Geography

A O Newman, BA, MSc (Head of Department)
Mrs L Kneale, BA
J J Logan, BA, MA  

These are exciting times for A-Level Geography!
As we enter a new era of syllabus specifications, the emphasis of the subject teaching has shifted markedly into line with the increased society and media interest at local, regional and global scales of issues and hence an issues-based approach to the study of Geography. We see these issues around us every day and now A-Level Geography students at Yarm School have the opportunity to study them and their role in our world today in greater depth.

Why Geography?
Geography is a subject which essentially seeks to explain the physical nature of our environment and its intimate relationship with human society. It fosters a unique understanding of the nature of some of our most topical current affairs, for example environmental concerns and human behaviour in society, and as such is increasingly relevant to the age.

In the context of the wider range of subject choice in the Sixth Form, the range of skills developed, along with the high level of scholarship, make Geography a particularly versatile choice. It delivers the academic skills of extended and essay writing, evaluation and source-based reasoning as well as more subject-specific skills such as cartography map and photograph interpretation and statistical analysis. Highly transferable skills such as group work, guided research and presentation are now an integral part of the new course.

Geography processes strengths in both the subject matter and the skills involved which are highly regarded by university admissions tutors and employers in a wide range of fields. It can be relevant in careers such as surveying, architecture, town planning, teaching, industrial and estate management, law, medicine, banking, accountancy and, of course, environmental management. Studies show that, with only 10% of graduates directly using the academic subjects in which they are qualified in their employment, Geographers are among the least likely to be unemployed on leaving higher education.

The Department
The Geography Department consists of three highly qualified and motivated staff, all of whom are experienced at teaching the subject to Sixth Form level.

There are an increasingly wide range of resources and facilitates at the disposal of the students, including multimedia technology, maps, field equipment along with textbooks, magazines and periodicals. Regular field studies are available both to consolidate material learnt in the classroom and to provide essential experience for the coursework modules. These include day trips to various locations around northern England and a residential visit to Barcelona and its surrounds.

Entry Qualifications
Good performance at GCSE, plus the energy, enthusiasm and an enquiring approach, are required for Advanced Level studies.

The Course
At AS and A2 Level, the Department have opted for the new 2008 Edexcel Examination Board Specification A.

Lower Sixth – AS Level – New Edexcel Specification A

Exam completed in June of Lower Sixth.

Unit 1 (6GEO1) – Global Challenges

Two compulsory topics include:
• World at Risk – introduction to a range of global natural hazards including a focus on climate change and global warming.
• Going Global – consideration of today’s rapid economic changes and their unequal impact on people across the globe. Includes related issues of population change and migration.

Unit 2 (6GEO2) – Geographical Investigations

Choice of one physical and one human topic from:
Physical topics
• Extreme Weather – concepts and management issues of global weather events.
• Crowded Coasts – development and management of coastal environments.

Human topics
• Unequal Spaces – causes, consequences and management of rural and urban disparity.
• Rebranding Places – regeneration and re-imaging issues in rural and urban environments.


There is a field visit to Barcelona for the AS cohort designed to
supplement the teaching of the Unit 2 material. This visit runs in
September and is highly recommended, though not compulsory.


Upper Sixth – A2 Level – New Edexcel Specification A

Exam completed in June of the Upper Sixth.

Unit 3 (6GEO3) – Contested Planet

Candidates study global resource and inequality issues in order to respond to essay and synoptic style questions. Compulsory topics include:
• Energy Security
• Water Conflicts
• Biodiversity under Threat
• Superpower Geographies
• Bridging the Development Gap
• The Technological Fix?

Unit 4 (6GEO4) – Geographical Research

Here the candidate will draw on knowledge developed in the earlier AS core modules, in addition to fresh research and fieldwork, to respond to questions on one of the following option topics:

• Tectonic Activity and Hazards
• Cold Environments – Landscape and Change
• Life on the Margins – the Food Supply Problem
• The World of Cultural Diversity
• Population and Human Health at Risk
• Consuming the Rural Landscape – Leisure and Tourism

 

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