Geography
| Exam Type: | Linear 2 year A-Level |
| Exam Board: | AQA |
About the Course
Geography is for those interested in the world around them, and how people and the environment interact. Geography is one of the 8 facilitating subjects most commonly required or preferred by universities due to its combination of science, humanities and mathematics.
It is expected that students will have achieved a Grade 6 at full course GCSE Geography.
A2 Level Geography is divided into 3 units.
Unit 3: Physical Geography
This is assessed by a 2.5 hour exam worth 40% of the overall A’ Level.
- Water and carbon cycles (the key cycles which help to run the planet)
- Coastal systems (what landforms and processes are found at the coast and how is it being managed)
- Hazards (hazards in the lithosphere; volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and in the atmosphere including hurricanes and flooding)
Unit 4: Human Geography
This is assessed by a 2.5 hour exam worth 40% of the overall A’ Level.
- Changing places (an opportunity to examine environmental and social challenges associated with urban growth and changing society)
- Global systems and governance (how countries develop, and how we are operating increasingly at the global scale, including TNCs)
- Population and the environment (focus on global and regional patterns of food production and consumption. Exploring relationship with key physical environmental variables – climate and soils).
Unit 5: Geographical Investigation
This is assessed in a 3000-4000 word investigation worth 20% of the A’ Level
- Fieldwork investigation and skills.
- Students complete an individual investigation which must include data collected in the field and is written up as a piece of controlled assessment.
Apart from the obvious Geography degree, it supports a wide range of other subjects including geology, medicine, sociology, politics and economics. A good Geography degree provides you with the skills to start a wide variety of jobs: from traditional geography based jobs like town planning to working in law, city, consultancy, charities, politics and more creative jobs such as marketing and PR.
Geographers are employed in a wide range of sectors, including the public sector, education, commerce, industry, transport and tourism. Geography provides excellent transferable skills, which also attract employers from the business, law and finance sectors.
Employers include:
- Local government
- Town planning
- Environmental consultancies
- Environmental protection agencies
- Meteorologist
- Environmental Education Officer
- Surveyor
- Tourism Officer
- United Nations Ambassador
- Government Administrator
- Cartographer
- Doctor
- Accountant
- Chemist
- Engineering
- Lawyer
- Charity work
