KS4 Geography

KS4 Overview

We follow the AQA specification (8035). There are 3 papers:

Paper 1 8035/1: Physical Geography
Three key themes will be studied in this unit:

1. The Challenge of Natural Hazards - Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. Weather hazards. Climate change – impacts and responses
2. The Living World - Ecosystems. Tropical Rainforests. Hot Deserts or Cold Environments – characteristics and management
3. The Physical Landscapes of the UK - Coastal Landscapes, River Landscapes or Glacial Landscapes

Paper 2 8035/2 Human Geography.
Three key themes are studied, these are:

1. 1. Urban Issues and Challenges - Urbanisation. Challenges and opportunities in Rio de Janeiro. Challenges and opportunities in the UK – regeneration in Bristol. Sustainable cities
2. 2. The Changing Economic World - The Global Development gap. A study of the economic inequalities in Nigeria. Economic features of the UK
3. 3. The Challenge of Resource Management - Changing demands and provision of food, water and energy in the UK. Food resources - study in depth

Paper 3 8035/3: Geographical Skills and Fieldwork

The first section involves a problem-solving exercise based on any of the core content above.
Students will receive a resource booklet 12 weeks in advance and will work through the resources in lessons
The second section is based on two days of fieldwork. They will be examined on different aspects of the fieldwork eg location, data collection, analysis and presentation technique

Building on KS3 and preparing for KS5…

At KS4 we build on KS3 content to fulfil that outlined above by studying geographical themes in more depth. At GCSE there is a clear division between physical systems and human landscapes but there is a focus on physical and human inter-relationships. There is an emphasis on developing and honing exam technique that will also underpin A level. Perhaps more significantly we also want to inspire a love and enjoyment of geography by including content that is relevant and helps to develop caring attitudes towards our environment and other people, enabling our girls to be better prepared for life in our ever-changing world. Students will travel the world from their classroom, exploring case-studies in the UK and across the globe from a variety of physical and human settings. They should develop enquiring minds as well as having a greater understanding of their role in society, considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes. 

KS4 Assessment

Students undertake 5 key pieces of assessment per year. three of these will be end-of -unit assessments based on GCSE past papers. The other two will assess content through project based work for example a Climate Change project. Feedback is based on GCSE assessment objectives. There will also be two mock exams. In Year 10 this is based on paper 3 and the decision-making exercise and in y11 it will test paper 1 and 2 content.

KS4 Content

Exam Board and website link

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035

Details of external assessment

In the final exams there are 3 papers:
Paper 1 Physical Geography: 90 minutes 35%
Paper 2 Human Geography: 90 Minutes 35%
Paper 3 Geographical Skills: 75 minutes 30%
The papers are assessed using a mixture of multiple choice, short-answer and extended responses (max 9 marks).

Useful links & resources for KS4

Textbooks:
Hodder: https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geography/gcse/aqa
Oxford: https://global.oup.com/education/product/9780198366614/?region=uk

We also recommend students purchase this revision guide https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/subjects/geography/products/14-16/my-revision-notes-aqa-gcse-(9-1)-geography-second

Websites:
Internet Geography: https://www.internetgeography.net/
Tutor2U: https://www.tutor2u.net/geography/store/selections/aqa-gcse-geography-resources
BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zy3ptyc