Skip to content

Access Links:

Geography

 

Fourths (Year 9)

Geography in the Fourths is an exciting subject leaving behind the constraints of the CE syllabus and enjoying the freedom of not having any public exam requirements. As a result, we study a wide range of novel local, regional and global issues. Within these, our primary concern is the development of geographical skills as preparation for the further study of Geography at IGCSE and Pre-U/IB level.

Whilst the final choice of issues rests with individual teachers, a typical curriculum outline is given below:                                              

 

First Term (OQ)

Second Term (LQ)

Third Term (CQ )

 

Theme

 

Local and Regional Geography

 

Sustainable Urban Regeneration

 

 

Climate Change

 

Main Topics

 

 

·       Old Charterhouse

·       Site /Situation/History of local area

·       Introduction to geomorphology

·       Loc  Local geology

·       Weathering of Charterhouse building (Rock Walk)

·       Hin Hindhead (Tunnel) Issue

 

·        Sustainability

·        Sydney 2000 – the Green Olympics

·        London 2012 Olympics: top-down regeneration

·        Coin Street, Waterloo: bottom-up regeneration

 

·      Review of climate change evidence and impacts

·      Calculation of personal carbon footprints

·      Development of personal and school action plans as a lead-in to later possible involvement in school Green Club

 

Fieldwork

 

·       School site

·       Site and situation of Godalming

·       Rock Walk around school buildings

·       Scarp-vale topography of Hogs Back

·       Hindhead Tunnel and Devil’s Punchbowl

 

·       Day trip to Coin Street and the Olympic Park, London

 

·      Site visits around school

·      Interviews with school personnel, Housemates and parents

Removes and Fifths (Year 9 and Year 10)

GCSE

The choice of Geography at IGCSE is an excellent one.  It is an opportunity to gain an understanding of the world in all its guises and it is a broad-based subject which develops a number of intellectual skills: literacy, numeracy, graphicacy, oral presentation skills and the application of ICT.

The Edexcel IGCSE in Geography:

  • provides a very good way for students to apply and develop their ICT skills. All of the department’s beaks are extensive users of ICT
  • encourages the use of fieldwork to underpin knowledge and understanding. Towards the end of the Remove year (Year 10), a 7 day field trip to the south of France is organised
  • is assessed through one external examination (THERE IS NO COURSEWORK OR CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT IN THIS QUALIFICATION)
  • provides an excellent foundation for the broader and deeper study of Geography at Pre-U & IB level.

The topics covered are:

Section A - The natural environment and people     

Complete two of the three topics:                                   

  1. River environments                                                       
  2. Coastal environments                                                   
  3. Hazardous environments                                           

Section B — People and their environments

Complete two of the three topics:

  1. Economic activity and energy
  2. Ecosystems and rural environments
  3. Urban environments  

Section C — Global issues

Complete one of the three topics:

  1. Fragile environments
  2. Globalisation and migration
  3. Development and human welfare

Choice of topics rests with class teachers.

Visit www.edexcel.com/igcse2009 for more information.

Cambridge Pre-U

Geography – studying the Earth’s surface features and related human activity – has a vital place in the 21st century curriculum. Geography helps us to understand our own lives in a “global world” and face vital issues such as climate change, the “war on terror”, water, energy and food security and poverty eradication.

Geography offers fascinating insights into the way human and physical processes interact. We hear every day that the world is short of space and that human beings are placing greater and greater demands on the Earth and its systems. However, what causes droughts, floods or hurricanes? Are they “natural phenomena” or the result of human activity? Geography gives us the language and techniques to approach these questions with confidence.

Geography, by studying real people in real places, shows how daily lives are shaped by local circumstances – not only the physical characteristics of the place, but also the social, cultural, economic and political opportunities and constraints. Geography shows how each local place exists in a regional, national, international and global context.

Geography is a practical subject, teaching skills young people need across the school curriculum, at home and at work. Geography pupils learn about map use (including GIS), data analysis, problem solving and ICT. They find out how to work alone and in teams. They work directly in the real world – in “fieldwork”. They gain an awareness of social and environmental responsibility

Outline of the course

There are four compulsory components taken at the end of the two-year course:
Component Name Duration Weighting (%) Type of Assessment 

Paper 1 - Geographical Issues
Section A (two from):          
Tectonic Hazards               
Hazardous Weather           
Hydrological Hazards          

Section B (two from):
The Geography of Crime
Health and Disease
Spatial Inequality and Poverty

Paper 2 – Global Environments     
Section A (one from):    
Arid and Semi-Arid Environments    
Glacial and Periglacial Environments   
Coastal Environments     

Section B (one from):     
Tropical Environments     
Temperate Grassland and Forest Environments  
The Atmospheric Environment    

Paper 3 - Global Themes
Section A (one from):  
Migration and Urban Change
Trade, Debt and Aid
The World of Work

Section B (one from):
Energy and Mineral Resources
The Provision of Food
Tourism Spaces

Paper 4: Research Topic

In preparation for this paper, candidates need to have carried out a research investigation (including fieldwork), on at least one of three prescribed topics, e.g.: Fluvial Geomorphology, Environmental Degradation, Retail Patterns.

There is no coursework element in this Pre-U course.

Fieldwork

This is an essential part of the course and takes place in the local area and during one residential trip, currently to the Lake District (6 days), the cost of which is subsidised. This provides opportunities for the pursuit of a wide range of key skills, including statistical analysis and the use and interpretation of GIS information.

Higher Education/Employment

A qualification in Geography is well-regarded. It complements a variety of other subjects, both arts and sciences and, as a result, can pave the way to a wide range of courses at university. For geographers considering such courses, there is an annual visit to the Geography Department of a leading local university (e.g. Oxford, UCL, Royal Holloway). Also, lectures by leading academics are organised by the Department and the Guildford Geographical Association.
 
                                                                                                                                                   P Price
                                                                                                                               Head of Geography