Geography

If you enjoyed GCSE geography and want to investigate a wider range of geographical issues, then this course is for you. You should be keen, well-motivated and interested in keeping up- to-date with topical issues. Alternatively, if you feel you missed out on the opportunity at GCSE to learn about the world around us, how it changes and is continuing to change, and have done well in associated subjects, then geography could also be for you!

What will you study and learn?

Geography is the study of the human and physical forces of change affecting the earth. It is about the relationship between people and their environment. As well as investigating important topical issues, you will acquire and develop a wide range of cross-curricular skills such as problem solving and decision making, ICT and statistical analysis.

Fieldwork plays an essential role in geographical study and research into elements of both physical and human geography is carried out during a residential field trip together with King’s High School, to Cranedale, Yorkshire in the March of Year 12.  There is an approximate cost of £450 for this four day trip. For many students, the chance to study the environment at first-hand is the highlight of the A-level course, and this is continued into Year 13 when students get to investigate a geographical enquiry of their own choice.

Course content and examinations

We follow the OCR  A-level Geography course.

In Year 12 we study:

Landscape Systems

This topic introduces learners to the integrated study of earth surface processes, landforms and resultant landscapes within the conceptual framework of a dynamic systems approach. An understanding of earth’s surface processes, together with their associated transfers of energy and movements of materials underpins the landscape systems topic, which will be applied to coastal environments.

Changing Spaces, Making Places Places are connected to other places and there are few left untouched from the forces of globalisation. This unit allows learners to look through a local lens to understand global issues, such as economic and social inequality, redevelopment of areas as well as the impact of globalisation in different parts of the world.

Geographical Debates: Hazardous Earth Movement of the Earth’s land masses, from Pangaea to present-day are evidence that forces beneath our feet are at work. Seismic and volcanic activity creates hazards as populations have grown and inhabited more of the Earth.

Further units are studied to prepare in Year 13:

Disease Dilemmas introduces students into the health inequalities both globally and regionally. We investigate the social, economic, political and environmental causes of different health outcomes to different diseases. This is an especially relevant topic given the recent pandemic crises, with fantastic synoptic learning to impacts on places as a result.

Two further, smaller units are also studied which investigate the impact of global migration and the different attitudes to Human Rights around the world. In addition, students at A-level, in Year 13, complete an independent investigation worth 20% of the final A-level.

Assessment:

There are three examinations at the end of the two year course. The first covers all the physical topics and the second, the human topics. There are structured as well as essay type questions. The third covers both Geographical Debates and consists of structured, synoptic as well as longer, more developed essay questions.

In addition, students in Year 13 complete an independent investigation worth 20% of the final A-level.

Where could the subject take you?

Geography has been described as one of the most exciting and important academic disciplines. It is highly relevant for students today because it promotes an understanding of the interactions between people and environments and focuses on the study of places. It provides an opportunity to integrate ideas from the humanities, social sciences and physical sciences and as such it can be studied in conjunction with a range of other subjects.

The study of geography rarely leads to a specific area of employment and geography graduates go into a very wide range of jobs. These range from business fields such as administration, management and financial work, to sales, marketing and buying. Information and communications technology and organisational skills, acquired on a geography degree course can be very useful for the civil service, local government, commerce and industry. Some of the most popular opportunities for geographers are cartography, environmental and ecological work, marketing and logistics, meteorology or oceanography, planning, surveying, teaching, development work and work in the business / financial sector.