Geography Department Year 10 Information
1. WHY STUDY GEOGRAPHY?
(a) To acquire a knowledge of the contemporary world and to acquire a greater understanding of contemporary issues relating to the environment, to conservation and to human welfare - for example, the problems of siting the third London Airport, conservation in areas such as the Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia National Parks and the problems of famine in Africa.
(b) In preparation for a future career, Geography is recognised as being an acceptable subject for a wide variety of careers, including Surveying, Estate Management, Business Studies, Town and Country Planning, Estate Agent, Travel Agency work, Meterology and Weather Forecasting, Local Governemnt and the Armed Forces.
(c) At University and at Colleges of Further Education, Geography can be taken in combination with a wide range of both Arts and Science subjects.
2. The GCSE Course
(a) The GCSE syllabus is wide-ranging and topical. It is designed to give students opportunities to:
- develop an interest in, and enjoyment of the subject.
- develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the interaction between people and the environment, in a rage of places and scales, and to appreciate the opportunities, challenges and constraints facing people in different places.
- develop a sense of place, by studying a variety of very different parts of the world, to illustrate contrasting types of environment, and levels of development.
- encompass topicality by appreciating that geography is dynamic, as geographical features, patterns and issues are constantly changing.
- acquire and apply appropriately geographical skills and techniques, including mapwork, fieldwork and Information Technology.
- develop decision-making by making critical, informed, and value judgements on a range of issues and problems.
- become effective responsible citizens by developing an appreciation
The Syllabus is composed of two units -of environmental, social, economic and political issues and values.
UNIT 1 - THE FRAGILE WORLD - Physical systems and environmental issues.
1A Ice, rivers and the sea
1B Weather, climate and tourism
1C Towards sustainable developments of the environment.
UNIT 2 - THE INTERDEPENDANT WORLD - This involves the study of:
2A. Economic activities and their consequences.
2B. The influences of economic and social change on urban development.
2C. Global citizenship and interdependence.
(C) The Assessment of the GCSE course comprises two papers, 37.5% each, and an internal assessment component of 25%.
The papers are divided on the basis of content:
Paper 1 - assesses Unit 1
Paper 2 - assesses Unit 2
Each paper has two tiers:
- a higher tier targeting A* to D (2 hours)
- a foundation tier targeting C to G (1.75 hours)
The internal assessment is through the submission of a full investigation involving
field work and secondary data. This encompasses a visit to three locations on the
River Morlais and a description and explanation of the changes that occur along its
course.
Entry Level
This is a modular course which is designed to provide the opportunity for pupils to learn about the world in which they live. It is especially concerned with the acquisition of a sense of place and therefore involves a study of spatial patterns and the reasons for their location. In more detail, it is concerned with the influences of physical background and the forces exerted by social, economic and political events. It also provides the information which allows for empathy with other ways of living through a whole range from the local to the global and therefore increases an understanding and respect for other cultures. Pupils should, as a consequence, acquire the skills necessary for making informed and reasoned judgements on contemporary issues and problems and to assume a sense of responsibility for the environnent at local, national and international levels.
Aims and Objectives
The aims are to develop in candidates
(a) an interest in the environment and an enjoyment of geography, both in the
classroom and through fieldwork;
(b) a sense of place and spatial awareness;
(c) a knowledge, through observation, of human landscapes and the forces, human and physical, forming and changing them;
(d) an awareness of and an understanding of selected enviromnental issues;
(e) an appreciation of the availability of work and of leisure needs in the future;
(f) an ability to think logically and to develop a range of skills associated with the observation, collection, analysis, interpretation and representation of data;
(g) a facility to communicate in written and oral forms.
Methods of Assessment
The examination attempts to draw upon a range of assessment techniques, which are themselves founded on a variety of classroom techniques. Each contributes to an assessment profile of candidate.
Thus of special significance are
(a) the close links between teaching and assessment techniques;
(b) the relative importance of oral work;
(c) the high mark weighting of the school-based assessment.
School based assessment will account for 80% of the final mark, and 20% will be assessed by an externally set written paper.
