GCSE Geography

Brief Summary of Specification:

GCSE Course - OCR Geography Syllabus A (1986)

Four main themes:

1. People and the physical world
   Plate tectonics, rivers, coasts
2. People and places to live
   Population, settlement
3. People and their needs
   Quality of life, economic activities, energy
4. People and the environment
   Resource development and the local environment, management of environments, global environment

What skills/attributes are being developed and examined?

Pupils need to :

1. Demonstrate their geographical knowledge of terminology and location and use it in a variety of situations.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the processes underlying the physical and human landscapes, how they change, how they interact and how decision-makers' own perceptions and values may influence the environment.
3. Demonstrate basic skills of observation, measurement, recording classification, analysis. Use of reference materials, present data in graphical, cartographic and numerical form. Use geographical models, concepts and principles in a variety of situations. Be able to make a positive contribution to the debate on environmental issue.
4. Show an understanding of values and attitudes. Be able to discuss world topics.

What can parents expect to see in classwork and homework specifically?

All work should be well organised, titles underlined with a variety of maps, graphs, drawings and text integrated and well structured. Homework often involves the write-up of video material, the collection and presentation of firsthand data or the answering of past questions. Neatness, good English and care with presentation are important. All files should contain evidence of individual research to supplement classwork.

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What can parents do to help at this stage in this subject?

Check that classwork and homework are being done on a regular weekly basis. If absent, work missed is copied up quickly. Encourage the use of plans, maps, photos and collection of useful relevant material. Look out for relevant TV programmes, (video if possible), newspaper articles on relevant topics

Visit a variety of places in Britain and help discover the differences and similarities with Barnet/N. London. Help with revision testing. Encourage and reward success.

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Setting and course schedule:

GCSE classes are taught in sets within each option group. Sets are initially determined on the basis of pupil attainment in Geography at Key Stage 3 and are then reviewed after each mock examination during the GCSE course.

In Year 10, the themes of 'People and the Physical World' and 'People and Places to live' will be covered in class. Following the field course in Swanage, Dorset, in May, lessons will be devoted to the completion of the coursework component (25% of final award). In Year 11, the themes of 'People and their Needs' and 'People and the Environment' are covered. It is anticipated that the course will be finished by the Easter holidays so that there is a suitable amount of time left for revision and examination practice.

At the start of the course all boys are issued with a copy of The New Wider World textbook which they keep until the end of Year 11. Geography teachers will distribute other information materials as required and materials are also posted on the school's intranet.

The setting of all boys will be based on the objective assessment that is provided by half-term tests. Other test scores and marks for homework and classwork may be used if further differentiation is required. Set changes may take place at any time throughout the year although it is most likely after the December and June examinations.

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Final Examination:

There are two final examination papers that together make up 75% of the final award. The first paper (lasting two hours) mainly tests knowledge, understanding and its application. The second paper (lasting one hour) tests geographical skills, understanding and its application. The remaining 25% of the final award is determined by the coursework mark. Entry to the examination is conditional on coursework requirements being met.

There are two tiers of entry FOUNDATION (grades C - G) and HIGHER (grades A* - D). Whilst the majority of pupils will be entered for the higher tier, the final decision is not taken until Year 11 at Christmas. Examination and test results will be major deciding factors. Parents and pupils should expect to be warned if entry to the higher paper is in doubt at the end of Year 10 and/or in the Year 11 review.

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Tests:

The following is a rough schedule for when the topics will be tested:

Year 10

• Autumn half-term: Plate tectonics
• End of Autumn Term: Plate tectonics and rivers
• Spring half-term: Coasts and population
• End of Spring Term: Population
• Summer half-term: Settlement
• End of Summer Term: Coursework
• Summer Examination: Rivers, coasts, population and settlement

Year 11

• Autumn half-term: Settlement and development
• End of Autumn Term: Primary, secondary and tertiary activities
• Christmas Mock examination (all topics taught so far)
• Spring half-term: Energy
• End of Spring Term and Summer half-term: People and the environment

The final question on each half-term test is designed to assess ESSENTIAL ADVANCED LEVEL GEOGRAPHICAL SKILLS. These questions are primarily intended to provide an indication of a pupil's suitability for Advanced Level Geography courses.

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Revision:

These guidelines are intended to provide assistance in the preparation for the GCSE tests and examination in Geography. They provide information on the techniques of revision as well as examination technique. It is designed to supplement the individual strategies that each candidate should have.

Revision should always be active and not just involve the reading through of the notes accumulated. This guide suggests a number of activities. There also a wide range of revision notes that are relevant to the geography syllabus along with some revision questions.

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SOME IDEAS FOR REVISION:

1. Make a checklist for each topic in your syllabus. Write down each sub-section with the examples you studied. As you revise them, you can tick them off.
2. Revision means learning thoroughly. Don't just read through your work: make your own summaries of the main points of each topic to prove you know the work. Get someone to test you on the facts about your examples.
3. Practise answering examination questions so that you learn to judge how much time to spend on each part and still finish in the right time.
4. Practise drawing sketch maps, especially of your examples, so that you can reproduce them quickly in the examination. A good way to revise is to label your sketch maps with all the information about the example.
5. Keep referring to your atlas to improve your general knowledge of the world as a whole and individual regions specified in your syllabus.
6. Don't forget to carry on revising practical skills, especially map reading.
7. Check the way the examination paper is set out and be sure you do not miss revising a vital topic.

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Pupil Target-setting:

One way of ensuring progression takes place throughout the key stage is for the pupil regularly to undergo a process of self-evaluation and target-setting. Target-setting is essential if improvement in performance and achievement is to take place. Pupils must set targets with respect to the subject content in the syllabus, which each pupil should become fully familiar with. The syllabus should be used to plan revision and recognise strengths and weaknesses. Any weaknesses identified through class work or tests should form the basis of the target-setting process.

The individual set teachers will provide help with target-setting at regular intervals throughout the course. Self-evaluation / target-setting sheets should be retained in files and brought along to bespoke tutoring sessions.

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Grade descriptor for a starred A at GCSE:

In order to get an A* Grade you will need, amongst other things, to

• recall accurately detailed information about places and themes, across all scales, as required by the syllabus, and show detailed knowledge of location and geographical terminology.
• understand thoroughly geographical ideas as specified in the syllabus, and apply their understanding to analyses of unfamiliar contexts.
• understand thoroughly the way in which a wide range of physical and human processes interact to influence the development of geographical patterns, the geographical characteristics of particular places, and the interdependence between places.
• understand complex interrelationships between people and the environment.
• evaluate the significance and effects of attitudes and values of those involved in geographical issues and in decision-making about the use and management of environments.

In their Geographical enquiry (coursework), A* candidates must show evidence of identifying relevant geographical questions, implementing an effective sequence of enquiry, collecting a range of appropriate evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources, using effectively appropriate techniques, drawing selectively on geographical ideas to interpret the evidence, reaching substantiated conclusions, communicating clearly and effectively the outcomes, and evaluating the validity and limitations of the evidence and conclusions.

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Progression beyond GCSE:

The department will base its recommendation for Advanced level study on performance throughout Years 10 and 11. The table below sets the criteria by which the department bases its recommendations:

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