content
During the course you will gain knowledge and understanding about the various topics detailed below. As you study them you will learn a variety of skills which will be useful to you in many different aspects of academic study and everyday life. These will include selecting data from a variety of sources including censuses, maps at a variety of scales, graphs, photographs, satellite images and information on the Internet. During fieldwork (the location of which is determined by the choice of controlled assessment topic) you will collect data through questionnaires, interviewing, land use mapping, taking measurements and field sketching. You will learn how to present the data using appropriate graphs and interpret the findings. The field course gives you the opportunity to experience Geography at first hand.
The six topics studied at GCSE are split into two areas: physical geography comprising, at present, coasts, the living world and rocks, resources and scenery and human geography which includes tourism, population and urban environments. These topics are tailors to pupils and current case studies are used to ensure the course is as up to date as possible.
Teaching and Assessment
Our lessons will vary in the way they are taught but during the course you will have to put together a good set of notes, many of which you will record with help from your teacher. These will aid your revision at the end of the course.
You will have to complete a piece of controlled assessment, approximately 2000 words, which is worth 25% of the final examination mark. You will have to collect data, using skills learnt from fieldwork, to find the answer to a question which is selected from a controlled assessment list provided but the exam board at the beginning of your course. You will have to decide the best ways to present your data and then write up what you have found out and suggest reasons for your findings under controlled conditions. You will improve your knowledge of software programmes as you complete your controlled assessment. You will be given help and support to complete this work where possible.
At the end of the course you will have to take two examinations, each 11/2 hours in length. One examination is based on physical geography and the other on human topics. You can take these exams at either Higher or Foundation Level according to your ability.
Specification: AQA Geography A 4032
Click here to download the current specification for this GCSE course.
