Geography

Course summary

Our current plans for the new specification involve relevant modern topics, a focus on fieldwork and will inspire a love of geography for long life learning. In year 12 the course examines landscape systems, where students will learn about the surface processes of coastal systems and the future impact that climate change will have on them globally. Students will explore the relationships and connections that exist between people, the economy, society and how these contribute to creating places; from street level, cultural quarters to global cities.Students will also debate relevant and dynamic topics such as disease dilemmas. With diseases such as those seen in West Africa it is crucial that we understand the global nature of the risk and how we should respond together into the future.Fieldwork is a common feature throughout both year 12 and 13 with numerous day trips and residential based weekends. Students in year 12 will be assessed via examination on their fieldwork skills, in year 13 examinations and an independent investigation will assess their fieldwork skills.During year 13 students will continue their Geographical debating studying the hazardous earth (Seismicity and volcanology). Students will also study Earth’s life support systems and global connections. Earth’s life support systems include both the carbon cycle and our ever changing water cycles the physical and increasingly human based changes on these systems are leading to a global need to find solutions to the problems these changes are making.Global connections allow learners to explore the processes and flows that occur at the global level, and the ways in which these influence people, places and institutions.