Geography at Year 7

Local, Global and National and focuses on the locational aspects of Geography. Students:

• Learn about the difference between Human Geography, Physical Geography and Environmental Geography
• Learn about the difference between the U.K. / G.B. / B.I. and can identify the five countries of the British Isles.
• Will be able to locate Birmingham on a map and distinguish the features of the surrounding area.
• Will learn the major human and physical features of Europe and the world while identifying different countries, continents and oceans

Settlement focuses on the location, reason and structures of different settlements. Students within this topic will learn:

• What a settlement is, where, why and how settlements began where they did
• Why some settlements grow and others don’t and differences found between different parts of one settlement
• Why and how settlements change, in terms of age of buildings, types of buildings and why some settlements are more important than others and the role of shopping centres

The Geography detectives focus on a variety of features within Geography ranging from atlas work to map skills. Students will learn:

• How to use an Atlas to find basic information they will research information from the news and present a report.
• How to draw simple graphs and analyse simple graphs
• How to find features across the globe using Latitude and Longitude
• How to use 4 figure and 6 figure grid references use the 8 points of the compass and can use an OS map and determine scales and patterns using contour lines.

The Rivers and coasts module focuses on the creation and dynamism of features within these environments. Students will learn:

• What the water cycle is and all the links in the water cycle.
• What a river looks like from its beginnings to its end, including all the "features" and know how a river "cuts" [erodes] a valley.
• Why floods happen and how people react to them. They will describe and explain the processes of erosion, transportation, Deposition and can describe and explain the ways in which some river and coastal landforms are created.

Geography at Year 8

Plate Tectonics focuses on the planets features and how people are impacted. Pupils within this topic will:

• Determine why “plates” move and the events and features that result from movements.
• Label the main features of a volcano describing the ways in which a volcano may erupt and the consequences for people and the environment.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of living in hazardous areas and evaluate how people can prepare for an earthquake and how the effects may be reduced

Development focuses on the wealth and patterns of economic variety. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn why some countries are poor and why some are rich and the differences are between rich and poor countries.
• Evaluate a poor country and explain why people move (migrate) to big cities.
• Examine the effects of this population movement in the cities and determine how all countries rely on others; the trade between countries.

Population focuses on the human features and patterns of variety. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn where most people live globally and understand the reasons why most people live where they do and the reasons why they do not live in other areas.
• Be taught about population distribution along with population density.
• Investigate migration and why/how populations of an area may change through time due to birth and death rates changing.

Energy focuses on the need for energy resources and the impacts this causes. Pupils within this topic will:

• Learn what is meant by energy and all the forms in which it come, understanding the difference between forms of energy which may become exhausted.
• Learn how extracting, moving and using some forms of energy may affect the environment explaining the arguments for and against nuclear power.
• Examine why energy conservation is important.

GCSE in Geography

Click here to download the Geography PDF.

Why study this subject?

What could be more important than learning about the world that over 7 billion people inhabit? Geography is the subject that enables us to do this. Not only is geography an interesting subject, it is also valued by employers and universities. Geography will not only provide you with an excellent qualification, it will also support you in your other subjects by helping you develop diverse skills like problem solving, decision making and team building skills, whilst learning about your place in the world around you. Want to know how your daily decisions can have an impact on a child’s life in Indonesia or a polar bear’s food supply in the North Pole? Then geography is the subject for you.

What will I learn?

Geography is split into two major elements; human and physical geography. In physical geography, you will learn about rivers and flooding; coastal management; volcanoes; earthquakes; hurricanes and the impacts they have on people. In human geography, you will learn how people around the globe are interconnected, and the issues facing countries at different stages of development. You will also plan and undertake to field studies to an urban area such as Stratford upon Avon, and a river valley in Shropshire; be sure to bring your wellies and waterproofs!

How will I be assessed?

Your class work and homework will be regularly marked and feedback given will ensure you know how to improve your progress and attainment. You will always know what grade you are working at and how to improve your performance and progress. There will also be three exams at the end of Year 11.

• Paper 1: Living with the physical environment – 35%
• Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment – 35%
• Paper 3: Geographical applications – 30%

What qualifications will I get at the end of the course?

A GCSE in Geography at a grade that reflects your work ethic and commitment.

What can this qualification lead to afterwards?

Geographers enter a very wide range of career areas like advertising, diplomatic service, education, environmental agencies, finance, law, land management, marketing, sales, social/health services, etc.

Post-16 progression

After securing a good GCSE grade in geography, you will have the option to continue with the subject at A-Level. The most obvious higher education path would be to study a degree in geography, but due to the diversity of the subject you are able to choose a from a large variety of courses. These include: Human Geography, Physical Geography, Law, Accounting, Architecture, Sociology and International Politics. Not only this, but the transferable skills developed by the subject have enabled students to study in locations across the globe, such as reading zoology in Borneo, to exploring the effects of glaciation in Iceland. The world is your oyster with a geography degree.

How much homework will I have to do?

You will be given homework in the form of research projects that will be set once every term.

Where can I find out more about this qualification?

The AQA website: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035. To see what you might be studying: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography.