NCEA Level 2 Geography

Aims

To develop an understanding of the environment as the home of people, and an understanding of the important characteristics of both the natural environment and cultural environment, emphasising the inter-relationship and issues associated with them.

Course Content

Natural Landscapes: What landscapes are; how they vary from place to place; how they change through time and how humans can affect them. This topic includes a three day field trip to Aoraki Mount Cook.

Development Inequalities: The concept of development; reasons for inequalities and the effects of these. Tanzania is our main case study for this topic.

Geographic Issue: An examination of growth in Auckland or Queenstown - the causes and the consequences.

Global Topic: An investigation in to the global spread of malaria, the impact this deadly disease has on a range communities and the solutions that are being put in place to try to stop its spread.

Geographic Research: Students undertake a local field trip to examine the relationship between housing quality and distance from the CBD.

Skills

  • Thinking - Gathering, understanding, organising, evaluating and presenting information

  • Valuing - Identification of personal and other people’s value positions, recognising stereotypes, analysis of conflict in terms of facts and value positions, and identifying areas of agreement and disagreement

  • Practical - Observing, gathering, measuring, interpreting, presenting data; constructing simple graphs, maps; interpreting maps, graphs, tables, photographs and models; understanding and carrying out simple field investigations

  • Social - The ability to function in a group

Assessment

There are a variety of assessment tasks and school examinations. Externally assessed topics are examined nationally at the end of the year.

Qualification Gained

Full course completion — 23 credits in NCEA Geography Level 2

University Entrance Numeracy: 8 credits offered in this course contribute towards University Entrance Numeracy (AS91244 - 5 credits, AS91247 - 3 credits)

This subject has links with

History, Economics, Science

Prior knowledge required

NCEA Level 1 Geography or

Level 1 Science Internal Achievement Standard 91158 or equivalent, in order to show adequate Literacy and Numeracy skills. Plus a reasonable level of achievement across all other Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy.

Exceptional circumstances may be considered on an individual basis after consultation with the HoD and the Year Level Dean.

Next step

NCEA Geography Level 3