Geography
Course Information
| Literacy |  |
|---|---|
| Numeracy | |
| Communications |  |
| Creativity | |
| Practical | |
| Group Work | |
| Examination Assessment | 100% |
| Non-Examination Assessment | 0% |
| EBacc | Yes |
| Examination Board | AQA |
| Course | GCSE |
General Information
Video Transcript
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Hello.
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AQA GCSE Geography explores how people interact with the world's physical and human environments.
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It's a great all-round subject that helps students understand real-world issues such as climate change, urbanisation and sustainability, as well as having great links to other subjects such as science, maths and sociology.
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It is 100% exam based, and of that we have three papers.
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A paper for physical geography, a paper for human geography, and a paper for skills.
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Each of those exam papers are an hour and a half.
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Is a skills-driven exam.
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About 5% of the marks are for literacy.
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Students will be assessed on their spelling, punctuation, and grammar for some nine-mark questions.
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10% is for numeracy.
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Students will be asked questions for data analysis, potential tendencies, reading, drawing, and interpreting graphs.
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As well as map skills, students will be expected to read OS maps using direction, distance, scale, height, and grid referencing.
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And there is also a large element of decision-making, being able to justify and explain their opinions.
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There are a range of questions in the GCSE exam paper, as you can see from the slide.
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They range from one mark to nine marks.
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One markers can be multiple choice or sentence-based answers.
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We move up to six marks, where you are expected to write two pill paragraphs all the way up to nine marks.
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There are two nine-mark questions in each of the papers, so six in total.
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And the expectation for a nine-mark answer is about two pill paragraphs or three, plus a conclusion.
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Students are expected to write that answer in about 12 minutes, and it would equate to about a page of writing.
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Focusing on the individual papers, paper one is about the living world.
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There are three sections, natural hazards, covering tectonics, weather and climate change, living world,
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covering all the biomes, but in particular we're focusing on tropical rainforests and cold environments, and then finishing with coasts and rivers in the UK.
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All of these physical landscapes need to also have case study information.
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So we will look at real life examples and students are expected to describe, explain and use statistics in their answers.
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Onto paper two, it is about the human environment.
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We start off looking at urban challenges within places.
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Again, we have to use case study information when explaining those challenges.
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So we look at Lagos in Nigeria, London in the UK, and Freiburg, which is the sustainable city in Germany.
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Moving on to the changing economic world, we look very briefly at Jamaica and see how tourism has changed their economy.
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More detail onto Nigeria's changing economy as a newly emerging economy, and then the UK's.
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The final section of paper two is resource management.
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So we'll briefly touch on food, water, and energy in the UK, and then we'll look into more detail for food management around the world.
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And finally, paper three.
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Paper three is a skills-based exam.
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Pre-release is a booklet that we will receive 12 weeks before their Paper 3 exam.
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We do not know the topic.
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And then the second section is about fieldwork.
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There'll be questions about other people's fieldwork and then students have to carry out fieldwork as well.
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This is a compulsory part of the course.
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We have to do two parts, so human and a physical fieldwork.
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For human, we'll look at whether the regeneration of Whiteley Shopping Centre has been successful.
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And for physical, we'll have a look at the coastal management in Hillhead.
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These are some examples of previous pre-release booklets.
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Again, we don't know the topic until 12 weeks before their exams, but we will have an opportunity to break down the information, whether that's maps, graphs, or text.
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and predict some of those questions and practice together.
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Overall, the big nine mark question for these will be a decision exercise.
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So students will need to be able to explain for and against and justify their opinion.
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As you can see, we've had lots of different topics from water management, rainforests, tourism, and housing.
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Overall, GCSE Geography is a brilliant all-round subject.
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I'll leave some of these statements on the screen for you to have a look at why.
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Thank you.
AQA GCSE Geography explores how people interact with the world’s physical and human environments. It covers three main themes: Living with the Physical Environment (natural hazards, ecosystems, and landscapes), Challenges in the Human Environment (urban issues, economic development, and resource management), and Geographical Applications (fieldwork and issue evaluation).
It’s a great subject as it helps students understand real-world issues like climate change, urbanisation, and sustainability. It develops valuable skills in analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making—useful for many careers and further study. Overall, it’s a versatile subject that connects to global issues and opens doors to both STEM and humanities careers.
