Geography

AS and A level Geography develop your understanding of the Human and Physical world. The emphasis is on processes that cause change and these are extended through the study of case examples in both Developed and Developing countries. You will be asked to identify patterns and to suggest why these occur and why they change over time. The course will enhance your understanding of the environment and will add an extra dimension to your holiday experiences as well as help you to understand some of the pressing economic and social problems in the world today.

Topics covered in the specification include:

¨ Hydrology with an emphasis on river management.

¨ Coastal processes and management.

¨ The nature and implications of volcanoes and earthquakes.

¨ The nature and distribution of settlements.

¨ Patterns and changes in population.

¨ Implications and patterns of industry.

¨ Processes and effects in the atmosphere.

¨ Soils and ecosystems.

¨ Cold environments.

Whom does it suit?

Geography is concerned with an understanding of the real world and it best suits students who are observant, are interested in what is happening around them and who like to identify and explain patterns. The subject touches on Biology, History, Sociology, Physics, Mathematics as well as graphical skills and word processing but it is most important that you are interested in real world events. Travel is an advantage but so is regular reading of newspapers and watching news and the right television programmes. Successful students need a good memory but more importantly they must be able to see the implications and significance of the material they are using. Answers demand analysis as well as description.

The AS

The AS specification is a real transition between GCSE and A level with a continuation of questions in a data-response (“fill-in-the-gaps”) style. The main difference is that you are asked to analyse and question data more than at GCSE. The main specification is Edexcel A.

¨ Unit 1: Hydrology – the study of fluvial processes, river basin management and flooding. Coasts – the study of marine processes and coastal management. Plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes and weather. Mass movement and slopes.

¨ Unit 2: Population distribution and change including migration. Settlement types and distribution. Urban structure and urban change.

¨ Unit 3: Coursework or a Geographical Skills Paper.

The A2

The A2 introduces essay writing where you must interpret a question, plan a relevant answer and include relevant theory and examples.

¨ Unit 4: Weather and climate with particular reference to the United Kingdom.

Soils and Ecosystems including management.

Cold environments including glaciation, peri-glaciation and fluvio-glaciation.

¨ Unit 5: Industrial location and change at a national and global scale.

Economic Development including processes and patterns.

Trade and Aid in economic development.

¨ Unit 6: A synoptic paper and one question on human-physical relationships.

Exam strategy The Specification we study is Edexcel A.

¨ First year: January Unit 2 June Unit 1 and Unit 3

¨ Second year: January Unit 4 and any AS retake June Unit 5 and Unit 6 and any AS/A2 retake.

The Department

Richard Heelas; Head of Department and joint author of a main AS textbook as well as books on Weather and Tropical Environments.

Results

In June 2005 all students gained at least a grade C and 75% gained an A or B grade. All students met their UCAS offers with two going to study Geography.

Higher Education

Geography at A level and at University is a valued qualification attracting such diverse employers as Accountancy firms, Banking and Industry. The subject is valued not so much because it increases knowledge of the world but rather because it instils a wide range of skills. Geography teaches you how to identify patterns in data, how to separate the important from the “noise”, how to analyse, express and communicate data as well as how to structure reports and use IT. These skills are required in most employment. Many Geography graduates become accountants!