Course
Geography
Exam Board
OCR
For more information contact Head of Department:
Mr Petrie - spetrie@stedmunds.org or Mrs L Llewellyn - lllewellyn@stedmunds.org
Brief introduction to subject:
Geography at St Edmund's - click here for more information
Sixth Form Booklet - click here for more information
Geography is a relevant, dynamic and academic rigorous subject that helps you make sense of the world around you. At A Level a variety of topics are studied across both human and physical geography that help you to engage critically with some of the most pressing challenges facing us today. As well as the exciting topic content, your will also develop your qualitative and quantitative geographical skills at A level; working with images, factual text and discursive/creative material, digital data, numerical and spatial data and innovative forms of data, including crowd-sourced and 'big data'.
Geography is part of the academic group of English Baccalaureate GCSE subjects and the Russell Group of universities (the top 24 world class, research intensive universities in the UK) has recognised A Level geography as one of their preferred ‘facilitating subjects’ – which means if you don’t know what degree courses or pathway you want to follow in the next two years or at degree level geography is recognised as a subject that can support an application into a wider range of undergraduate courses.
Key Points:
Levels of geography graduate unemployment are extremely low at 7.4% (2019). You will find geographers working in every sector of the economy including finance, local businesses, not-for-profit organisations, significant research or as key decision makers in local and national government, highlighting the range of possibilities for geographers. It is truly a subject which opens up your world!
Really useful, transferable skills are developed, including:
- Essay writing - Time management - Researching and presenting skills - Referencing - Critical thinking - Map reading - Scientific reasoning skills - independent investigative skills - ICT skills with Geographical Information Systems - Formulating and testing hypotheses - Evaluative skills - Data collection - Analytic and data interpretation skills - Evaluative skills
What our students say
“Geography at St Edmund’s offers a stimulating insight into politics, economics, sociology and world issues.”
“It’s such a broad subject, there’s always something interesting to learn about.”
Course Requirements
GCSE Geography Grade 6 essential, English and Maths at Grade 5 desirable.
Unit 1
Physical Systems which includes:
- Landscape System – Coastal Landscapes
- Earth’s Life Support Systems – water and
- carbon cycles
- Geographical Skills.
Assessment: Externally assessed written paper: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Maximum Marks available:
Weighting: 24% of total A Level marks - 72 marks.
Unit 2
Human Interactions which includes:
- Changing Spaces; Making Places,
- Global Connections – Global Migration Systems
- Global Connections – Human Rights
- Geographical Skills.
Assessment:
Externally assessed written paper: 1 hour 30 minutes.
Maximum Marks available:
Weighting: 24% of total A Level marks - 72 marks.
Unit 3
Geographical Debates which includes:
- Disease Dilemmas,
- Hazardous Earth
- Geographical Skills.
Assessment:
Externally assessed written paper: 2 hour 30 minutes.
Maximum Marks available:
Weighting: 32% of total A Level marks - 96 marks.
Unit 4
The Independent Investigation. This component allows each student to select and area of geography that interests them the most and investigate a key topic related to it. Students will plan and carry out their data collection before presenting and analysis their findings.
Assessment:
Non-examination assessment.
Maximum Marks available:
Weighting: 20% of total A Level marks - 60 marks.
The knowledge and transferable skills that geographers gain from their A-Level studies are highly relevant and transferable to many degrees choices and within the workplace. Geography is a broad based subject which provides lots of opportunities for future progression. It is a good choice to give your A Level options the breadth that universities seek, as you will gain a clear understanding of how the environment affects health and survival of people, animals and ecosystems as well as enhancing your skills of writing essays and extended reports.
A post-16 Geography qualification is useful and relevant for many careers, such as:
- Environmental management - sustainability, green issues, climate change and renewable energy supply.
- Management and Administration - urban regeneration, town planning and architecture
- Leisure, Travel and Tourism – travel agents, tour operator and recreational management.
- Education, Professional and Social Services - including law, human rights and international relations
- Business and Finance - global economic forms and the key role of globalisation.
- Scientific and Information Services - medicine or veterinary medicine
