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Volume 30, Number 4, April 2017
Exam links
Using this issue for WJEC-Eduqas
AS and A-level geography
Simon Oakes
The table below shows the structure of the WJEC and Eduqas AS and A-level geography courses
AS fieldwork assessment
WJEC
AS
Glaciated Landscapes (optional)
Eduqas
A-level
Coastal Landscapes (optional)
Eduqas
AS
Changing Places
Tectonic Hazards
21st Century Challenges synoptic assessment
WJEC
A2
Global Systems (Water and Carbon Cycles)
Global Governance (Global Migration and Earth’s Oceans)
Ecosystems (optional)
Economic Growth and Challenge for India or China (optional)
Development in the Context of Sub-Saharan Africa (optional)
Energy Challenges and Dilemmas (optional)
Weather and Climate (optional)
Independent investigation (coursework)
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This table shows the relevance of each of the articles and columns in this issue of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW
to the WJEC and Eduqas specifications.
Article
Page
numbers
Links to specification content
The global carbon budget: the carbon
cycle and global warming
2–5
Water and carbon cycles
Question and answer Coastal systems
and landscapes
6–9
Coastal landscapes
Is India a single place? Identity
development and culture
10–13
Economic growth and challenge (India)
Geographical ideas The concept of
place: meaning, representation and
conflict
14–16
Changing places
Geographical skills Investigating
landscapes
17-19
Coastal landscapes and glacial landscapes
Centrepiece The youngest glacier on
Earth
20-21
Glacial landscapes
Governing the global commons:
Antarctica, the Arctic and outer space
compared
22-24
Global governance
Everybody’s talking about… Wicked
problems
25-27
Global governance
Accessibility to health services:
assessing population patterns
28-31
Changing places
Development update Why do children
miss out on school?
32–33
Economic growth and challenge
Everybody’s talking about… The
circular economy
34–36
Global governance
Giant icebergs and the carbon cycle
37–41
Water and carbon cycles
The big picture Desalination and water
security
42
Water and carbon cycles
Energy challenges and dilemmas
Economic growth and challenge
The global carbon budget: the carbon cycle and
global warming

This article is most useful for the Global carbon cycle topic. In particular it supports teaching
and learning of the first content box.
The article provides a clear and detailed explanation of how carbon is stored in the atmosphere, in
addition to the terrestrial sink and oceans sink. The article also contains illustrations which could be
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used to design practice examination questions. Figure 1 provides a trend line which could be
described and explained. Figure 2 could be modified, for instance by removing some of the labels and
asking students to identify what they are. It would also be possible to devise a quantitative skills test
(such as calculating the maximum or minimum changes shown).
Question and answer Coastal systems and
landscapes

This is an Edexcel question that has many similarities to a WJEC or Eduqas question on the
same topic at AS and A-level. The advice on analysing data is very useful and could serve as
the basis for a skills lesson.
Question 1.6 can be modified and be used to serve as a mock examination question for WJEC and
Eduqas students. In order to modify the question appropriately, refer to the WJEC and Eduqas sample
assessment materials. First, we need to change the tariff. For instance, in the Eduqas A-level (paper
1), this question would be marked out of 15, and there would be 10 AO1 and 5 AO2 marks available.
The mark bands you use will need to reflect this. The question might be re-phrased as follows:
‘Assess the extent to which coastal flooding and erosion will become more common
occurrences over the coming decades.’
Is India a single place? Identity, development and
culture

Use this article for optional study of Economic growth and challenge in India on paper 4 of the
WJEC course, and paper 3 of the Eduqas course.
This article by Gill Miller provides excellent support for the topic. Candidates are expected to have
reflected in depth on the variability of the physical geography, human characteristics, distribution of
economic activity and varying environmental pressures in India. The article also uses the specialised
geographic concept of identity as one of its main elements. This is an approach that could be used
when answering essays about development, opportunities or challenges in India (ideally, any good
essay about India will be sensitive to local variations within the country).
Geographical ideas The concept of place: meaning,
representation and identity