What will I need to succeed?
- Most important - a genuine love and curiosity of the world. To be interested in current affairs and topical issues on a local, national and global scale.
- Analytical skills – interpreting maps, graphs, photos, and data to draw conclusions.
- Critical thinking – evaluating evidence, arguments, and viewpoints.
- Fieldwork skills – collecting, presenting, and analysing data from real-world investigations.
- Numeracy skills – using statistics, scales, and measurements accurately.
- Communication skills – writing clear explanations and reasoned arguments with evidence
Use of evidence – recalling case study information and/or using information from figures in exam as part of the explanation.
Subject Content
The course is divided into 3 papers with the following sections:
Paper 1 - Living with the Physical Environment (natural hazards, ecosystems, and UK physical landscapes). 88 marks. 90 minutes. 35% of GCSE
Paper 2 - Challenges in the Human Environment (urban issues, economic development, and resource management). 88 marks. 90 minutes. 35% of GCSE
Paper 3 - Geographical Applications (fieldwork and issue evaluation of a seen booklet 12 weeks before exam). 76 marks. 90 minutes. 30% of GCSE.
Exam Question
There is range of questions from 1 mark to 9 marks. There are two 9-mark questions in each of the 3 papers, six in total. For these 9-mark questions the expectation is to write 3 PEEL paragraphs within about 12 minutes. Four out of the six 9-mark questions have an additional 3 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG) which equates to about 5% of their marks for literacy skills.
10% of the marks are for mathematical skills. The exam focuses on functional maths skills applied to real-world geography contexts. Key areas include drawing, reading, and interpreting various graphs, data analysis and calculation of percentages, rations and central tendency. Map skills are also covered in the GCSE, and this include direction, scale, distance, height and grid referencing.
These are the types of questions with the expectation of written structure. Please contact us if you need this content in an alternative format.
Examples of 9 mark question include:
- To what extent did the levels of wealth and development of the two countries affect the impact of the earthquakes?
- To what extent do you agree that mitigation is more effective than adaptation in managing climate change?
- Some economic activities in tropical rainforests have major environmental impacts.’
- Do you agree? Use Figure 11 and a case study to explain your answer.
- To what extent is aid beneficial for the recipient country.
- Use a LIC or NEE case study to justify your decision.
- ‘Transnational corporations (TNCs) only bring advantages to the host country’ Do you agree? Justify your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can I take History and Geography?
Yes. - Is there much writing in GCSE Geography?
Yes, each exam paper has two 9-mark questions which equates to about a page of writing for each answer - What other subjects complement Geography?
Science, Maths, Sociology - How many papers are there?
Paper 1: Living with the physical environment (35%)
Paper 2: Challenges in the human environment (35%)
Paper 3: Geographical applications and fieldwork (30%)
- Do we need to do fieldwork?
Yes, students must complete two pieces of fieldwork: one physical and one human. Paper 3 includes questions on fieldwork and data analysis. We will investigate the effectiveness of coastal management in Hill Head and the effectiveness of the regeneration of Whiteley Shopping Centre. - How much maths is in the exam?
About 10–15% of the exam involves maths skills: graphs, averages, percentages, ratios, map scales, and data interpretation. - How is the exam marked?
Mixture of multiple-choice, short-answer, and extended writing questions. Marks are awarded for knowledge, application, analysis, and evaluation. - Can I take Geography if I’m not good at science or maths?
Yes! You do need some maths for data and graphs, and understanding science concepts helps for physical geography, but strong literacy and analytical skills are just as important.
What careers it can lead to after leaving Swanmore College
- Environmental and Sustainability Careers – e.g. environmental consultant, conservation officer, sustainability manager.
- Urban Planning and Architecture – town planner, transport planner, architect.
- Travel and Tourism – tourism officer, travel writer, tour manager.
- Geographical and Environmental Science – meteorologist, geologist, hydrologist.
- Government and Policy – international development, disaster management, diplomacy.
- Business and Data Roles – market researcher, GIS analyst, logistics manager.
- Education and Communication – geography teacher, journalist, public engagement specialist.