GEOGRAPHY - KS4

WHO’S WHO?

Progress Leader: Mrs S Akers-Warburton
Teaching Staff: Mr B Thompson, Mrs R Jones
Link Governor: Mrs G Sinnott

COURSE INFORMATION

GCSE Geography builds upon the themes and skills developed throughout Key Stage 3 with three broad strands being further developed towards GCSE:

Contextual world knowledge of locations, places & geographical features
Understanding of the conditions, processes & interactions that explain geographical features, distribution patterns, & changes over time & space
Competence in geographical enquiry, & the application of skills in observing, collecting, analysing, evaluating & communicating geographical information

GCSE Geography consists of three examinations which aim to develop a range of skills essential to the subject.

COURSE SPECIFICATION

Students follow AQA GCSE Geography specification. Click here to view the specification.

COURSE CONTENT

The content is split into four units: 1. Living with the physical environment, 2. Challenges in the human environment, 3. Geographical applications and 4. Geographical skills.

In units 1 and 2 the content is split into sections, with each section focusing on a particular geographical theme. Unit 3 involves fieldwork and an issue evaluation. Unit 4 focuses on the geographical skills that students are required to develop and demonstrate.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

Paper 1 – Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes. 88 marks (including 3 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology (SPaG)) 35% of GCSE
Paper 2 – Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes. 88 marks (including 3 marks for SPaG) 35% of GCSE
Paper 3 – Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes. 76 marks (including 6 marks for SPaG) 30% of GCSE

Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam.

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all GCSE Geography specifications and all exam boards.

The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge of locations, places, processes, environments and different scales (15%).
AO2: Demonstrate geographical understanding of: concepts and how they are used in relation to places, environments and processes; the interrelationships between places, environments and processes (25%).
AO3: Apply knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues to make judgements (35%, including 10% applied to fieldwork context(s)).
AO4: Select, adapt and use a variety of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and communicate findings (25%, including 5% used to respond to fieldwork data and context(s)).

To read the tables please rotate to landscape or view on a larger screen.

YEAR 10
TERM	UNIT OF STUDY	KEY SKILLS / LEARNING
Autumn	Ecosystems Physical fieldwork Tropical Rainforests Resource management Development Gap	Maths skills Describing patterns Evaluating impacts Using GIS Categorising information
Spring	Nigeria (A NEE) Urban world (Lagos) Tectonic Hazards Rivers	Describing patterns, distribution and trends Labelling and annotating sketches Describing landscape and land use from photos Maths skills Interpreting a range of maps Evaluating impacts Using GIS
Summer	Weather hazards Extreme weather in the UK Urban change in the UK (Liverpool) Human fieldwork Sustainable urban development	Describing landscape and land use from photos Maths skills Interpreting a range of maps Labelling and annotating sketches Describing patterns Evaluating impacts Using GIS
YEAR 11
Autumn	Coasts Climate change Hot deserts The changing UK economy	Maths skills Interpreting a range of maps Describing patterns Evaluating impacts Categorising information
Spring	Pre-release Geographical skills Exam preparation	Interpreting a range of maps Describing patterns Maths skills Evaluating impacts Decision making Categorising information
Summer	Course Complete

ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

GCSE School visit to Italy.
Duke of Edinburgh Award

A LEVEL/BTEC REQUIREMENTS:

Students are usually required to have a 9 - 5 pass at GCSE to enter AS/A2.
A Level Courses: Geography, Geology.

HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING

Enquire the about the topics studied and encourage them to follow geography_cat on Instagram. Ensure they join the SENECA learning platform.

WHERE TO GO:

Lake District/Snowdonia to see glaciated scenery
Visit the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester
The Eden project, Cornwall.

WHAT TO WATCH:

YouTube videos about the course topics
National Geographic
David Attenborough documentaries (Planet earth, Our Planet, Blue planet, Seven worlds, one planet)
Michael Palin documentaries (Around the world in 80 days, Full Circle, Pole to pole, Himalaya, Sahara)
Slumdog Millionaire.

WHAT TO READ:

Factfulness – Hans Rosling
Geography – Danny Dowling and Carl Lee
Adventures in the Anthropocene – Gaia Vince
There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
How population change will transform our world – Sarah Harper
A short history of everything – Bill Bryson
Displaced – Malala Yousafzai

ONLINE:

FUTURE CAREERS:

Geography is an intellectually challenging subject and as such, geographers are highly sought after by employers. There is a wide variety of career options and management positions for geographers to consider including architecture, civil engineering, dentistry, law, medicine and veterinary science. Many new career opportunities are linked with climate change, carbon neutral economies, sustainability and risk/hazard management.