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GCSE

WJEC Eduqas B

Key staff

Subject Leader
Miss D L Tickell
[email protected]

Geography

Geography is challenging, motivating, topical and engaging. In our diverse society students need, more than ever before, to understand other people and cultures. The Geography department believes that geographical knowledge, concepts and skills are essential components of a broad and balanced curriculum. Geography makes a major contribution to students’ physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. There are four specific aims of the Geography department at KEVI.

Quick information

Curriculum overview

Curriculum intention

Assessment criteria

What do we teach?

KS3
GCSE

Key Stage 3

From Year 7 our students are given the opportunity to sample a range of exciting topics, some you may expect and some you may not. All aspects of human and physical Geography are covered from learning about natural hazards to the geography of development. Each topic builds upon the next so that by the end of Year 8 our students have the necessary skills required to go on to take Geography at GCSE, a choice many make.

Topics in Year 7 include map skills; population; Africa; Energy; Weather and Climate Change. Each topic is covered in a half term. Students complete studies in both breadth and depth on the different topics. All topics are designed with the National Curriculum in mind. At the end of Year 7 students also have the opportunity to complete Fieldwork.

Year 8 topics also meet with National Curriculum standards and include; Ecosystems; tectonics, India, Rivers; Coasts and Globalisation. The ecosystems topic is very popular and students complete a depth study on the Amazon Rainforest. In the tectonics topic students have the chance to create their own volcanoes and the topics on rivers and coasts are also very tactile as student create their own meanders and cliffs. Again we complete fieldwork at the end of the year.

Because of the massive content delivery required in the national curriculum and the shortened KS3 due to extra content at KS4; homework projects are used to increase the student’s geographical capabilities. Each project lasts a half term, just like the taught content. Projects are completed on Glaciation; Geology; Tourism; Hot Deserts; Development and numerous depth studies on countries including Japan, Australia, USA, Russia and the area of the Middle East.

GCSE

At GCSE we currently follow the WJEC Eduqas B GCSE syllabus. This uses the skills previously developed at Key Stage 3 and builds on them. The course follows several themes, such as changing places – changing economies; changing environments and environmental challenges. There are many fieldwork opportunities, both locally and further afield. Students will have the chance to produce investigations around Stafford and Birmingham. We believe that fieldwork is vital and allows our students the opportunity to explore in detail something they may not otherwise have the chance to see.

Topics covered in Changing Places Changing Economies include urban expansion and counter urbanisation including the short term and long term impacts on the UK; shopping habits of the UK and the impacts on the high street as well as development issues across the world. Students complete comparison studies between NIC and HIC cities of Paris and Mumbai.

The topic Changing Environments focuses on weather; climate change; rivers and coasts. The topic focuses on theory but then applies to the wider world and issues such as flooding and changing weather patterns are studied especially the effects they are having on the UK.

Environmental Challenges compares ecosystems of semi-arid grasslands to rainforests in terms of climate and biodiversity. Students also study the terrible impacts humans have had on these precious biomes and what can be done to try and fix them. Students also learn about water issues both in the UK and the world as well as the growing threat of desertification.

There is support at both ends of the academic spectrum for the subject. Students who struggle to achieve are offered extra support from staff in the form of targeted planning and questioning, 1:1 support and revisions sessions.

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