Geography
A Level
Exam Board: OCR
Subject Leader: Mrs J Ashton
This course has been designed to give learners the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to become engaged global citizens. Through the study of dynamic and contemporary content, learners can understand and interact with issues which affect people and places at a range of scales from local to global and all that is in between.
How is the course organised and assessed?
This course is taught in a variety of styles with the goal of encouraging students to develop a sense of wonder about the world. Mathematical and fieldwork skills are an integral part of learning and students will be expected to attend a fieldwork residential week at the end of Year 12 in order to gather data for their independent investigation project. The approximate cost of this is £300. The independent investigation is worth 20% of the course and requires students to formulate their own research question, research into current literature carried out by academics, collect primary and secondary data, present their findings and analyse the result to reach conclusions.
The course has three papers covering 6 topics, the first two papers cover two topics each Coastal Landscapes and Earth's Life Support Systems, and Changing Spaces, Making Places and Global Migration and Human Rights both these papers are 66 mark exam papers that takes 1 hour and 30 minutes. They account for 22% of the final grade. The third paper is on Hazardous Earth and Disease Dilemmas and is a 108 mark exam paper that takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, accounting for 36% of the final grade.
What's next?
Geography is an all embracing subject, providing students with a wide range of transferable skills. Geography A level is a well regarded qualification which reflects a student's ability to combine scientific principles, economic awareness, and an appreciation of people's attitudes and values. It is highly valued in many occupational areas including Travel and Tourism, Local Government Planning, Meteorology, Civil Engineering, Surveying, Administration, and Management. It also leads on nicely to higher education being well regarded for Economics, Environmental Science, Sports Science and much more.