Devonport High School for Girls

Head of Department

Ms A Trower, BSc (Hons), PGCE

Statement of Intent

At DHSG, our Geography Curriculum is designed to:

 celebrate the diversity of our world and cultivate curiosity about its places and people; 
critically analyse physical processes and human concepts; 
embrace geographical thinking and independent enquiry, in our studies and in our own lives; 
nurture global citizens with the knowledge and skills to effect sustainable environmental change;

A Level Course Outline

This exciting course gives students the opportunity to:

engage with the relationship of human populations to each other over space and time;
study the relationship between human populations with their physical environment at a variety of scales from the local to the global;
consider their own role in relation to themes and issues being studied and the roles, values and attitudes of others including decision-makers;
carry out dedicated fieldwork.

Higher Education and Career Opportunities

Geography is highly valued by universities as an A-Level choice. Geography is a broad-based subject that really fits well for your future progression into potential University and career choices. For example, for careers in Sustainability and Green Issues, Urban Regeneration, Energy Supply, Retail Location, Managing the effects of Hazards and Climate Change, Geography is an obvious choice. For careers in the world of Business, an understanding of Global Economics forms an important part of Geography.

Fieldwork opportunities

Year 12 - Start Bay - investigating coastal processes and landforms in preparation for students’ own independent investigation.

Year 12 – Devonport docks and Plymouth waterfront – investigating our local sense of place, urban regeneration and urban deprivation.

Course Content

Examination Board	AQA	Full details of the specification and assessment criteria can be found on the AQA website A-Level Geography Specification (7037) AS Geography Specification (7036)
AS Level	Unit 1	Physical Geography and the Environment 50% of total AS marks
	Unit 2	Human Geography and Geography Fieldwork 50% of total AS marks
A Level	Unit 1	Physical Geography 40% of total A level marks
	Unit 2	Human Geography 40% of total A level marks
	Unit 3	Geographical Investigation 20% of total A level marks

Curriculum Programmes of Study

Year	Cycle	Content
Year 12	Cycle 1	Paper 1: Hazards The concept of hazard in a geographical context Plate tectonics Volcanic hazards Seismic hazards Storm hazards Paper 2: Changing Places The nature and importance of places Changing places- relationships, connections, meaning and representation Relationships and connections Meaning and representation Quantitative and qualitative skills Place study of a local place Contrasting place study of a distant place Fieldwork Trip
	Cycle 2	Paper 1: Hazards Fires in nature Case study of a multi hazardous environment beyond the UK Case study at a local scale of a specified place in a hazardous setting Paper 1: The Carbon Cycle Water and carbon cycles as natural systems The water cycle The carboncycle Paper 1: Coastal Systems and Landscapes Coasts as natural systems Systems and processes Coastal landscape development Coastal management Fieldwork Trip
	Cycle 3	Paper 1: Water and Carbon Water, carbon, climate and life on Earth Quantitative and qualitative skills Case study of a tropical rainforest setting Case study of a river catchment(s) at a local scale Paper 1: Coastal Systems and Landscapes Quantitative and qualitative skills Case study of a coastal environment at a local scale Case study of a contrasting coastal landscape beyond the UK Non- Exam Assessment
Year 13	Cycle 1	Paper 2: Global Systems and Global Governance Globalisation Global systems International trade and access to markets Global governance Non- Exam Assessment Paper 2: Population and the Environment Environment and population Environment, health and well-being Population change Principles of population ecology and their application to human populations
	Cycle 2	Paper 2: Global Systems and Global Governance The ‘global commons’ Antarctica as a global common Globalisation critique Quantitative and qualitative skills Paper 2: Population and the Environment Global population futures Case study of a country/society experiencing specific patterns of overall population change Case study of a specified local area to illustrate and anlayse the relationship between place and health
	Cycle 3	Revision and public examinations Revision and public examinations