GCSE A Geography

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Choose Eduqas and you’ll benefit from:

• Geographical enquiry will engage, challenge and extend learners to ‘think like a geographer’
• By posing questions and investigating concepts and issues, students will develop the ability to
  think both creatively and scientifically ‘like a geographer’
• The design of the fieldwork component allows flexible planning by teachers to use favourite
  fieldwork contexts and locations
• Focus on understanding concepts and issues rather than knowledge of case studies
• Each exam question focuses on a single assessment objective

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Access to Geography A Summary of Assessment for 2022

Access to Component 3 2022 Additional Assessment Material

Arrangements for GCSE Geography fieldwork

Ofqual has published its decision report on fieldwork for 2022 Decisions on arrangements for non-exam assessment and fieldwork requirements for students entering qualifications in 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Please read both the summary and the decision for fieldwork.

Ofqual has decided to carry forward the arrangements that were put in place for 2021 to 2022 for GCSE Geography.

For Eduqas GCSE Geography qualifications this means students will not be assessed on their own fieldwork in Component 3, but they will still be assessed on ‘unfamiliar’ fieldwork. This means that the final questions on students own fieldwork in Part A and Part B of Component 3 will be removed.

WJEC (Eduqas) does encourage centres to undertake fieldwork ‘in the field’ with students where possible. This will support learners’ understanding of the fieldwork process and develop skills which are still being assessed. Fieldwork and enquiry skills should continue to be integrated into the programme of study;  these experiences could involve data collection remotely and/or the use of virtual fieldwork methods. This is also essential for progression to GCE Geography.

The overarching aims of this qualification are that learners should develop the ability to think 'like a geographer'. That is to say, learners will develop the skills necessary to conduct framed enquiries in the classroom and in the field in order to develop their understanding of specialised geographical concepts and current geographical issues. By following this specification learners will achieve the following objectives. They will develop the ability to think:

• creatively, for example, by posing questions that relate to geographical processes and concepts that include questioning about spatial pattern and geographical change
• scientifically by collecting and recording appropriate evidence from a range of sources, including fieldwork, before critically assessing the validity of this evidence and synthesising their findings to reach evidenced conclusions that relate to the initial aim of their enquiry
• independently by applying geographical knowledge, understanding, skills and approaches appropriately and creatively to real world contexts. In so doing they should appreciate that geography can be ‘messy’ i.e. that real geography does not always match typical or predicted outcomes.

The Eduqas GCSE Geography A develops an enquiry approach to the study of geographical information, issues and concepts. It is based on the principle that geographical education should enable learners to become critical and reflective thinkers by engaging them actively in the enquiry process. Content is organised around key questions and learners should develop the ability to pose geographical questions of their own. Fieldwork is an essential aspect of geographical education and of this qualification. It is placed at the heart of this specification and teachers should embed fieldwork within any programme of study that they create. Learners should consolidate and extend their understanding of geographical concepts learned in the classroom by engaging with enquiries conducted outside of the classroom and school grounds. Furthermore, they should be challenged to apply what they have learned through specific fieldwork in local contexts to the wider context of UK geography.

The enquiry approach taken by Eduqas GCSE Geography A, in both classroom and fieldwork contexts, should enable learners to develop the ability to think ‘like a geographer’.

There are no previous learning requirements for this specification. Any requirements set for entry to a course based on this specification are at the school/college’s discretion. This specification builds on subject content which is typically taught at key stage 3 and is designed in such a way as to ensure progression in the following ways:

• broadening and deepening understanding of locational contexts, including greater awareness of the importance of scale and the concept of global
• a greater emphasis given to process studies that lead to an understanding of change
• a greater stress on the multivariate nature of 'human-physical' relationships and interactions
• a stronger focus on forming generalisations and/or abstractions, including some awareness of theoretical perspectives and of the subject’s conceptual frameworks
• an increased involvement of learners in planning and undertaking independent enquiry in which skills and knowledge are applied to investigate geographical questions
• enhancing competence in a range of intellectual and communication skills, including the formulation of arguments, that include elements of synthesis and evaluation of material.

This specification provides a suitable foundation for the study of A level geography.

Why choose Eduqas?

• The only specifications which take a singular approach to the assessment objectives meaning higher tariff questions in our assessments focus on understanding concepts and evaluating issues rather than knowledge of case studies. This results in more time for teaching geographical enquiry and less time teaching case studies.
  
  
• An unique approach to fieldwork – providing methodological and conceptual frameworks for field enquiries in each assessment series, designed to help students move from relying on framed enquiries to becoming independent learners.
  
  
• We offer a balance of familiar topics as well as contemporary geographical concepts, supported by textbooks and free digital resources.