Geography
The A Level Geography course aims to expand on students’ understanding of the subject from KS4.
During the course we will cover a variety of geographical concepts and processes from the disciplines of human and physical geography, studying how these processes are interdependent and shape the world around us. This will allow you to develop a real core understanding of past and present trends enhancing your knowledge of what the future may hold.
Throughout the course you will be required to assess and critically evaluate issues using analytical skills and real life examples.
We will help you see that no issue is black and white and that the true nature and impact of an issue can vary from place to place, over time and is very much dependent on a range of other variables.
You will need good organisational skills to ensure that you keep up with the ever changing content, as well as being able to draw links across multiple topics.
Entry Requirements
Grade 4 at GCSE Geography.
If you have not studied Geography to GCSE Level, a grade 4 in Science and Maths is desirable.
What will I Study?
The A Level is split into two exam papers and a piece of non-examined assessment.
Paper 1 is based around three Physical Geography topics:
Water & carbon cycles
Glacial systems and landscapes
Hazards
Paper 2 is based around three Human Geography topics:
Global systems and global governance
Changing places
Contemporary urban environments
Which exam board is used and how will I be assessed?
The exam board is AQA A.
Click here to access the exam board webpage for this specification.
20% of the grade is from your NEA (Coursework) which you will begin to study at the end of Year 12 and submit at the end of term 1 in Year 13.
80% is covered in two examinations of equal weighting (120 marks each) which will be sat in May/June of Year 13.
Where could this subject take me?
Geography is a facilitating subject, therefore it can take you into many fields, whether studying Geography directly at degree level or other degree courses in fields such as Medicine, Science, Law and Economics. The skills which you develop will also make you a desirable candidate for many different employers.
How can I get ahead in this subject
Due to the broad nature of Geography as a subject there is a wide range of literature and media that you can access in order to support your learning. Each of our topics has a wide variety of research published. Keeping up to date with current affairs is vital and this might come from a range of sources such as blogs, newspapers and current affairs journals, magazines like New Scientist, The Economist, Geographical Magazine and Geography Review.
This understanding of current affairs allows you to make real life comparisons between your case studies and further adds to the development of a critical writing style. One piece of reading which will open your understanding of the significance of space and place is the Tim Marshall series of novels. These delve into the power geography holds over our lives and covers the most important geopolitical issues affecting human kind now and in the future.
These books are listed here:
Prisoners of Geography, The Power of Geography and The Future of Geography.
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