Life after Levels - curriculum content and exemplar material Year 7 Autumn Term
Geography
Locational knowledge
Place knowledge
Human and Physical
Geography
Mastered
I can begin explaining
the location of places
at a range of scales
and within a context
(e.g. SW of the
continent, within the
country of...). I can
describe human and
physical characteristics
with some use of basic
place specific detail.
I can begin to offer
explanations and
examples for
similarities,
differences and links
between places
through the study of
human and physical
Geography.
I can describe and
explain a range of
physical and human
geography and their
associated processes.
I am able to give basic
explanations of how
physical processes
affect the natural
environment and how
human activities rely
on effective
functioning of natural
systems.
Geographical skills
and fieldwork –
Globes, Maps and
Atlas skills
I am able to use an
index and six figure
grid references to
accurately locate
places in an atlas. I can
identify a range of
geographical features
with use of the key.
Secure
I can demonstrate
Locational knowledge
at a basic range of
scales and can
describe their
associated human and
physical
characteristics,
countries and major
cities.
Developing
I can describe basic
features of a location
in a way which
demonstrates a very
basic spatial
awareness of
continents or oceans
at a large scale.
Emerging
I can locate the UK and
London on a map and
begin to use compass
points to describe
location.
I can describe
similarities,
differences and links
between places
through the study of
human and physical
Geography.
I can give basic
descriptions of
similarities,
differences and links
between places
through the study of
human and physical
Geography
I can describe basic
differences and
similarities in the
physical geography of
two places
I can describe and
offer basic
explanations of
physical and human
geography and their
associated processes.
I am able to give basic
descriptions of how
physical processes
affect the natural
environment and very
basic way in which
human activities rely
on effective
functioning of natural
systems.
I am able to identify
countries and
geographical features,
such as the equator
and poles. I can
recognise mountains
and various other
geographical features
with use of the key. I
can reference location
using latitude and
longitude.
I can differentiate
between physical and
human geography and
describe features and
elements of both.
I can pick out basic
differences in the
physical or human
geography of places.
I can recognise and
point out basic links
between physical and
human processes.
I can recognise and
point out physical and
human features.
I am familiar with the
concept of latitude
and longitude and able
to identify these upon
a globe. I can also use
the key within an Atlas
to identify and name
points of interest.
I am able to use a
contents page in order
to find maps within an
atlas. I can recognise
oceans and land and
identify major cities
and countries and
continents.
Life after Levels - curriculum content and exemplar material Year 7 Autumn Term
Ordnance Survey (OS)
Skills
Mastered
I am able to describe
place on an OS map
using a combination of
6 figure grid
references, place
detail and
topographical data.
Geographical
Information Systems
I can analyse Google
Earth to identify scale,
distance and direction
and give detailed
geographical
explanations for the
occurrence of physical
and human features in
specific places.
Fieldwork, Data
Collection and
Analysis Skills
I can collect simple
fieldwork data and
represent it using
basic presentation
methods. I am able to
analyse this to
describe differences in
the results, quoting
statistics, and offer
explanations for the
patterns in order to
draw simple
conclusions.
Secure
I am able to locate and
describe place using
accurate 6 figure grid
references and can
draw conclusions
about a landscape
from simple contour
lines.
I can analyse Google
Earth to identify and
describe the human
and physical
characteristics of
places at a range of
scales and give
geographical
explanations for their
occurrence.
I can collect simple
fieldwork data and
represent it using
basic presentation
methods. I can use this
to describe differences
in the results quoting
statistics.
Developing
I can use 8 figure
compass directions
and use an OS map
key to identify a range
of features. I can
locate place using 6
figure grid references.
Emerging
I can use basic
compass directions,
recognise basic OS
symbol and can read 4
figure grid references.
I can view places using
Google Earth to
identify features at a
range of scales from
continents to cities,
rivers to oceans and
mountains.
I can view places using
Google Earth to
identify basic features
e.g. Oceans,
continents and
countries.
I can collect simple
fieldwork data and
represent it using
basic presentation
methods e.g. bar
charts.
I can collect simple
fieldwork data and
present this using a
prepared scaffolded
presentation method
e.g. bar chart with
scale and axis pre
drawn.
Life after Levels - curriculum content and exemplar material Year 7 Autumn Term
Mastered – Geography of Wonder Postcard Task
The following postcard is written well with good punctuation, grammar and spelling as expected of a ‘Mastered’
literacy level for Year 7 Geography.
Location Knowledge - Mastered
This student explains location of New York at a range of scales and within a continental context e.g. “NE of the N
American continent, within the country of the USA”. They also describe human and physical characteristics using
basic place specific detail, “8.2 million people”.
Place Knowledge - Mastered
The student begin to offer explanations and examples for similarities, differences and links between places
through the study of human and physical Geography e.g. “the grand statue of liberty is a human geographical
aspect, because many people visit it and is a large part of the tourism industry in the city.”
Human & Physical Geography – Mastered
The student describes and explain a range of physical and human geography “The Hudson River splits New York in
half” and by making the links between New York’s landmarks and its tourist industry or its population density,
“New York is a vast city, crammed with people (8.2million) in a relatively small size (470 Sq/m).”
Life after Levels - curriculum content and exemplar material Year 7 Autumn Term
Secured – Geography of Wonder Postcard Task
Again this postcard is written well with good spelling, punctuation and grammar in line with a ‘Secured’ literacy
level for Year 7 Geography. Although it makes some good links between a the statue of liberty, and its associated
popularity with tourists creating jobs in New York, it lacks the location knowledge or explanation of Physical
geography and its links to New York’s features to attain the Mastered level.
Location Knowledge - Secure
This student explains location at a basic range of scales, e.g. “Continent of North America” and can describe their
associated human and physical characteristics, e.g. “biggest city in the USA”. To improve to mastered this student
should refer to its location at more ranges of scale or within different contexts, as the above student did. For
instance by saying, ‘it lies on the Western Atlantic Ocean’ or ‘to the North East of the North American Continent’.
Place Knowledge - Mastered
The student begin to offer explanations and examples for similarities, differences and links between places
through the study of human and physical Geography e.g. “This is because it a major tourist attraction and people
invest money to see it and this creates more jobs.” This could be improved further by developing discussion of its
physical features with more depth and place specific detail.
Human & Physical Geography - Secure
Overall this student offers basic explanations of physical and human geography and their associated processes,
although their explanation of the human features is stronger. They refer to the Hudson River in simple terms as a
physical feature, “because the river is natural” but offer a stronger explanation of the Statue of Liberty and how
this is linked to its tourism industry and subsequently, “this creates more jobs”. If the Postcard had more
explanation of the physical geography or the links between New York’s physical and human geography, as the
above student does by linking population in a small area to the fact it is densely populated (“crammed”), this
student would have attained mastered for this section.