Geography

Geography Department Staff

For more information about the Subject curriculum, please contact: Mrs S Thomasson the Curriculum Leader

  • Mrs S Thomasson - Curriculum Leader
  • Miss H Blenkinship
  • Miss E Brown 
  • Mrs K Cherry
  • Miss D Lockhart

Geography at Balshaw’s gives students the opportunity to explore the world in which they live, encouraging them to develop a sense of citizenship within a local, national and global context. Students are encouraged to develop key skills such as enquiry, problem solving, decision making, synthesising ideas, identifying issues and communicating with others. This is done through investigation of the following key concepts:

Place Space Scale
Interdependence Physical and Human Processing Environmental Interaction
Sustainable development Cultural Understanding and Diversity

Sample Year 11 Revision Resources

Please see your Geography Teacher for the full set or Mrs Thomasson

Natural Hazards Questions and Answers

Revision Planner

Tectonic Hazards

Key Stage 3 Geography

In Years 7 & 8 students study Geography for 3 hours over the two week timetable.  Year 9 students study Geography for 2 hours per week.  All Geography teachers follow a consistent programme of study. Students study a range of human and physical topics, explore case study locations from around the world and investigate environmental, social, economic, and political issues affecting today’s society.

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9 - GCSE Ready

Map work— Physical & Human Features

Map work— Physical & Human Features

 

Map work— Physical & Human Features

Geo-Skills

Coasts

 

Development & Globalisation

 

World Climate & Ecosystems

 

Population & Urbanisation

 

Global Issues

 

The World of Food

 

Tectonics

 

Africa, a Continent of Contrast

Rivers

 

Glaciation
(including climate change)

 

Issue Evaluation Energy & Development

 

Geographical Enquiry Skills - 

Water on the Land

 

The Geography of Crime
(including enquiry skills)

 

The Living World

GCSE Unit 1

 

A Tourists World

 

 

 

 

Key Stage 4 Geography

Geography is a popular option at GCSE and all groups are taught by specialists.  Students follow the AQA specification.  This GCSE Geography course enables students to appreciate the complexity of our world and the diversity of its environments, economies and cultures.  The course builds on a number of topics studied at Key Stage 3 including tectonics, coasts, urban issues and challenges and development as well as introducing new concepts.

The Geography course is linear, students will sit all their exams at the end of the course, there is no coursework.  There are three exams:

Paper 1: Living with the physical environment 2: Challenges in the human environment 3: Geographical application
Topics
  • The challenge of natural hazards. (tectonic hazards, weather hazards, climate change)
  • Physical landscapes in the UK. (coasts & glaciation)
  • The living world. (ecosystems, tropical rainforests, hot environments)
  • Urban issues and challenges
  • The changing economic world
  • The challenge of resource management. (resource management & food)
  • Issue evaluation
  • Fieldwork
  • Geographical skills
How it is assessed
  • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • 35% of GCSE
  • Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • 35% of GCSE
  • Written exam: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • 30% of GCSE

 

GCSE programme of study:

Year 9 Year 10 Year 11
  • The living world
  • Issues evaluation / Geographical skills
  • The challenge of natural hazards
  • The changing economic world
  • Physical landscapes in the UK (coasts & glaciation)
  • Fieldwork
  • Urban issues and challenges
  • The challenge of resource management (resource management & food)
  • Issues evaluation

 

All students receive a booklet of key questions and answers and a knowledge organiser as they study each unit of work.  Students are encouraged to use these at home with friends and family to regularly check their subject knowledge.  Over the summer holiday between Year 10 and 11 students are set a bridging task to encourage them to continue to reflect on the content covered in Year 10.  Your child's class teacher will either email you with the details of this task or will put it on Classcharts.  Students are encouraged to purchase a revision book to support them with their revision.  There are a range of books available to support the AQA GCSE Geography course but the one we recommend and refer to in school is 'My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9 - 1) Geography' by Simon Ross and Rebecca Blackshaw.  ISBN: 9781471887314.  This book is available for purchase through the Geography Department during the Autumn Term.

Curriculum