Fieldwork & Coursework

Field trips are a fun part of any Geography course, but in all A Level courses they're compulsory. We'll help you make the most of them. We undertake 6 days of fieldwork across the two years.

Geography Field Trips for Everyone

Year 1, October

Darlington Orientation Day

This day of locally-based fieldwork supports the Urban and Place units. It involves data collection in the CBD and other parts of the urban area, making observations. Functions data, pedestrian counts, environmental assessments, residential surveys and questionnaires are carried out, as well as the collection of microclimate data.

Year 1, March

Wasdale Residential Trip (2 days)

This trip provides inspiration for individual coursework projects, with the sampling of numerous human and physical geography data collection techniques. It also supports the Changing Places unit of work as we stay in the location of our 'unfamiliar place' case study on the shores of Wast Water, in the western Lake District.

Year 2, February/March

Teesside Urban Revision Day

Our second year fieldwork is used to revise first year content and bring it back to life, ahead of the end of course exams. We visit numerous locations in and around Middlesbrough, where we re-familiarise ourselves with various concepts and carry out some on-the-spot evaluation of the work of the Teesside Development Corporation at various locations.

Year 2, March/April

Durham Coast Revision Day

In the second of our revision field trips we visit two locations on the Durham Coast. We are able to witness the effects of processes operating on high and low energy coastlines and the resulting landforms and make contrasts between the different environments.

Coursework: Individual Geographical Investigation

Year 1-2, Summer

Independent Fieldwork - Personal Data Collection for Coursework

Over the course of the summer between your first and second year at QE, we'll ask you to go out to collect data with family or friends. This will form the basis of your independent geographical investigation, or coursework, which makes up 20% of your overall grade for A Level Geography. We'll lend you equipment and make sure you know what to do!

The Coursework Process

You choose an area of study from the A Level course that interests you. You'll have plenty of ideas of areas that you can investigate once you've been on fieldwork to Wasdale with us.

Hypotheses or Questions, Theory and Locations

We'll help you arrive at an overall title and some sub-questions that are more specific that you can go out to collect data on and then use as a structure in your project. We'll help you think about where to base your project. In addition, we'll make available numerous resources that you can interrogate to find out what theory already exists on your topic - and then you'll be able to test your findings against this theory later on.

Methodology for Data Collection

We'll make sure you know how to sample to collect representative data that will be useful in your project. We'll help you to understand which methods will work most effectively and why.

Data Presentation and Analysis

We'll signpost you to lots of ideas about visual techniques that you could choose to use to present the data you have collected. We'll also remind you of the statistical methods that we have used in class and on fieldwork to test for relationships or differences within your data, or analyse its distribution.

Conclusions and Evaluations

The final part of your coursework will draw together your findings to provide an overall answer to the question or hypothesis you used for your title. We'll encourage you to evaluate not only your data collection techniques but all aspects of your project, including being aware of any ethical considerations.

Your coursework is a real opportunity for you to take ownership of 20% of your course and make it your own.

Costs for fieldwork are kept to a minimum to enable all students to take part and support is available. Please ask for details.

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