Geography
Curriculum Leader: Miss N Vasilovici
Subject Teachers: Miss N Vasilovici, Mr P Carvalho and Miss H O'Shea
Geography explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future. What could be more important than that?
Michael Palin
Overall Purpose of the Subject - Summary:
Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and their environments.
Studying Geography gives you skills for life, whatever career you opt for later, as you will learn to identify problems, analyse data and suggest solutions. All these skills are highly valued in today’s digital age.
The aim of the Geography curriculum at Cove School is to educate pupils of their role as global citizens, to explore their values and responsibilities to other people, the environment and the sustainability of the planet.
Our pupils are encouraged to think and study independently through field work enquiry, decision making, debate and research in order to understand the complexity of the problems we face nowadays.
Course Outline and Structure - Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, Geography is studied in three lessons fortnight. Students study particular countries such as Brazil and Russia, as well as focusing on the physical and human features of the United Kingdom and the world. Students will examine what processes affect our landscape and how it changes over time, as well as how human activity has shaped the world and how our settlements and population changes. Pupils also study contemporary issues such as the response to international disasters, migration, and resources supply.
Course Outline and Structure - Key Stage 4 Exam Board: AQA (8035)
At GCSE level, students study Geography in five lessons fortnight.
Students are expected to study human geography, physical geography and geographical applications.
Students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), higher income countries (HICs), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.
Course content:
Living with the physical environment
This unit is concerned with the dynamic nature of physical processes and systems, and human interaction with them in a variety of places and at a range of scales.
The aims of this unit are to develop an understanding of the tectonic, geomorphological, biological and meteorological processes and features in different environments, and the need for management strategies governed by sustainability and consideration of the direct and indirect effects of human interaction with the Earth and the atmosphere.
Section A: The Challenge of natural hazards
Section B: Ecosystems
Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK
Challenges in the human environment
This unit is concerned with human processes, systems and outcomes and how these change both spatially and temporally. They are studied in a variety of places and at a range of scales and must include places in various states of development, such as higher income countries (HICs), lower income countries (LICs) and newly emerging economies (NEEs).
The aims of this unit are to develop an understanding of the factors that produce a diverse variety of human environments; the dynamic nature of these environments that change over time and place; the need for sustainable management; and the areas of current and future challenge and opportunity for these environments.
Section A: Urban issues and challenges
Section B: The changing economic world
Section C: The challenge of resource management
Geographical applications
The Geographical applications unit is designed to be synoptic in that students will be required to draw together knowledge, understanding and skills from the full course of study. It is an opportunity for students to show their breadth of understanding and an evaluative appreciation of the interrelationships between different aspects of geographical study.
Section A: Issue evaluation
Section B: Fieldwork
Assessment Method - Key Stage 4
Within class time, students are assessed regularly using past exam paper questions and grade boundaries to track students’ progress and proficiency with each unit.
At the end of the two year course, students will sit three exams. Students are graded on the new 1-9 system.
| Paper 1: Living with the physical environment |
| What's assessed 3.1.1 The challenge of natural hazards, 3.1.2 The living world, 3.1.3 Physical landscapes in the UK, 3.4 Geographical skills |
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| Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment |
| What's assessed 3.2.1 Urban issues and challenges, 3.2.2 The changing economic world, 3.2.3 The challenge of resource management, 3.4 Geographical skills |
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| Paper 3: Geographical applications |
| What's assessed 3.3.1 Issue evaluation, 3.3.2 Fieldwork, 3.4 Geographical skills |
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The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.
- AO1: Demonstrate knowledge of locations, places, processes, environments and different scales (15%).
- AO2: Demonstrate geographical understanding of: concepts and how they are used in relation to places, environments and processes; the interrelationships between places, environments and processes(25%).
- AO3: Apply knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues to make judgements (35%, including 10% applied to fieldwork context(s)).
- AO4: Select, adapt and use a variety of skills and techniques to investigate questions and issues and communicate findings (25%, including 5% used to respond to fieldwork data and context(s).
| Assessment objectives (AOs) | Component weightings (approx %) | Overall weighting (approx %) | ||
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | ||
| AO1 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0 | 15 |
| AO2 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 25 |
| AO3 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 18 | 35 |
| AO4 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| Overall weighting of components | 35 | 35 | 30 | 100 |
Extra-Curricular Activities / Clubs:
The Geography department runs field trips within the UK. All trips are voluntary, but highly recommended, with the exception of GCSE field trip which is compulsory for all GCSE Geography students.
Geography Club: open to all KS3 pupils.
Key Website to Support Learning / Useful Resources:
Click here for information about the National Curriculum for Geography