Exam Board: Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Geography B (1GB0)

The GCSE Geography course aims to further develop the skills and concepts learnt during Key Stage 3, as well as providing a sound basis for the students who go on to study the subject at a higher level.  The chosen specification is contemporary, so we make use of up to date examples and material; students are therefore developing their understanding of the world in which we live and the skills that they need to be successful in that world.

Paper 1 – Global Geographical Issues

• Topic 1 Hazardous Earth
• Topic 2 Development dynamics
• Topic 3 Challenges of the urbanising world

Paper 2 – UK Geographical Issues

• Topic 4 The UK’s evolving physical landscape including coasts and rivers
• Topic 5 The UK’s evolving human landscape – including a Case Study – Dynamic UK cities
• Topic 6 Geographical investigations – one physical fieldwork investigation and one human fieldwork investigation linked to Topics 4 and 5

Paper 3 – People and the Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions

• Topic 7 People and the biosphere
• Topic 8 Forests under threat
• Topic 9 Consuming energy resources

Fieldwork is an essential part of the course and will give students the opportunity to learn how to plan investigations and collect data that they can then present and interpret.

AS and A Level

Assessment: AS - Examinations (100%) A Level – Examination (80%) and Independent Investigation (20%)
Exam board: Edexcel Subject Specific code: AS – 8GEO; A2 – 9GEO

Contemporary geography is a subject which explicitly engages with the relationship of human populations with each other over space and time, and their relationship with their physical environment at a variety of scales from the local to the global. Geography therefore combines well with both arts and science subjects.

At AS the course will cover the following units:

• Tectonic Processes and Hazards
• Landscape Systems, Processes and Change – Coasts
• Globalisation
• Dynamic Places – Diverse Places

At A Level the course will cover the four topics above and the following units:

• The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity
• The Carbon Cycle and Energy Security
• Superpowers
• Health, Human Rights and Intervention

The AS examination will include questions to test fieldwork skills; the A Level will examine these skills through an Independent Investigation of 3000-4000 words. Fieldwork is, therefore, an essential part of the course allowing you the opportunity to actually experience and investigate what you are learning about; you will take part in a number of fieldwork activities with 2 days required at AS and 4 days at A Level.