Geography A level

A LEVEL AND LEVEL 3 QUALIFICATIONS

To gain a place on this course students will ideally have at least grade 4 in both English Language and Mathematics and at least three other GCSEs, or equivalent Level 2 qualifications, at grade 5 or above. Some subjects also have additional entry requirements.

All students are to choose 3 subjects from 3 different blocks. Further Mathematics may be taken as a fourth choice.

LEVEL 2 QUALIFICATIONS

Subjects have individual entry requirements.

Students only need to apply for either Bricklaying or Hairdressing.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is relevant to many of the environmental, social and economic issues of today’s world. A popular degree course, it provides many of the skills that employers want their employees to have – the ability to process and select varied sources of information, to be aware that issues can be complex and that there is rarely a simple answer, to be IT competent/literate/numerate and above all to have a hard working ethic. It is a highly sought after A-Level by universities and research has shown that Geography graduates are one of the first to secure employment once they leave university. Geographers will be in demand by all businesses now and in the future due to the critical issue of climate change the need for radical change and sustainability across all sectors.

At Springwood we have a positive team of experienced and specialist Geography teachers, who emphasise achievement and support constructively, showing the same commitment to students’ success as we hope they will show to their A Level.

Students should expect a variety of experiences: seminar and discussion lessons, individual and group presentation activities, a variety of guest speakers, research opportunities, revision materials and textbooks, checks on organization, fieldwork days, decision-making exercises, exam skills practice.

The Edexcel A-Level offers contemporary geography, explicitly engaging with the relationship of human populations to each other over space and time and their relationship with the physical environment at a variety of scales from the local to the global.

The subject content at A level follows both a physical and human approach.

Paper 1 (30%) - The physical core units include tectonic hazards, landscape systems and processes with a focus on coastal landscapes and change, the water cycle and water scarcity and the carbon cycle and energy security.

Paper 2 (30%) - The core human units addresses the fundamentals of globalisation, diverse places, super powers and issues surrounding migration, identity and sovereignty.

Paper 3 (20%) - This will draw synoptically on knowledge and understanding from compulsory content drawn from the physical and human side of the course.

NEA (20%) - At least 4 individual days of fieldwork will be completed in various locations around East Anglia as part of the requirement from the exam board (there will be some travel costs to cover by parents). This leads students to have the skills and confidence to complete their own independent investigation (Non-Exam Assessment) which will be started towards the end of Year 12 and completed by January of Year 13. This is an exciting opportunity due to it’s independent nature for students to really engage with hands-on geography, something employers really look for.

Subject Specific Requirements

Grade 5 in Geography and Grade 5 in Mathematics and English.

Future Applications

Universities highly value Geography, and many Geography graduates will go to work directly in geographical fields – coastal management, hydrology, environmental management and geology. Some career paths are more indirect and include town planning, local government and civil engineering.