Year 9 Choices
Geography
Why study Geography?
- Develops your knowledge and understanding of current events from the local area and globally.
- Enables you to investigate the earth and its people.
- Study natural features and hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, the weather, as well as coasts, rivers, glacial landscapes and deserts.
- Practise a range of skills that will be used and sought after by future employers. Eg cartographic skills, graph analysis and problem solving.
GCSE Geography is assessed in Year 11 by three examination papers:
Paper 1: Living with the PHYSICAL environment:
1 hour 30 minute exam – 35%
- Challenge of Natural Hazards (tectonics, weather and climate change).
- The Living World (ecosystems, rainforests and deserts).
- Physical Landscapes in the UK (coasts and rivers).
Paper 2: Challenges of the HUMAN environment:
1 hour 30 minute exam – 35%
- Urban Issues and Challenges: comparing rich and poor countries.
- Changing Economic World: the global development gap linked with aid.
- Resource Management: food, water and energy and how to become more sustainable.
Paper 3: Application of skills and student enquiry
1 hour 30 minute exam – 30%
- Section A: Pre-released booklet to study and revise. Unseen questions based on material in the booklet. Evaluations of an investigation related to any topic from Papers 1 and 2.
- Section B: Questions related to unseen fieldwork and the two instances of fieldwork completed as well as Geographical skills.
“Geography holds the key to our future” – Michael Palin (TV presenter)
“Geographers are highly employable” – Elaine Batty (Sheffield Hallam University)
