GEOGRAPHY
Curriculum Lead
Mr G Cook - Curriculum Lead Geography, Blended Learning
Curriculum Principles & Intent
The overall intent of the Geography curriculum is to engage students in the world that we live in and changes that have occurred. We aim to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will help them to succeed in their lives. Students will grow their knowledge of the interactions between physical and human processes, and of the formation and use of landscapes and environments. In addition to this, the geographical knowledge, understanding and skills will help to provide them with the framework to explain how the Earth’s features are shaped, interconnected and changed over time. Students will learn about key processes such as globalisation and development as well as the core geographical skills that form the basis of Geographical Inquiry. Lastly, we want to excite students’ minds by challenging perceptions and developing their investigative skills. Students will be able to recognise how the world is different and the varied biomes and ecosystems that form part of our natural world.
Geography is about everything and everywhere. Therefore, our intent through KS3 at The Adeyfield Academy is to plant the seed of curiosity and a fascination about the world and its people.
The curriculum will enable our young learners to develop knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. Students who study Geography will become independent and analytical thinkers, and during lessons students will experience debates and interesting discussions surrounding issues facing the world. Moreover, our curriculum aims to build students analytical and evaluation skills so that they develop into critical thinkers who can apply geographical skills and connect human and physical processes.
Through the use of a spiral curriculum, there is an iterative study and continual revision of key geographical knowledge and skills that will be studied at all levels of the course. There will be an increase in the depth of understanding at each stage and students will experience a progression in analysis as they progress through year groups.
Since Geography is learned inside and outside the classroom, it is also our intent to promote responsibility towards the world we live in through the study of climate change and sustainability which will help develop skills that are transferable across all subjects and employment later in life. We will give students the opportunity to practice and experience fieldwork techniques at both KS3 and KS4 that will spark a curiosity for the natural world.
GCSE Specifications
GCSE Geography
Exam Board: AQA
Specification Number: (8035)
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). Geography is an academically robust subject which spans the social and physical sciences and promotes a lifelong interest and fascination in how the world works. It is part of the academic group of English Baccalaureate GCSE subjects and the Russell Group of universities has recognised A Level Geography as one of their preferred ‘facilitating subjects’; which supports an application into a wide range of undergraduate courses.
Course Content:
Geography at The Adeyfield Academy prepares students to take the AQA Geography GCSE exam. This exam tests students’ knowledge of both human and physical geography. Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students will look at how people live in other parts of the world and compare this to their own lives. They will also have the opportunity to take part in field studies to get hands-on experience outside of the classroom.
Mode of Assessment:
Students will sit three written exams at the end of Year 11:
Paper 1: Living with the physical environment
Time: 1 hr 30 mins (35% of GCSE)
Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment
Time: 1 hr 30 mins (35% of GCSE)
Paper 3: Geographical applications
Time: 1 hr 15 mins (30% of GCSE)
A Level Specifications
A Level Geography - Level 3
Aim of Course
The AQA Geography specification will excite students’ minds, challenge perceptions and stimulate their investigative and analytical skills. The subject content is split into four units; 3.1 Living with the physical environment, 3.2 Challenges in the human environment, 3.3 Geographical applications and 3.4 Geographical skills.
In the specification content, students are required to study case studies and examples. Case studies are broader in context and require greater breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding. Examples are more focused on a specific event or situation, are smaller in scale and do not cover the same degree of content.
Course Content
- Component 1: Physical geography
Section A: Water and Carbon Cycles
Section B: Coastal systems and landscapes
Section C: Hazards - Component 2: Human geography
Section A: Global systems and global governance
Section B: Changing places
Section C: Contemporary urban environments - Component 3: Geography fieldwork investigation
Students complete an individual investigation which must include data collected in the field. The individual investigation must be based on a question or issue defined and developed by the student relating to any part of the specification content.
Mode of Assessment
- Component 1: Physical geography
Written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
120 marks (40% of A Level) - Component 2: Human geography
Written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
120 marks (40% of A Level) - Component 3: Geography fieldwork investigation
3,000-4,000 words
60 marks (20% of A Level)
Marked by teachers
Moderated by AQA
Useful Links
- AQA Geography BBC Bitesize https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zy3ptyc
- Internet Geography https://www.internetgeography.net/aqa-gcse-geography/
- Seneca AQA Geography https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/seneca-certified-resources/geography-gcse-aqa/
- Cool Geography https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/
Career Paths
There are lots of possible careers from choosing Geography. Prime Ministers, Royalty, TV Presenters are all examples of famous people who have studied Geography. After all, it is the second most employable subject after Maths!
Geography is a facilitating subject. This means that it links to many other subjects through its focus on sciences as well the arts and humanities. Geography is the study of the world and there are lots of different careers whether that is politics, economics or working in physical landscapes such as the coast.
See this link which shows the profiles of some well known people who have studied geography: https://www.rgs.org/iamageographer/
List of possible careers
- Solicitor
- Marine biologist
- Conservationist
- Economist
- Journalist
- Communications Officer
- Town Planner
- Architect
- Risk Analyst
- Cartographer
- Education
- Professor
- Meteorologist (Weather)
- Working for a charity
- Politics
- TV Presenter/Political correspondent
- And many more!