Geography

Course summary

A level of Geography is viewed as one of the key ‘facilitating’ subjects. As such, it is an excellent A level for students wishing to apply for academic higher education courses, or indeed, for students pursuing a music career who want to be well-rounded in terms of discursive writing, independent research, and numerical and analytical skills. The OCR A-level Geography course will be delivered over two years culminating in a series of linear examinations at the end of Year 13. The OCR specification offers candidates exciting content studied through a choice of topics giving rich learning opportunities. Much of the material focuses on the contemporary challenges of the 21st century allowing students to develop a deep understanding of present-day issues. There are also opportunities for learners to gain vital geographical, fieldwork and life skills through the independent investigation. The Physical Systems and Human Interactions topics will be taught in Year 12. Year 13 will focus on the Geographical Debates content and the Independent Investigation will offer a more synoptic approach allowing students to make connections across the topics studied in both years. Physical Systems • Coastal Landscapes – the physical geography of coastal environments and the influence of human activity upon them • Earth’s Life Support Systems – the water and carbon cycles, their interconnectivity and their influence on contrasting environments and over different timescales Human Interactions • Global Connections – a study of two current global issues; choices include Trade/ Migration (‘Global Systems’) and Human Rights/Power and Borders (‘Global Governance’). • Changing Spaces and Making Places – a local/ regional focus on what gives people a ‘sense of place’ and why places change over time. Geographical Debates Students study two of the following five topics: • Climate Change • Disease Dilemmas • Exploring Oceans • Future of Food • Hazardous Earth Investigative Geography Investigative geography allows learners to undertake an independent investigation which is of particular interest to them, which can be related to any area of the specification. The independent investigation will consist of a written report (3000-4000 words) which will assess the process of enquiry and investigation. The report must be an independent investigation but data collection can be conducted within a group. Fieldwork is an essential requirement of A-level Geography specifications and all students must undertake four days of fieldwork throughout the qualification. It is envisaged that we will undertake the fieldwork as a group and that we will use the end of Year 12 to carry out a residential field trip; past locations for residential trips have included North Yorkshire, Wales and Iceland.