www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Volume 30, Number 4, April 2017
Exam links
Using this issue for AQA AS and
A-level geography
David Redfern
These notes link the content of the magazine to the new AQA specification (September 2016).
Article
Page
numbers
Links to specification content
The global carbon budget: the carbon
cycle and global warming
2–5
The water and carbon cycles (core)
0 Coastal systems and landscapes
6–9
Coastal systems and landscapes (core)
Is India a single place? Identity,
development and culture
10–13
Changing places (core)
Geographical ideas The concept of place:
meaning, representation and conflict
14–16
Changing places (core)
Geographical skills Investigating
landscapes
17–19
Landscape systems (core)
AS and A-level fieldwork
Centrepiece The youngest glacier on
Earth
20–21
Glacial systems and landscapes (core)
Hazards (physical option)
Governing the global commons:
Antarctica, the Arctic and outer space
compared
22–24
Global governance (core)
Everybody’s talking about… Wicked
problems
25–27
Connections and links across the whole
specification
Accessibility to health services: assessing
population patterns
28–31
Population and the environment (human
option)
Changing places (core)
Development update Why do children
miss out on school?
32–33
Global systems and global governance
(core)
Everybody’s talking about… The circular
economy
34–36
Population and the environment and
Resource security (human options)
Connections and links across the whole
specification
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Giant icebergs and the carbon cycle
37–41
Glacial systems and landscapes (core)
Water and carbon cycles (core)
The big picture Desalination and water
security
42
Resource security (human option)
The global carbon budget: the carbon cycle and
global warming
The title of this article alone indicates that it will be highly relevant and useful to students of the core
topic The water and carbon cycles. It summarises concisely many of the carbon-related processes
studied in more detail in class (those involving producing carbon and those involving absorbing
carbon), with a focus on the outcomes of those processes — the global carbon budget.
There is a slight variation in the interpretation of this term by the author compared to other sources.
This author states that the carbon budget should refer to the amount of carbon that the atmosphere
can retain to ‘hold’ the rise in global temperatures to 2oC by the end of the century — 800 billion
tonnes of extra carbon. Other sources simply state that the carbon budget is the net balance of stores
and flows in the system. The article concludes with a brief summary of the measures that could be
taken to reduce carbon storage in the atmosphere, which, if its increase is unchecked, will lead to
more global warming.
The article is essential reading for all AS and A-level students.
Question and answer Coastal systems and
landscapes
This piece is essential reading for all students of the AS and A-level core topic: Coastal systems and
landscapes. The question examined in detail is one of the Sample Assessment Materials (SAMs) that
AQA has published for the AS examination.
Teachers and students should take note of the varying nature of the examination questions, and
recognise the different demands that they make. The first three questions (some involving multiplechoice responses) assess knowledge, whereas the fourth assesses geographical skills. There is also
some excellent advice here concerning the interpretation of numerical data. The final essay question
is much more complex, requiring the interplay of knowledge and understanding and evaluation. As
with all longer response questions, a key element will be the degree to which a logical argument can
be constructed, and an overall judgement made.
Students are strongly advised to study the questions, the sample answers and the commentary on
them.
Is India a single place? Identity, development and
culture
This article will be of some use for the discussions within class concerning the key geographical
concept of ‘Identity’ within the core topic of Changing places. It examines the themes of identity and
culture within a national context (India), and also within a wider developmental context. Identity in India
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can possibly be defined by a number of criteria — language, religion, the caste system, gender and
even sport and film. It is a complex phenomenon which is influenced by internal factors within India as
well as other factors from beyond.
At the start of the article Box 1 provides a quote about India; here is another: ‘India is not a nation, nor
a country. It is a subcontinent of nationalities’ (Muhammad Ali Jinnah). The study of identity in an
Indian context certainly presents challenges.
Geographical ideas The concept of place: meaning,
representation and conflict
This is the second Geographical Ideas column examining the concept of place in this volume,
reinforcing the importance of the ‘new’ concept of Place in the new specifications. This piece
examines the concept in a theoretical manner, by looking at ‘meaning’ and ‘representation’ and
considering how different views of people regarding these can lead to disagreement. As the author
suggests at the outset, these are more subjective than the previous ‘real’ characteristics of a place
examined in issue 2.
Often the starting point for studying the meaning and representation of place is through qualitative
sources such as books, art, music and other forms of media such as film and television. It should also
be recognised that outcomes are often individual and personal, which are sometimes difficult to
manage when opinions vary.
This excellent article reviews such ‘conflicts’, and other factors that play a role. Equally, a variety of
stakeholders (or players) may be involved and this can create a ‘contested place’. The article ends
with a brief study of a hypothetical rural place where different views can exist, and develop over time.
It is suggested that students consider the themes contained within this article in the context of their
two local place studies, both in terms of accessing such information and how it may lead to ‘conflict’.
Geographical skills Investigating landscapes
All AS and A-level students must study a landscape system — either coastal or glacial at AS, or
coastal, glacial or hot desert at A-level. This piece provides some examples of how students can
develop their study of aspects of either a glacial or a coastal landscape in an investigative sense.
