GCSE Geography

How is the course externally examined?

The course comprises 3 units:

Unit 1: LIVING WITH THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT (1.5 hour exam 35%)

A: The challenge of natural hazards

B: The living world

C: Physical landscapes in the UK

Unit 2: CHALLENGES IN THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT (1.5 hour exam 35%)

A: Urban issues and challenges

B: The changing economic world

C: The challenge of resource management

Unit 3: SKILLS AND FIELDWORK (1.5 hour exam 30%)

Section A: Issue evaluation based on a pre-released resource booklet which is studied in class prior to the exam.

Section B: Skills and fieldwork (fieldwork is carried out at two separate locations, one physical and one human).

The course is graded with GCSE grades 1 to 9.

How is the course internally assessed?

At GCSE, students are assessed each half term to monitor progress and develop exam technique. We teach topics in a balanced way, alternating between physical and human geography, so students are not taught one exam paper at a time. Instead, at the end of each unit students sit the relevant section of a past GCSE paper as their end of topic assessment. The number of marks depends on the unit studied. Paper 3 skills are embedded throughout the course and questions from this paper are added to end of topic assessments where appropriate to ensure this paper is equally practised.

In addition to end of topic assessments, students are given the opportunity to sit mock exams in order to build exam confidence and revisit knowledge and skills they’ve learnt throughout the course. In Year 10 students sit 2 papers made up of the topics studied that year. In Year 11 students sit a full Paper 1 in December and a full Paper 2 in March.