Exam Board: AQA
Aims
The aims of the course are as follows:
- To excite students’ minds, challenge perceptions and stimulate their investigative and analytical skills.
- Understand the role of decision makers in the physical and human environments
Entry Requirements
Students should have Grade 4 or higher in GCSE English and Mathematics, or the equivalent grade/mark in their national system of secondary education. It is recommended that students have Grade 6 or above in GCSE Geography.
Course Structure
Year 1
- Water and Carbon Cycles
- Coastal Systems
- Global Systems and Global Governance
- Geographical Skills
Year 2
- Geography Fieldwork Investigation
- Changing Places
- Contemporary Urban Environments
- Hazards
Assessment
- Component 1 – Physical Geography: Written exam of 2 hours (40 % of final grade).
- Component 2 – Human Geography: Written exam of 2 hours 30 minutes (40% of final grade).
- Component 3 – Geography Fieldwork Investigation: 4,000 words (20% of final grade).
- Question types: Short answer, levels of response and extended prose.
Core Text
A/AS Level Geography for AQA Student Book by Ann Bowen, Andy Day, Victoria Ellis, Paul Hunt, Rebecca Kitchen, Claire Kyndt, Garrett Nagle, Alan Parkinson, Nicola Walshe, Helen Young.
Careers and Opportunities
Geography combines well with both arts and science subjects as it is a broad-based subject that really fits well for future progression at university and beyond. It leads to a variety of careers in sustainability, urban regeneration, retail location, managing the effects of hazards and climate change. Careers in law, human rights, politics and welfare benefit from studying aspects of Geography, such as ‘Global Development’ and ‘Migration, Identity and Sovereignty’ for instance. Other career options include cartography, surveying, teaching and landscape architecture.
