Geography

Course summary

Geography helps students to understand both human societies and the natural environment. The key questions in geography are: why do societies and environments vary from place to place, and how have they come to be as they are? The A Level course builds on the IGCSE foundations and draws together the different topics in geography under a common theme of contemporary global change. Through the study of dynamic and contemporary content, girls will understand and interact with issues which affect people and places at a range of scales from local to global. The table below gives an overview of the teaching. Several trips have been arranged as part of the A Level course. During the Lower Sixth year, as part of the Places unit, students will undertake a place study of Spitalfields, East London. They will also have the opportunity to go to Iceland to study glaciers, volcanoes and waterfalls and to examine the human geography of one of the most sustainable places on the planet. In the summer of the Lower Sixth year, a field course to Blencathra in the Lake District will be the focus of the independent investigation, worth 20% of the overall mark. Students are encouraged to take advantage of links with the Royal Geographical Society and attend lectures outside school. There is a vibrant Geography Society run by the Sixth Form, in which contemporary issues are discussed and debated and a thriving Geography Book Club. The geography magazine, Aspect, is written and edited entirely by the Lower Sixth and presents an opportunity to gather experience in journalism and editing.