Geography
Subject Leader: Miss Fannon - vfannon@tqacademy.co.uk
AIMS OF THE GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT
- Provide the opportunity for students to understand more about the world and their place within it.
- Deepen understanding of geographical processes, highlighting the impact of change and of people-environment interactions
- Develop and extend competence in a range of skills including those used in fieldwork, in using maps and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM
Our curriculum mountains show the content of the curriculum for each Teaching & Learning quarter for each academic year. To find out more about the curriculum, please contact the Subject Leader.
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 3 CURRICULUM
Our KS3 curriculum exposes students to the core principles and themes of Geography early on building knowledge for GCSE and beyond. We introduce skills that are used throughout their journey in Geography across all key stages to help generate and build future knowledge.
In Year 7 students start with an introduction to Geography where they will be introduced to some fascinating places and develop skills involving using maps and GIS as much as possible. In Cycle 2 students will study the role of people and the land, how people are connected and linked through development and our ever growing population, which is needed to make synoptic links throughout the remainder of year 7. Cycle 3 will see students study a unit all about weather and climate at different scales, and complete a microclimate investigation within the school grounds. Finally within Cycle 4 students will learn all about the biomes in our world and explore the fascination around places such as Antarctica and the wonderful coral reefs and mangroves.
In Year 8 cycle 1 students will start off with a unit about energy through our Powering the Planet unit and complete a decision making exercise about the development of wind farms in North Devon. It is important this unit comes first so that synoptically students will get to see the concept of development and wealth and how this leads to access to energy. In Cycle 2 students explore the diversity and contrasts within Africa and investigate the role of charity work in the Kibera slums. In Cycle 3 Students then go on to explore how water shapes the land and learn about the power of the sea and our rivers within the UK. And to finish off Year 8 Geography, students close with a unit on Tectonics and explore the events of Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in Iceland, L’Aquila earthquake in Italy and the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM
Course Title: GCSE Geography
Examining Body: AQA
Course Lead: Miss Fannon
What will I study?
Year 9
Weather Hazards and Climate Change and the impacts not just globally but on a UK scale. The Challenge of Resource Management with a focus on energy. The Living Environment with a focus on Hot Deserts (the Thar Desert) and Tropical Rainforests (the Amazon) Coastal Landscapes in the UK with physical fieldwork to Dawlish Warren.
Urban Issues & Challenges- Lagos and London.
Year 10
Urban Issues & Challenges- Lagos and London.The Challenge of Natural Hazards (comparison of Haiti and New Zealand earthquakes. River Landscapes in the UK. The Changing Economic World within Nigeria and human field work with a trip to Plymouth City Centre.
Year 11
The Changing Economic World-UK. Seen and Unseen fieldwork skills, Pre Release Preparation for Paper 3. Revision and Exam Preparation.
Further study
If you enjoy Geography and want to study this further, we offer A Level Geography here at our 6th form. Studying Edexcel A Level Geography will allow you to study geography at university, which will have benefits in itself.
One of those benefits is employability. In fact, according to the Royal Geography Society, geography graduates have some of the highest employability rates.
How and when will I be assessed?
Three exams at the end of Year 11
Paper 1- Living with the Physical Environment 1 hour 30 minutes 35%
Paper 2- Challenges in the Human Environment 1 hour 30 minutes 35%
Paper 3- Issue Evaluation 1 hour 30 minutes 30%
OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 5 CURRICULUM
Course Title: A Level Geography
Examining Body: Edexcel
Course Lead: Miss Fannon
Course description
There is no better time to be studying Geography. Geography is about the world you live in, how it works and how we can live with the issues it is facing both now and in the future.
It helps us to explore and understand space and place - recognising the great differences in cultures, political systems, economies, landscapes and environments across the world, and exploring the links between them.
What will I learn?
You will study physical geography: tectonics, coasts, carbon and water; human geography: globalisation, superpowers, regenerating places, health, human rights and intervention. You will also have a 20% non- examined assessment (coursework element) on a topic of your choosing. An additional 20% will be covered by a synoptic assessment (giving you a resource booklet to analyse the geography contained within it, it will cover both human and physical geography).
As part of your course you will spend 4 days collecting geographical data (fieldwork), this includes 2 days studying regeneration in London; a local field trip to Torquay and Plymouth and a day in a coastal environment of Lyme Regis in Dorset. There will also be an opportunity to visit a local university, partake in competitions and enrichment opportunities with the Geographical Association and the Tutor2U Edexcel Conference.
Course structure
Paper 1 (Paper code: 9GE0/01)
Written examination: 2 hours and 15 minutes
30% of the qualification
This includes:
Tectonic Processes and Hazards, Coastal Processes and Landscapes, The Water Cycle and Water Security, The Carbon Cycle and Energy Insecurity
Paper 2 (Paper code: 9GE0/02)
Written examination: 2 hours and 15 minutes
30% of the qualification
This includes:
Globalisation, Regenerating Places, Superpowers, Health, Human Rights & Intervention
Paper 3 (Paper code: 9GE0/03)
Written examination: 2 hours and 15 minutes
20% of the qualification
This includes:
- Decision Making Exercise
Non-examination assessment:
Independent Investigation (9GE0/04) Non-examined assessment 20% of the qualification
•3000-4000 words. Independent investigation
Where could it lead?
Geography students have transferable skills, including statistical analysis, experience in geographical information systems, the ability to think synoptically and the ability to produce a large, in depth piece of coursework called a non-examined assessment. These skills are valued by employers and universities alike.
Some linked geography jobs: hydrologist, volcanologist, climatologist, geologist, oceanographer, politician, charity worker, cartographer, town and country planning, architecture, working for international organisations like the UN or charities, public services, council work, education, environmental and humanitarian legal services, among many others.
CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TO UNIVERSITY
Top 5 UK universities to study Geography:
- Oxford
- London School of Economics (LSE)
- Cambridge
- St Andrews
- Edinburgh
CAREERS INFORMATION
Studying geography can lead to careers in the following areas:
Meteorologist - Studies and reports on weather patterns such as temperature and precipitation levels. Average salary for a meteorologist is £33,490
Environmental Scientist - The study of the environment and its balance, overseeing the wellbeing of the planet. Average salary for an environmental scientist is £50,724
Surveyor - Create, analyse and interpret data on the land and sea. Includes areas, gradients and altitudes. Average salary of a surveyor is £49,417