This article links with the study of Changing places, in particular the second study box which
deals with place meanings and representations. The PowerPoint presentation which
accompanies this article and is available online can also be used.
This is a challenging new area of the A-level specification; the article provides useful background
reading for students who have not studied this topic before. Figure 1 is valuable because it draws the
attention of students to the way push and pull factors may not be ‘real’ but may instead be the
perceptions of particular groups of people. Figure 2 shows the wide variety of ways in which a single
place can be perceived by different groups of stakeholders. As an extension exercise, students might
like to devise a similar graphic — but for an urban place instead.
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Geographical skills Investigating landscapes

This article can support AS candidates who have exam questions linked to their fieldwork. It
may also provide inspiration for full A-level students who are attempting to devise their own
title for the individual investigation (NEA).
The diagrams show varying ways in which landscapes can be analysed graphically, including sketch
maps and a rose diagram showing corrie elevation and orientation. A good practice AS examination
question might be: ‘Explain the strengths of Figure 2 as a way of presenting physical geography
fieldwork data.’
Centrepiece The youngest glacier on Earth

This piece should be used by AS and A-level candidates who are studying Glacial landscapes.
The 1980 Mt St Helens eruption has given scientists a unique opportunity to study how glaciers
develop over time. The creation of a new north-facing crater after the explosion provided the perfect
conditions for fresh permanent ice growth. This article can support several parts of the Glacial
landscapes course. The case study has given us insight into how a glacier operates as a system (text
box 1) and glacier movement (text box 3). Mt St Helens could also be used as an interesting example
when studying the range of glacial environments.
Governing the global commons: Antarctica, the
Arctic and outer space compared

This article provides some support for the Global governance topic by explaining what is
meant by a ‘global commons’.
The material dealing with the Arctic Ocean and UNCLOS is directly relevant for the study of Earth's
oceans in the WJEC and Eduqas courses. Several questions for discussion are provided with this
article, and WJEC and Eduqas students may benefit from attempting questions 1, 3, 5 and 6.
Everybody’s talking about… Wicked problems

This article links to a number of topics including Global governance and Energy challenges
and dilemmas. The article also supports learners as they attempt to gain deeper
understanding of several specialized concepts including causality, feedback, interdependence
and globalisation.
The ‘wicked problems’ concept shows us how inherently complex many geographical issues really
are. Students can explore the large number of interconnections shown in Figure 2. From this, they
may try to identify what they think are the most important causes of continued fossil-fuel use. This
diagram and the accompanying article can also be used to support directly the (optional) study of
Energy challenges and dilemmas. Students could attempt the WJEC and Eduqas sample assessment
materials essay about the relationship between a country’s energy mix and its level of development.
Figure 2 might be used as the essay plan to help develop their understanding of this topic.
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Development update Why do children miss out on
school?

This Development Update has some relevance for Global governance and Economic growth
and challenges.
Education is a priority for countries where large numbers of people still living in poverty. Provision of
education is a key strategy to improve the sustainability of communities. This piece supports the study
of focus box 7 for India and China and focus box 14 (Africa), both of which examine strategies to
promote development.
Everybody’s talking about… The circular economy

Use this article for the study of Global governance of Earth's oceans (focus box 10: managing
ocean pollution).
The circular economy is an ambitious strategy which could ultimately eradicate plastic and other forms
of marine waste. Table 1 in the article shows us attempts to apply circular economy principles at
varying geographical scales. This could be used to help exemplify the way different geographic scales
of governments interact (an understanding of which is required by the specifications). The extent to
which solutions to our most pressing environmental problems should be government-led or left for
markets to solve is an important debate students might do well to engage with.
Giant icebergs and the carbon cycle

Use this article for Water and carbon cycle studies.
This article is particularly useful because of the way it explores how water and carbon cycles are
interrelated. It could be used to support the study of focus boxes 9 and 10 which look at the impact of
recent increases in the atmospheric carbon store on the water cycle and oceans, Eduqas students
must write a synoptic essay which draws on both water-cycle and carbon-cycle knowledge and
understanding. Use of this article might encourage students to think and write holistically. Figure 1 is a
useful visual representation that could be included possibly as part of an essay in a simplified form.
This resource is part of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts.
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