GCSE Geography

TEACHER IN CHARGE:  Mr P Ross EXAMINATION BOARD:  EDEXCEL WEBSITE ADDRESS: www.edexcel.org.uk 

Geography Information Video

What will I study?

The course is split into three units covering aspects of physical and human geography, major environmental issues and Geographical Investigation.  A variety of skills including ICT and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) will be included.

The Units are:

 The Physical Environment

1. The changing landscapes of the UK – an overview of the distribution and characteristics of the UK’s changing landscapes including sub-topics from:

• Coastal landscapes and processes - types of coastal landforms and how they change and the management of coastal areas using hard and soft engineering.

• River landscapes and processes – river processes and landforms and how they change, flooding and flood prevention with hard and soft engineering schemes and how we manage rivers.

2. Weather hazards and climate change - an overview of the global circulation of atmosphere and climate change over time and   two detailed studies of tropical cyclones and drought.

3. Ecosystems, biodiversity and management - an overview of the distribution and characteristics of global and UK ecosystems and two detailed studies of deciduous woodlands and tropical rainforests.

The Human Environment

● Topic 4:        Changing cities - factors affecting the location and shape of settlements, changes in rural settlements, urban land use in the UK, changes in urban areas in the UK.  Changing urban areas in less developed parts of the world.

● Topic 5:        Global development - this covers an overview of the causes and consequences of uneven global development and detailed case studies of challenges that affect a developing or emerging country.

● Topic 6:        Resource management – this covers an overview of the global and UK distribution of food, energy and water and one detailed study of water resource management at different scales.

               Water resource management – Water is a vital resource, we cannot live without it.  This section looks at how and why water is used and managed in different parts of the world.

Geographical Investigations: Fieldwork and UK Challenges

25% of the qualification

Content overview

This component brings together practical geographical enquiry into physical and human processes and environments and the interactions between the two. The component is divided into two sections:

● Topic 7: Geographical investigations − fieldwork. Two geographical investigations each involving fieldwork and research. There is a choice of one from two environments in 7A: Investigating physical environments (rivers or coasts) and one from two environments 7B: Investigating human landscapes (central/inner urban area or rural settlements).

● Topic 8: Geographical investigations − UK challenges. Students are required to draw on their knowledge and understanding of the UK, from the physical and human geography drawn from Components 1 and 2, in order to investigate a contemporary challenge for the UK. Students are required to have a geographical overview of the four UK challenges in Topic 8 from which the assessment context will be drawn.

Geographical Investigation

The topic will be set by the exam board and will be assessed via an exam

How many examinations will I take?

Three 1 hour 30 minute papers

What qualities do I need to be successful?

This is about you and your world, so an interest in the world around you and the major issues that affect people, both now and in the future, is vital.  You must be prepared to work hard and get involved in the lessons.  An enquiring mind is very important.

What sort of teaching styles are typically used?

 A wide variety, including fieldwork and research, use of ICT and videos, role play and decision making, discussion and small group work, as well as more traditional classroom activities.

Is there anything else you think I should know about this subject?

The GCSE students in geography consistently produce excellent results.  However, students only gain success by working hard.

Fieldwork is an important part of Geography.  All pupils will undertake two separate field visits, and there may be the opportunity to take part in residential fieldwork, possibly abroad.