Geography

Students study a range of places around the world, including the UK, Africa and Asia, and countries from other continents including Russia, China and India. They learn about different landscapes, climates, cultures and ways of life, helping them to understand similarities and differences between places.

 

They also explore physical geography, which looks at natural processes such as rivers, weather, climate, ecosystems and natural hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes.

 

Alongside this, students study human geography, which focuses on how people live and interact with the environment. This includes topics such as population, development and the use of natural resources.

 

Throughout the course, students build key geographical skills. These include:

• Using maps, atlases and digital mapping tools
• Interpreting graphs, photographs and geographical data
• Analysing patterns and trends in the world around them
• Asking questions and investigating geographical issues

 Geography helps them understand how places are connected and how their actions can impact people and environments both locally and globally.

In Key Stage 3 Geography, students complete three knowledge assessments each year. These assessments help teachers check that students understand the key knowledge and skills taught throughout the curriculum. The results of these assessments are reported to parents as a percentage score.

 

In Year 8 and Year 9, students will also have opportunities to develop their extended writing skills in Geography. This allows them to explain ideas, analyse information and present geographical arguments in more detail. The quality of students’ written work will be assessed and reported as Emerging, Developing, Secure or Excelling.

At GCSE, students follow the AQA GCSE Geography specification, which is assessed through three examinations taken at the end of Year 11.

 

Paper 1: Living with the Physical Environment (35%). Students study a range of physical geography topics, including:

• Natural Hazards
• The Living World (tropical rainforests and hot deserts)
• Physical Landscapes in the UK (rivers and glacial landscapes)

 

Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment (35%). This paper explores key aspects of human geography, including:

• Urban Issues and Challenges
• The Changing Economic World
• The Challenge of Resource Management, with a focus on food resources

 

Paper 3: Geographical Applications (30%). Students apply their geographical knowledge and skills through:

• An Issue Evaluation based on pre-release material
• Questions linked to physical and human geography fieldwork undertaken during the course

 

Throughout the GCSE course, physical and human geography topics are carefully interleaved to strengthen students' understanding of the links between people, places and environments. Regular retrieval practice is embedded within lessons to reinforce key knowledge and support long-term learning.

 

Fieldwork is a compulsory element of the GCSE course and provides students with valuable opportunities to apply their classroom learning in real-world environments.

 

Students take part in two fieldwork enquiries:

• Year 10: A visit to Malham to investigate river processes and landscapes.
• Year 11: A visit to Leeds to investigate urban regeneration and its impacts on the city.

These experiences develop students' geographical enquiry, data collection, analysis and evaluation skills, all of which are assessed as part of the GCSE qualification.