Geography
Entry requirements: GCSE grade 6 in Geography. If the subject has not been studied at GCSE: GCSE grade 6 in English Language or English Literature
Students follow the Edexcel course and in Year 12 they will study: In Year 13 they will study: Fieldwork is a compulsory part of the course and all students are required to attend a 3 day residential trip in Yorkshire and 2 further day trips to King’s Cross to carry out the data collection required for the independent investigations. Assessment all takes place in Year 13 and is by 3 written examinations and the submission of the independent investigation. Statistics show that Geographers are among the most employable groups of people as a result of their investigative, numerate, spatial and ICT skills. As a result, it is a subject that combines well with almost any other A Level. Future opportunities include degree studies in Geography, Environmental Science, Oceanography or Meteorology as well as apprenticeships in Leisure and Tourism. These often lead to careers in diverse industries such as Environmental Management, Education, Law, Banking and Marketing.
Assessment
Career Opportunities
In Key Stage 5 students study Edexcel A level Geography. This specification for the discipline of geography encourages students to gain enjoyment, satisfaction and a sense of achievement as they develop their knowledge and understanding of the subject. This A Level course will enable students to be inspired by their geographical understanding, to engage critically with real world issues and places, and to apply their geographical knowledge, theory and skills to the world around them. Students will grow as independent thinkers and as informed and engaged citizens, who understand the role and importance of geography as one of the key disciplines relevant to understanding the world’s changing peoples, places and environments. The aims and objectives of this qualification are to enable students to build on their skills to:
- develop their knowledge of locations, places, processes and environments, at all geographical scales from local to global across the specification as a whole
- develop an in-depth understanding of the selected core and non-core processes in physical and human geography at a range of temporal and spatial scales, and of the concepts that illuminate their significance in a range of locational contexts
- recognise and be able to analyse the complexity of people–environment interactions at all geographical scales, and appreciate how they underpin understanding of some of the key issues facing the world today
- develop their understanding of, and ability to apply, the concepts of place, space, scale and environment, that underpin both the national curriculum and GCSE, including developing a more nuanced understanding of these concept
- gain understanding of specialised concepts relevant to the core and non-core content. These must include the concepts of causality, systems, equilibrium, feedback, inequality, representation, identity, globalisation, interdependence, mitigation and adaptation, sustainability, risk, resilience and thresholds
- improve their understanding of the ways in which values, attitudes and circumstances have an impact on the relationships between people, place and environment, and develop the knowledge and ability to engage, as citizens, with the questions and issues arising (‘circumstances’ in this case refers to the context of people’s lives, and the socio-economic and political milieu in which they find themselves)become confident and competent in selecting, using and evaluating a range of quantitative and qualitative skills and approaches, (including observing, collecting and analysing geolocated data) and applying them as an integral part of their studies
- understand the fundamental role of fieldwork as a tool to understand and generate new knowledge about the real world, and become skilled at planning, undertaking and evaluating fieldwork in appropriate situations
- apply geographical knowledge, understanding, skills and approaches in a rigorous way to a range of geographical questions and issues, including those identified in fieldwork, recognising both the contributions and limitations of geography
