Type of Qualifcation: A Level
Exam Board: Edexcel
Requirements: GCSE Grade 5 or above in Geography recommended

The course consists of eight topics, four human and four physical. These are:

·         Tectonic Processes and Hazards

·         Coastal Landscapes and Change

·         Globalisation

·         Shaping Places – Regenerating Places

·         The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity

·         The Carbon Cycle and Energy Security

·         Superpowers

·         Health, Human Rights, and Intervention

The course is assessed through a combination of examinations and coursework.

There are three examinations that take place at the end of Year 13:

·         Paper 1 – Tectonics, Coasts, Water and Carbon

·         Paper 2 – Globalisation, Regeneration, Superpowers and Health

·         Paper 3 – Synoptic paper

All three papers are 2 hours and 15 minutes long. Paper 1 and 2 consist of 105 marks each and equally weighted at 30% of the A Level. Paper 3 consists of 70 marks and is weighted at 20% of the A Level.

The coursework is an NEA (a non-examined independent investigation) which is led by the student. It is an investigation of their choice which needs to be between 3000-4000 words long. It is worth 70 marks and is worth 20% of the A Level.

Edexcel also requires the students to complete four days of fieldwork across the two years. In the summer term of Year 12, we complete a two-day residential to Dorset looking at different physical and human fieldwork techniques. The remaining two days is for the students to collect their own data for their NEA. 

Geography has the joint-best employment levels out of any subject you can study. Geography is one of the most relevant subjects to study at A Level and beyond. The topics we study help you to understand the processes that shape our world and how humans are central to the sustainability of our future planet.

Geography is without rival in how it overlaps uniquely between the sciences and the arts. A Geographer has excellent oral and written communication, being able to describe, explain, assess, evaluate, and justify their ideas and arguments. They can also use a range of scientific skills such as: graphs and cartographic sources, not to mention statistical skills too. Geography poses enquiry questions which develops problem solving, number and statistical work, literacy, research, teamwork, enquiry, and investigation as well as modelling and simulation.

The skills that a geographer learns are valued by a huge range of employers, opening doors to your future! There are very few careers that Geography does not provide a valuable background for and are highly valued in the workplace because of the variety of skills we have that employers look for.

The crossover between arts and sciences sees geography as having the lowest unemployment level out of any degree subject. There is no job a geographer is not suited for – we are very valued! Consultancy, Law, Economics and Finance, Geology and Geophysics, Risk assessing and planning, Planning and Environmental Management, Travel and Tourism … geography can take you here and many other avenues! Speak to your geography teacher for more advice.

Course Booklet 2021