Geography

Geography is the study of the earth’s landscapes, peoples, places and environments. It is, quite simply, about the world in which we live. At Moreton, we aim to develop student’s interest and curiosity in the world around them by using stimulating resources and allowing students to participate in fieldwork at all levels.

Why choose Geography?

We live at a time when events and changes in one part of the world can rapidly affect people and environments in other parts of the world. As never before economies, environments and cultures are linked across the world. Geography provides knowledge and understanding of such connections and interdependence.

The Geography department at Moreton are dedicated to raising the achievement and aspirations of our students. GCSE results in Geography have consistently increased over the past several years, peaking with 53% of students achieving a C grade or above.

Current Year 11 students are taught GCSE Geography from the AQA exam board, following specification A (Link).

During this course, students sit two exams each worth 37.5% of their final grade. The unit one exam is physical geography, in which students study ‘The restless earth’ (volcanoes and earthquakes), ‘The Living World and ‘Water on the land’ (rivers). The unit two exam focuses on human geography. For this unit students explore ‘Population’, ‘Tourism’ and ‘Changing Urban Environments’. In November 2016, we took Year 11 to Birmingham to study the regeneration of the CBD to help build a case-study for this unit.

As well as two exams, students are also required to complete a controlled assessment project which is worth 25% of their final grade. This piece of controlled assessment is supported with a field visit. In 2016, our current Year 11 visited Carding Mill Valley in the beautiful Shropshire Hills to do a river study.

As with other GCSE subjects, Geography has undergone a major change this year. Our Year Ten students study Edexcel B, which we believe offers a great mix of interesting and challenging content. We will be undertaking two full days of fieldwork, including a river study and a transect of Birmingham. In addition to this, students will complete three exam papers during the summer of 2018, which include:

Paper 1: Global Geographical Issues

Paper 2: UK Geographical Issues (Including two lots of Fieldwork)

Paper 3: Making Geographical Decisions (Including a Decision Making Exercise)

More information on this course can be found here.

Key Stage 3 geography students study a variety of topics in years 7, 8 and 9. These topics are supported with homework projects to build on and extend learning. Information about our Key Stage 3 curriculum can be found here. Students will also have the opportunity to attend field visits and activities to support these topics. We take Year 8 to Snowdonia for a residential visit during July to complement their studies on coasts earlier in the term.

 

The Geography team believe that ensuring students enjoy their lessons is imperative to their success in the subject. Therefore, the team always find new ways to develop innovative lessons using new technology and techniques. We also believe that field work is a vital aspect of learning about the world around us, and we have begun investing in fieldwork equipment to support us in our aims to educate students outside the classroom more often.