Geography: Curriculum

Key Stage 3: We cover the following topic areas in Years 7 and 8:

Year 7: Places and map skills, Tectonics, Settlement, Rivers and flooding, Population and resources and Glaciation
Year 8: Weather, Development, Ecosystems, Coasts, Energy resources and Contemporary Geographical Issues

We aim to prepare boys for GCSE geography whilst also developing key geographical skills.

KS3 Core Concepts

1
MAP AND SOURCE SKILLS

Demonstrate the effective use of knowledge of locations, places and environments using different scales and media

EXCEEDING: Knowledge is wide ranging (UK and all around the world) and is deployed with confidence.

SECURE: Knowledge is good and is accurately deployed.

DEVELOPING: Knowledge is very narrow and is deployed inaccurately.

2
CASE STUDY DETAIL

Demonstrate understanding of the inter relationship between places, people and processes

EXCEEDING: Understanding is shown via the deployment of knowledge in a way that links processes and correctly uses geographical language.

SECURE: Understanding is shown via the accurate selection of relevant content for each circumstance.

DEVELOPING: Limited understanding.

3
ANALYSIS

Communicate knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues to make judgements

EXCEEDING: Demonstrates an ability to link concepts, critically analyse the concepts and draw substantiated conclusions. This is done fluently and logically.

SECURE: Shows an ability to explain how and why certain events happen or the impact of individual actions, often with a balanced conclusion and an emerging ability to link/prioritise in reaching a final judgement.

DEVELOPING: Shows an understanding of processes and how events have happened – but answers lack a thorough explanation as to why they have happened in that way.

4
NUMERACY

Select, adapt and use a variety of numerical skills and techniques to answer questions and communicate findings

EXCEEDING: Able to evaluate critically a wide range of different geographical data and reach substantiated conclusions independently. Accurately constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data.

SECURE: Shows a limited understanding of the impact of findings. Constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data.

DEVELOPING: Shows an understanding of the context, but does not effectively evaluate the impact. Inaccurately constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data.

Close
Key Stage 4: Year 9 – 11
There are three examinations in Geography. All of these are taken at the end of Year 11.

Paper 1: Living with the physical environment
Written exam – 1 hour 30 minutes – 88 marks – 35% weighting

Section A: The Challenge of the natural hazards
Section B: The Living World
Section C: Physical landscapes in the UK

Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment
Written exam – 1 hour 30 minutes – 88 marks – 35% weighting

Section A: Urban issues and challenges
Section B: The changing economic world
Section C: The challenge of resource management

Paper 3: Geographical applications
Written exam – 1 hour 15 minutes – 76 marks – 30% weighting
We follow the AQA Geography syllabus (8035), which is available at www.aqa.org.uk

Geographical skills are assessed in all three papers.
Key Stage 5: Year 12 (Reformed)
We will follow the new Edexcel syllabus.

Paper 1
Tectonic processes and hazards
Coastal landscapes and change
Paper 2
Globalisation
Regenerating places

Year 13 (Reformed)
We will follow the new Edexcel syllabus.

Paper 1 (30% of the qualification)
Tectonic processes and hazards
Coastal landscapes and change
The water cycle and water insecurity
The carbon cycle and energy security

Paper 2 (30% of the qualification)
Globalisation
Regenerating places
Superpowers
Global development, health, human rights and intervention

Paper 3 (20% of the qualification)
Issue evaluation paper based on core concepts

Coursework of 3-4,000 words (20% of the qualification)


1 MAP AND SOURCE SKILLS	Demonstrate the effective use of knowledge of locations, places and environments using different scales and media EXCEEDING: Knowledge is wide ranging (UK and all around the world) and is deployed with confidence. SECURE: Knowledge is good and is accurately deployed. DEVELOPING: Knowledge is very narrow and is deployed inaccurately.
2 CASE STUDY DETAIL	Demonstrate understanding of the inter relationship between places, people and processes EXCEEDING: Understanding is shown via the deployment of knowledge in a way that links processes and correctly uses geographical language. SECURE: Understanding is shown via the accurate selection of relevant content for each circumstance. DEVELOPING: Limited understanding.
3 ANALYSIS	Communicate knowledge and understanding to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues to make judgements EXCEEDING: Demonstrates an ability to link concepts, critically analyse the concepts and draw substantiated conclusions. This is done fluently and logically. SECURE: Shows an ability to explain how and why certain events happen or the impact of individual actions, often with a balanced conclusion and an emerging ability to link/prioritise in reaching a final judgement. DEVELOPING: Shows an understanding of processes and how events have happened – but answers lack a thorough explanation as to why they have happened in that way.
4 NUMERACY	Select, adapt and use a variety of numerical skills and techniques to answer questions and communicate findings EXCEEDING: Able to evaluate critically a wide range of different geographical data and reach substantiated conclusions independently. Accurately constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data. SECURE: Shows a limited understanding of the impact of findings. Constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data. DEVELOPING: Shows an understanding of the context, but does not effectively evaluate the impact. Inaccurately constructs a range of maps and graphs to present data.

Department

Support