www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview
Volume 30, Number 1, September 2016
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 for teaching from
September 2016.
Article
Page
numbers
Links to specification content
Forced migrants in the UK
2–5
Geographical skills What is a
geographical enquiry?
Geographical ideas Mitigation
or adaptation?
Changing urban places: a
case study of Wollongong
Climate change update
Understanding the 2015 Paris
Agreement
Centrepiece 30 years of
Geography Review
Question and answer Tectonic
hazards
Energy matters Cheap oil: is it
a good thing?
Geographical ideas
Understanding our place in the
world
Tornadoes in the British Isles
Natural flood management:
what solutions does it offer?
Geographical ideas
OpenStreetMap: a new way of
mapping the world
The big picture Blood Falls,
Antarctica
6–8
12–17
Population and the environment (human option)
Global systems (core)
Changing places (core)
Fieldwork investigation A-level
(Fieldwork for AS)
Key concepts that connect and link several units
and options
Changing places (core)
18–19
The water and carbon cycles (core)
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9–11
20–21
22–25
26–27
Hazards (physical option)
Examination technique in general
Resource security (human option)
28–29
Changing places (core)
30–34
35–39
The water and carbon cycles (core)
40–41
Geographical skills and fieldwork
42
Glacial systems and landscapes (physical option)
Global governance (core)
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Forced migrants in the UK
This article is of direct relevance to the human option Population and the environment, in particular the
overview of refugee movement and asylum applications around the world. In this global context, it
could also support work examining the social and cultural aspects of globalisation within Global
systems. The second part of the piece regarding refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and the
small case study of ‘City of Sanctuary’ in Sheffield may support some work in the Changing places
section of the course.
Geographical skills What is a geographical enquiry?
Students embarking on geography A-level this year will be aware that at the end of their course they
have to submit a 3,000–4,000 word report on an individual investigation of their own choosing. This
column is the first in a series providing advice and support for students undertaking fieldwork
investigations. The piece explains what an independent investigation is, and explains the key features
of the enquiry process. It is essential reading for all A-level geography students, and should be kept
for future use.
Students completing an AS course will also be expected to have completed a piece of fieldwork and
written it up, albeit in a reduced manner. This column in Geography Review issue 2 looks at this work
in more detail.
Geographical ideas Mitigation or adaptation?
One of the key elements of the new A-level specifications is the need for students to appreciate that
underlying geographical concepts permeate all aspects of the subject. The ALCAB report produced for
the new specifications identified 13 such concepts. They may feature in the content of the
specification, or in the examination questions based on the content, and there will be an expectation
student answers to those questions should show an understanding of such concepts.
This column is the first in a series looking at these underlying concepts in detail. It seeks to explain the
meaning of two concepts, how they interconnect and how they can be applied to a range of
geographical contexts (though it does not cover not all that are possible). It should be essential
reading for all A-level and AS students.
Changing urban places: a case study of
Wollongong.
This article provides an interesting insight into a ‘distant’ place that could supplement the work of
students on to the core topic of Changing places. Wollongong is probably too large scale for the
precise case-study requirements of the AQA specification, it could well be used to illustrate key
concepts such as identity and representation. The way in which it considers the various forms and
strategies of re-imaging that Wollongong has undergone in recent decades is particularly useful.
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Climate change update Understanding the 2015
Paris agreement
This piece will be of interest to all students with views about climate change and what can be done to
mitigate it or adapt to it (see earlier). Furthermore, one of the key aspects of the core physical section
of the AQA specification, The water and carbon cycles, is to examine the ‘Human interventions in the
carbon cycle designed to influence carbon transfers and mitigate the effects of climate change’. The
COP 21 meeting in December 2015 is an example of such an intervention. Professor Castree
examines the underlying issues leading up to the meeting, summarises its main outcomes and
assesses the chances of them being a success. Towards the end of the article there is a wonderful
quotation from climate scientist Kevin Anderson that I challenge examination boards to use for a ‘To
what extent do you agree…’ type question. If they don’t use it, schools surely could internally.
Centrepiece 30 years of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW
Though obviously not directly linked to the AQA specification, this Centrepiece demonstrates how
relevant geography is to our lives and how many of the issues we face today (such as deforestation,
climate change and globalisation) either have their parallels in the past or are ongoing.
Question and answer Tectonic hazards
Although this excellent Question and Answer makes use of a sample set of questions for the new
Edexcel AS this does not mean that AQA students should not read it. Advice on examination
technique is generic, and the format of examination papers and their mark schemes are becoming
increasingly similar between the examination boards. In addition, the context of the question is likely to
be familiar to many AQA AS and A-level students. Students should take note of the advice on different
question types, how to respond to them, and what needs to be done to address the variety of
command words used. This is essential reading for all students.
Energy matters Cheap oil: is it a good thing?
This short piece will be of use to those students studying the human option Resource security where
there are clearly identified sections on ‘The concept of resource peak’, and ‘Energy security’, including
‘Energy supplies in a globalising world’. The column provides an excellent discussion to show that
something many people would imagine to be good for the world — cheap oil — might in fact be quite
the opposite. It also illustrates well how political, economic and environmental elements interconnect
on the global and national scales. However, a counterview might be that TNCs and global capitalism
have far too much influence on the lives of individuals.
Geographical ideas Understanding our place in the
world
Changing places is one of the new areas of study for all A-level and AS level students this year, and
indeed that may be the case for many teachers. This article examines what the word ‘place’ now
means in geographical study and emphasises the role played by the late Doreen Massey in its
conceptual development. Students of the AQA specification will recognise certain words in this piece
which feature in their conceptual study of place — insider, outsider, interdependence, perception,
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place marketing and experience. Consequently, this should be essential reading for students and
teachers alike.
Tornadoes in the British Isles.
This article has no direct link to the AQA specification.
Natural flood management: what solutions does it
offer?
In the physical core topic The water and carbon cycles students are required to study ‘Changes in the
water cycle over time to include natural variation including storm events, seasonal changes and
human impact including farming practices, land-use change and water abstraction.’ This article
examines the management of storm events which impact severely on some parts of the UKs. In
particular, it looks at the ways in which such events, which create high levels of discharge and often
involve large deposits of sediment, can be managed naturally using catchment-based flood
management, often involving ‘soft engineering’ methods. The means by which each of attenuation,
runoff reduction, flood water storage and a reduction in the speed of flow can be achieved are
examined in detail. One of the main issues concerns whether or not such strategies, which appear to
work well over small areas and in small catchments, can work just as well in larger catchments. This is
an interesting article which should stimulate debate within this core area of study.
Geographical ideas OpenStreetMap: a new way of
mapping the world
As with all specifications, the AQA specification requires the development of ICT skills which should
include ‘innovative sources of data such as crowd sourcing and “big data”’. OpenStreetMap (OSM) is
one example of crowd sourcing within a mapping framework. All sorts of geographical information can
be referenced and shared — ‘making mapping cool’ being a central thrust. This article provides the
story of the development of OSM and the ways in which its use has spread. After reading it many
students might be tempted to download and use it. This reviewer has already done the former.
The big picture Blood Falls, Antarctica
This photograph will be of interest to students of the physical option Glacial systems and landscapes
as it shows an interesting aspect of outputs from a glacial system. It also illustrates a key reason why
Antarctica should be protected as a global common — scientific research. Hence it is equally
appropriate for the human core section of Global governance.
This resource is part of GEOGRAPHY REVIEW, a magazine written for A–level students by subject experts.
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