Several ideas for investigating each of corries, drumlins, rip-rap stones used in coastal management
and scree slopes are provided. As is pointed out, each of these are small elements within a larger
landscape, which may indeed be heavily influenced by people. Nevertheless, they each constitute an
interesting area of study, possibly for the independent enquiry.
Centrepiece The youngest glacier on Earth
Many students will know of Mt St Helens — the scene of one of the most explosive volcanic eruptions
on the planet, recorded on video to be shown later in many a geography classroom. Perhaps what is
less known is the degree to which glaciers were on the flanks of the mountain before the eruption, and
how glaciers have developed subsequently. This interesting Centrepiece provides an insight into both
of these.
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Governing the global commons: Antarctica, the
Arctic and outer space compared
This article is ideally suited to the AQA A-level specification in its examination of the core topic Global
governance, with particular regard to the global commons and Antarctica. It is essential reading for all
A-level students.
The continent of Antarctica is examined first in terms of its environmental characteristics and its
governance under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty System. The author then moves to the northern
pole and examines the characteristics and legal status of the Arctic Ocean and its governance under
the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Finally the notion that
outer space too is a global commons is discussed, with its governance under the Outer Space Treaty.
The article ends with a comparison of each of these three zones and their respective governance.
Everybody’s talking about… Wicked problems
This is the first of two pieces in this issue that may initially seem to have no direct link to the AQA
specification in a content sense. However, they do have a significant link to the assessment model for
the specification.
The author references an important section in the 2016 geography A-level subject criteria. Let me add
another from the Ofqual GCE Subject Level Guidance for Geography. Here, under Assessment
Objective 2, it is stated:
‘The emphasis in this assessment objective is on application. For each set of assessments,
this should involve the Learner working with their knowledge and understanding as well as
showing critical thinking skills.’
The recognition of the complexity of the real world, that different factors and participants (or players)
have varying influences and roles in a wide number of geographical issues, and that these may vary
over space and time, is fundamental to ‘critical thinking’ in geography. This complexity of thought
(previously referred to as synopticity) is an integral part of studying geography and its assessment.
Students would do well to take note of the insight into, and advice regarding, complexity per se and
complex geographical systems contained within this excellent piece.
Accessibility to health services: assessing
population patterns
This article has limited relevance to the AQA specification. Only in the human option of Population and
the environment do health and health issues feature, but not in terms of healthcare and health
services. However, some of the population characteristics concerning access to healthcare and
services could form part of a detailed examination of place (Changing places). This could be in the
context of one, or more, of the local place studies, or indeed form part of an independent enquiry.
Should either of these two types of investigation be based in the UK, then the additional material
contained in the PowerPoint presentation available at:
https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Magazines/Magazines-extras/Geography-Review-extras may also
be useful. The article does provide some useful background information on this area of study.
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Development update Why do children miss out on
school?
This short piece will be of interest to all students with an interest in development issues. Although it is
not directly linked to any specific part of the AQA specification, there are clear references to Global
systems and Global governance as well as to underlying attitudes to education. The author refers to
the Millennium Development Goals and the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals, both part of
the global governance undertaken by the United Nations whereby targets for improvement have been
set. She then identifies and discusses a number of key actions that are necessary for these targets to
be met. Some of these actions can be linked to identity, some to culture, and some to development.
Once again students should be encouraged to reflect on how various factors interconnect to make the
provision of education for all achievable.
Everybody’s talking about… The circular economy
Please see the comments on the ‘Wicked problems’ piece above.
This piece is slightly different from the ‘Wicked problems’ column in the sense that some of the
geographical content can be seen to be relevant to two of the human options on the AQA
specification: Population and the environment (the limits to growth section) and Resource security
(resource management). That said, the key aspects of this article that all students of A-level
geography should take on board is the need to examine issues holistically and to consider alternative
perspectives and solutions. As the author points out, there are several links here to the key
geographical concepts of systems, sustainability and interdependence. It would be interesting to know
if today’s young adults have the same commitment to sustainability that the so-called millennials are
reported to have, as stated herein.
Giant icebergs and the carbon cycle
As with the first article in this issue, it is clear from the title where the relevance of this article lies: the
Core topics of The water and carbon cycles and Glacial systems and landscapes. The article presents
an interesting locational context where these two topic areas overlap – Antarctica and the Southern
Ocean.
The connection between icebergs and the carbon cycle is fascinating and certainly this writer was
unaware of both its occurrence and its significance. The connection is associated with increases in
phytoplankton production in the wake of a moving iceberg, fed by nutrients leaking from the melting
iceberg. The phytoplankton absorb carbon as they grow, and when they die, the carbon is deposited
on the ocean floor, adding to the ‘carbon sink’ effect of the world’s oceans.
The article is recommended reading for all AS and A-level students, who may as a result be able to
demonstrate evidence of wider reading in their examination responses.
The big picture Desalination and water security
This short piece will be of interest to students of the A-level human option Resource security in which
aspects of water security have to be examined. As is stated, due to heavy investment in desalination
technology and hardware, Israel has moved from a position of water deficit to one of water surplus.
This has come with some environmental cost and also, it could be argued, with some political cost.
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Indeed, it could be asked whether such water benefits will now be shared with the significantly acute
water-deficit area immediately to the south of Israel — Gaza.
This resource is part of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts.
To subscribe to the full magazine go to: http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
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