Geography

Course summary

why study this subject? Studying geography allows students to have a much deeper and fuller understanding of the changing world in which they live. We teach students to question cause and effect, why issues happen and the implications on people and places. This can be as diverse as who owns Antarctica and how that wilderness can be managed to the role of water supply in the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict. Geography is a highly respected academic A Level and many students who have a science background and who study geography have commented upon how valuable the written element of the course has been as they have progressed to degree-level study. We aim to give our geography students the tools and curiosity to enquire and discover more about the places and spaces of this increasingly globalized world in which they live. The A Level consists of four elements – a physical paper, a human paper, a synoptic investigation paper, and a non-examined assessment which is a coursework component of between 3000-4000 words. The physical paper consists of Tectonic Processes and Hazards, the Water Cycle and Water Insecurity, the Carbon Cycle and Energy Security and Coastal Landscapes and Change. On the human paper students study Globalisation, Shaping Places, Superpowers, and Global Development and Connections. Some of the material on both the physical and human elements is relatively unfamiliar to students, so there is an opportunity to really stretch and develop students’ understanding of the world in which they live, in new and exciting ways, whilst also building on existing knowledge. Students are also required to be involved in 4 days of fieldwork to help them decide on a suitable coursework topic.