At Key Stage 4 Geography is an optional subject. There are currently 65 girls in year 10 and 21 girls in year 11 studying Geography for GCSE. The OCR B (Avery Hill) syllabus is followed.
Why study geography for GCSE?
Geography focuses on PLACES and PEOPLE so it is directly relevant to all students.
You will learn about local, national and global issues and be aware of events around you
You will understand the relationships between people and the environment, and appreciate that different people have different views
You will have opportunities through fieldwork for first hand investigation of places, environments and human behaviour
You will develop a range of life skills including ICT, problem-solving, team-working and communication skills
Geography is a useful qualification for many careers including journalism, business and management, urban and environmental planning, law, tourism and the leisure industry
What will you do in lessons and at home?
Investigate ideas through the collection of evidence from books and magazines, the internet and through fieldwork
Interpret maps, diagrams and photos
Make decisions, solve problems, discuss and present ideas about real life situations
Watch educational films and documentaries
Fieldwork opportunities
There will be compulsory fieldwork visits to Maidenhead Town Centre to collect date for coursework. There will also be the opportunity to take part in residential fieldwork in the Isle of Wight. This year the fieldtrip takes places from 27-30 March 2009.
How will you be assessed?
There are two exams worth 75%. Each exam is one and a half hours and there are two tiers of entry – Higher for A*-D and Foundation C-G. There are two pieces of coursework worth 25%; the first piece is a study of shopping patterns in Reading and the second the design of a poster presenting the issue of rainforest destruction.
Past Papers
Past Papers are available for downloading from the website below
www.averyhill.org.uk
From September 2009 we will be following Edexcel Specification B – Geography – The Evolving Planet.