Geography GCSE

Exam Board: (AQA 8035)

Exams:          100% - 3 papers

Units:

Unit 1 – National Hazards, The Living World and UK Physical Landscapes

Unit 2 – Urban Challenges, Change Economic World and Resource Management

Unit 3 – Geographical Skills including fieldwork

Course Summary + Overview of content: Geography is an exciting and dynamic course, perfect for students who are interested in the changing world around them.  It is split into three parts as outlined above.  All of the study builds on knowledge, themes and skills developed initially at KS3.

Unit 1 focuses on the physical environment and considers some key geographical processes for example formation of landforms such as stacks on the coast, volcanoes, the formation of tropical storms and climate change. The course looks at natural environments and completes a case study of the Sahara Desert considering the opportunities and challenges of development there. The impact of physical processes are then considered on people in both the UK and wider world through brief examples and extended case studies.

Unit 2 focuses on the human environment considering characteristics and challenges in both the richer and poorer world. It considers the development and changes within cities with case studies of Mumbai in India and Liverpool in the UK.  It also considers how globalisation is impacting on the richer and poorer world and how poorer countries can be helped to develop more quickly. The course studies India as a case study to explore this. The course also considers the worlds resources. The world needs to find new ways of creating, storing and transporting resources and a study of the resources of “water” is included.

Unit 3 is one of the most exciting units as it includes a day’s fieldwork at Swanage to collect data on coastal processes and patterns of change in an urban area.  The unit also includes an in depth study using an information booklet.  Students do not know the topic of this until two months before the exam but previous pre release foci have been squatter settlements, the location of a reservoir and the construction of a road in the Amazon Rainforest.

Every single lesson for the course is currently available online alongside detailed knowledge organisers for every unit and past exam papers and comprehensive online and home learning tasks giving students and parents an opportunity to explore the course.  Please email office@mysnhs.net if you would like access to this

Skills needed to study this subject:  A combination of skills are required. Geography will challenge your literacy, numeracy and scientific understanding.  The use of ICT and electronic communication to support out of school learning is integral to the course.

Possible Careers + Future Study: More top company executives (people who earn the most money) at the UK leading companies studied Geography at University.  You don’t have to become a geography teacher to use your geography!