Geography

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE A LEVEL GEOGRAPHY?

Studying A-Level Geography at St Edwards College cultivates Geographers who enjoy the subject and engage with the discipline in everyday situations, producing responsible citizens thinking globally, acting locally and living sustainably operating as role models for society. We are members of the Geographical Association, Royal Geography Society and the Professional Teaching Institute in which we hold the PTI mark for subject leadership. Furthermore, our department won the PTI’s Bernice McCabe Award in 2024.

WHAT DOES THE COURSE INVOLVE?

Component 1: Physical Geography (40% - 120 mark exam)

Section A: Water and carbon cycles – 36 marks

Section B: Coastal systems and landscapes – 36 marks

Section C: Hazards – 48 marks

Component 2: Human Geography (40 % - 120 mark exam)

Section A: Global systems and global governance – 36 marks

Section B: Changing places – 36 marks

Section C: Population and the environment – 48 marks

Component 3: Geography fieldwork investigation (20% - 60 mark coursework)

3,000-4,000 word individual investigation including primary data collection developing a question based on the specification.

HOW WILL I LEARN?

A combination of exciting university style seminars and symposiums; exceptional learning and teaching; and high-quality fieldwork. All students are encouraged to attend a field-course to the Isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland to collect data for their coursework in which students choose the title, aims and objectives of their enquiry, designing their own investigation. Furthermore, there is also the option to attend international fieldtrips – in recent years this has included Iceland and Italy.

WHAT SKILLS WILL I DEVELOP?

AO1: knowledge and understanding of places, environments, concepts, processes, interactions and change, at a variety of scales (30–40%).

AO2: application of knowledge and understanding in different contexts to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues (30–40%).

AO3: quantitative, qualitative and fieldwork skills to investigate geographical questions and issues, interpret, analyse and evaluate data and evidence and construct arguments & draw conclusions (20–30%).

WHAT CAN A QUALIFICATION IN GEOGRAPHY LEAD TO?

Geography is a subject which is always in the top 10 of most employable qualifications. The slick dexterity of people and places underlying the fabric of the discipline creates a real diversity and versatility supporting careers in climate change, sustainability, law, accountancy, journalism, etc; the list is endless.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Grade 6 in GCSE Geography.