Geography AS & A Level

1. Geography AS & A Level What will I learn on the course? What factors influence people and our natural environment? What are the economic forces that drive the world economy? What decisions are being made about the use and management of resources? An appreciation of current events and world problems. Fieldwork Skills.

2. What kind of student is this course for? • Those students who: • have an interest and concern for the environment; • are interested in current affairs. • enjoy a subject that is relevant to your own lives and experiences; • want the opportunity to carry out practical work outdoors as well as class work; • want to link both the `sciences’ with the `humanities’;

3. AS Geography Unit 1: Physical Environment • Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift, Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Weathering and Rocks, Management Issues. • Hydrological Cycle, Rivers, River Management. • Coastal Landscapes, Sea Level Change, Coastal Ecosystems, Coastal Management.

4. Unit 2 : Human Environments • Distribution of World’s population, world population change and government influences. • Settlements, land use changes, government influences. • Migration, push & pull factors, government policies.

5. Unit 3: Fieldwork Investigation – Applied Skills Exam • Fieldwork in Cyprus to study both human and physical geography. • Enquiry based. Pupils collect data, analyse it and test a hypothesis or solve a problem.

6. A/S Assessment • Physical Environments Unit 1: 1 ¼ hours. Six structured questions, two on each topic. Students do three, one on each topic. • Human Environments Unit 2: 1 ¼ hours. Six structured questions, two on each topic. Students do three, one from each topic. • Applied Geographical Skills Unit 3: 1 ½ hours. Two compulsory questions. First gives information about an unfamiliar area and asks you to write about fieldwork that could be done in the area. Second will ask you to write about your own fieldwork experiences.

7. Advanced GCE Geography Unit 4 Physical Systems, Processes andPatterns Earth’s atmosphere, global movements of air and weather systems and how people influence weather and climate. Upland, lowland, fluvial, glaciation and periglaciation; human impacts in and around glaciers. Ecosystems, soil formation and Human Impacts on them.

8. Unit 5: Human Systems, Processes and Patterns • Urbanisation; food production; rural/urban interdependence; change in rural/urban environments. • Industrial location; changing world employment patterns; globalization; pollution. • World development; trade and aid.

9. Unit 6: Synoptic - People and their Environments • Draws together many ideas learnt from the whole 2 year course in a knowledge and skills paper. • You will be tested on your ability to show that you understand the links and connections between different parts of the course.

10. Advanced Assessment • Physical Systems, Processes and Patterns Unit 4: 1 ½ hours. There are six structured essays, two on each of the topics covered. You must choose 2, on two different topics. • Human Systems, Processes and Patterns Unit 5: 1 ½ hours. There are six structured essays, two on each of the topics covered. You must choose 2, on two different topics. • Synoptic Paper Unit 6:Information about an unfamiliar situation is given. You are asked to use the skills and knowledge learnt to answer structured questions. 2. Four essay titles are given. You must choose 1.

11. What skills do I develop during this course? • Communication • Literacy • Numeracy • ICT • Problem solving • Group work • Fieldwork

12. What could I do at the end of my course? • You learn many transferable skills relevant for work and education. • Science: Engineering, Psychology, Environmental Science, Oceanography, Geology, ICT. Humanities: Business, Law, Media, Politics and Philosophy, Travel and Tourism, Accounting, Journalism.