Geography

Seeking to develop independent enquirers

Geography is a core subject in Years 7, 8 and 9 with students having three periods per fortnight. We offer students the opportunity to study GCSE Geography in Years 10 and 11, and A'Level Geography in Years 12 and 13. Further details about the A'Level course are available on the Sixth Form website.

Vision

Geography stimulates a curiosity in and a sense of wonder about the world and its people. It helps make sense of a complex and ever changing world. It explains where places are, how places and landscapes are formed, how people and their environment interact, and how a diverse range of economies, societies and environments are interconnected. It builds on pupils own experiences to investigate places at all scales, from the personal to the global.

How does the way in which your curriculum is organised support the school vision and enable all of our pupil characteristics to be catered for?

A high-quality geography education should inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Teaching should equip pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. As pupils progress, their growing knowledge about the world should help them to deepen their understanding of the interaction between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. Geographical knowledge, understanding and skills provide the framework and approaches that explain how the Earth’s features at different scales are shaped, interconnected and change over time.

Geography Learning Journey

This is a visual representation of how students' knowledge and skills develop through the Geography curriculum.

Geography Learning Journey

Why Study Geography at GCSE?

Geography helps you to make sense of the world around you. It is hands on, it is relevant and it is fun. The course will give you the chance to get to grips with some of the big questions which affect our world and understand the social, economic, physical forces and processes which shape and change our world.

You will have the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills such as modern computer based mapping (called GIS), map skills, interpreting photographs, fieldwork skills, presenting, decision making, problem solving, role play and debating techniques. You will also improve your literacy skills through your report writing and written work and make practical use of your numeracy skills through interpreting data and constructing graphs. You will take part in two fieldwork activities which enable you to gain first-hand experience of some of the things you’ve learnt about in class.

The range of skills that you develop in Geography is highly valued by a wide range of different employers. It opens up a wide range of career opportunities such as sustainability and green issues, hazard management, urban regeneration, law and human rights, global business or medicine.

Outline of syllabus content : Three themes that cover physical, human and environmental geography:

Unit 1:Living with the physical environment

• The Challenge of Natural Hazards (Tectonic Hazards, Tropical Storms, Extreme Weather & Climate Change – what causes them to happen, what impacts do they bring and how we can manage them now and in the future)

• Physical landscapes in the UK (2 of: Coastal Landscapes, River Landscapes and Glacial Landscapes)

• Living World (2 of: Tropical Rainforests, Hot Deserts, Cold Environments)

Unit 2: Challenges in the Human Environment

• Urban issues and challenges (How and why do cities grow? What problems and opportunities do they bring? How can they become more sustainable?)

• Changing economic world (How does wealth of countries vary? How can we reduce the gap between the rich and poor?)

• Challenge of resource management (What challenges do we have over resources (food, water and energy? How can we increase supply of these resources?)

Unit 3: Geographical Applications

• Issues Evaluation (problem solving paper on a contemporary geographical issue)

• Fieldwork (carry out two pieces of fieldwork – one human and one physical)

• Geographical Skills

GCSE Assessment

There are three written exams taken in the summer term of Year 11:

Unit 1: Written exam is 1hr 30mins in length. Question types (for all units): multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose (35% of GCSE)

Unit 2: Written exam is 1hr 30mins in length. Question types (for all units): multiple-choice, short answer, levels of response, extended prose (35% of GCSE)

Unit 3: Written exam is 1hr in length. It includes a problem solving exercise based on pre-released material and questions on fieldwork and geographical skills (30% of GCSE)

GCSE Geography Exam specification information

geography curriculum maps