General Information
The world in which we live is likely to change more in the next 50 years than it has ever done before. There has never been a better or more important time to study Geography. With growing interest in issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation and social cohesion, geography is one of the most relevant courses you could choose to study.
Key Stage 3
In years 7 and 8 the pupils have three lessons of Geography per two weeks. In year 9 pupils have four lessons of Geography per two weeks. The curriculum has been designed into specific themes to instill a sense of awe and wonder about both the human and physical environment.
Key Stage 3 Themes
| Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Geographical Skills Key physical and human characteristics Countries and cities British Isles, Continents, Europe Map skills | Coastal landforms and management OS map interpretation Tourism | Extreme weather |
| Year 8 | Population | Tropical Rainforests and Ecosystems Extraction management and sustainable development (human activity relies on the effective functioning of natural systems) | Globalisation and Global Governance |
| Year 9 | Plate tectonics & Hazard management Social Development | Global Cities / Urbanisation / Migration Weather and Climate | Rivers and flooding Tourism in NICs and LICs |
Key Stage 4
WJEC Eduqas GCSE Geography A develops an enquiry approach to the study of geographical information, issues and concepts. It is based on the principle that geographical education should enable learners to become critical and reflective thinkers by engaging them actively in the enquiry process. Content is organised around key questions and learners should develop the ability to pose geographical questions of their own.
| Key Idea | Overview |
|---|---|
| Distinctive Landscapes in the UK | What makes landscapes distinctive in the UK? How are physical landscapes in the UK affected by human activity? How can landscapes in the UK be managed? |
| Landform process and change in two different and distinctive. Landscapes of the UK | How do processes work together to create landform features at different scales in river and coastal landscapes in the UK? What factors affect the rates of landform change in river and coastal landscapes in the UK? |
| Drainage basins of the UK | What physical processes affect stores and flows in UK drainage basins? Why do rivers in the UK flood? What are the current and future management approaches to the problem of flooding in the UK? |
| The urban-rural continuum in the UK | How are urban and rural areas of the UK linked? How are rural areas in the UK changing? |
| Population and urban change in the UK | What are the causes and consequences of population change in the UK? What are the consequences of urbanisation in two global cities? How are global cities connected |
| Tectonic processes and landforms | How do tectonic processes work together to create landform features at different scales? |
| Vulnerability and hazard reduction | What are the impacts of tectonic processes? How might the risks associated with tectonic hazards be reduced? |
| Economic Development and resource issues | How is economic development measured and what are contemporary global patterns What are the causes and consequences of uneven development at the global scale What are the responses to uneven development at the global scale? |
| Water resources and their management | How and why is the demand for water changing Are water resources being managed sustainably? |
| Regional economic development | What are the causes and consequences of regional patterns of economic development? |
| Measuring social development | How is social development measured? |
| Consequences and Responses to uneven social development | What challenges face social development in sub Saharan Africa and South Asia What are health care issues in sub Saharan Africa? |
| Weather processes and patterns | What are the causes and consequences, of, and responses to, two weather hazards? What factors create variations in weather and climate at different scales within the UK? |
| Processes and interactions within ecosystems | Where are large scale ecosystems found? What are the key processes at ecosystems at different scales? |
| Human activity and ecosystem processes | How do people use ecosystems and environments? How do human interactions modify processes and interactions within ecosystem? How can ecosystems be managed sustainably? |
GCSE Topic Summary
- Climate Change
- Weather Patterns and Processes
- Ecosystems
- Development and Resource Issues
- Social development issues
- Rural to Urban Links
- Tectonic Processes and Vulnerability to Hazards
- Landscapes and Physical Processes
Assessment (first entry in 2018)
Component 1: Changing Physical and Human Landscapes
Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes
35% of qualification
84 marks
Component 2: Environmental and Development Issues
Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes
35% of qualification
84 marks (plus 4 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and use of specialist terms)
Component 3: Applied Fieldwork Enquiry
Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes
30% of qualification
72 marks (plus 4 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and use of specialist terms)
Key Stage 5
From September 2016 the department will follow the new AQA specification.
| Summary of Content and Assessment |
|---|
| A'Level |
| Carbon and Water Cycles |
| Hazards |
| Global Systems and Governance |
| Coursework |
| Assessment |
| Component 1: 2hrs 30 minutes (40%) Physical Geography |
| Component 2: 2 hrs 30 minutes (40%) Human Geography |
| Component 3 (20%) Fieldwork Investigation |