(a) To acquire a knowledge of the contemporary world and to acquire a greater understanding of contemporary issues relating to the environment, to conservation and to human welfare - for example, the problems of siting the third London Airport, conservation in areas such as the Pembrokeshire and Snowdonia National Parks and the problems of famine in Africa.
(b) In preparation for a future career, Geography is recognised as being an acceptable subject for a wide variety of careers, including Surveying, Estate Management, Business Studies, Town and Country Planning, Estate Agent, Travel Agency work, Meterology and Weather Forecasting, Local Governemnt and the Armed Forces.
(c) At University and at Colleges of Further Education, Geography can be taken in combination with a wide range of both Arts and Science subjects.
2. The GCSE Course
(a) The GCSE syllabus is wide-ranging and topical. It is designed to give students opportunities to:
- develop an interest in, and enjoyment of the subject.
- develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the interaction between people and the environment, in a rage of places and scales, and to appreciate the opportunities, challenges and constraints facing people in different places.
- develop a sense of place, by studying a variety of very different parts of the world, to illustrate contrasting types of environment, and levels of development.
- encompass topicality by appreciating that geography is dynamic, as geographical features, patterns and issues are constantly changing.
- acquire and apply appropriately geographical skills and techniques, including mapwork, fieldwork and Information Technology.
- develop decision-making by making critical, informed, and value judgements on a range of issues and problems.
- become effective responsible citizens by developing an appreciation
The Syllabus is composed of two units -of environmental, social, economic and political issues and values.
UNIT 1 - THE FRAGILE WORLD - Physical systems and environmental issues.
1A Ice, rivers and the sea
1B Weather, climate and tourism
1C Towards sustainable developments of the environment.
UNIT 2 - THE INTERDEPENDANT WORLD - This involves the study of:
2A. Economic activities and their consequences.
2B. The influences of economic and social change on urban development.
2C. Global citizenship and interdependence.
(C) The Assessment of the GCSE course comprises two papers, 37.5% each, and an internal assessment component of 25%.
The papers are divided on the basis of content:
Paper 1 - assesses Unit 1
Paper 2 - assesses Unit 2
Each paper has two tiers:
- a higher tier targeting A* to D (2 hours)
- a foundation tier targeting C to G (1.75 hours)
The internal assessment is through the submission of a full investigation involving
field work and secondary data. This encompasses a visit to three locations on the
River Morlais and a description and explanation of the changes that occur along its
course.
Entry Level
This is a modular course which is designed to provide the opportunity for pupils to learn about the world in which they live. It is especially concerned with the acquisition of a sense of place and therefore involves a study of spatial patterns and the reasons for their location. In more detail, it is concerned with the influences of physical background and the forces exerted by social, economic and political events. It also provides the information which allows for empathy with other ways of living through a whole range from the local to the global and therefore increases an understanding and respect for other cultures. Pupils should, as a consequence, acquire the skills necessary for making informed and reasoned judgements on contemporary issues and problems and to assume a sense of responsibility for the environnent at local, national and international levels.
Aims and Objectives
The aims are to develop in candidates
(a) an interest in the environment and an enjoyment of geography, both in the
classroom and through fieldwork;
(b) a sense of place and spatial awareness;
(c) a knowledge, through observation, of human landscapes and the forces, human and physical, forming and changing them;
(d) an awareness of and an understanding of selected enviromnental issues;
(e) an appreciation of the availability of work and of leisure needs in the future;
(f) an ability to think logically and to develop a range of skills associated with the observation, collection, analysis, interpretation and representation of data;
(g) a facility to communicate in written and oral forms.
Methods of Assessment
The examination attempts to draw upon a range of assessment techniques, which are themselves founded on a variety of classroom techniques. Each contributes to an assessment profile of candidate.
Thus of special significance are
(a) the close links between teaching and assessment techniques;
(b) the relative importance of oral work;
(c) the high mark weighting of the school-based assessment.
School based assessment will account for 80% of the final mark, and 20% will be assessed by an externally set written paper.
