Geography

Geography


Geography is all about our amazing planet and the incredible physical processes that shape and form it, from plate tectonics and the rock cycle through to glacial erosion and extreme weather systems (and everything in-between!). But geography is also about how we interact with our physical environment and the social environments and patterns that we create such as population dynamics, changes in cities and employment structures and how we find new ways to feed 8 billion people.


Geography is a diverse, exciting and multidisciplinary subject that has something for everyone. In our Geography lessons we seek to understand the incredible human and physical world around us, in all its complexities. As Geographers, we are investigators or detectives. By studying patterns and trends, landforms and geophysical events we can work out how our amazing planet works and how and why people live, work, move on it and interact with it and how we can ultimately work for a more sustainable relationship with it.


Geography is a core subject studied by all students in Year 1 and 2 (KS3) and offered as an option at GCSE and A Level. It is highly valued both by universities and employers alike.



Please see a brief outline of the school’s Geography curriculum below. For more details about the curriculum, plus information on field trips, revision resources and Geography in the news, please see the department’s dedicated website: www.thecedarsgeography.com



Lower School (Years 7 and 8)


Students study a range of physical and human geography topics in Year 7 and 8, alongside developing their place knowledge and data analysis skills through the study of a wide range of geographical sources and data.


Topics include:

  • Introduction to Geographical Skills
  • Plate Tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes
  • The Geography of the UK
  • Ice on the land: glaciation
  • The rise of the megacity: settlement and urbanisation over time
  • Water on the land: rivers, floods and landforms
  • Uneven world: International Development
  • An introduction to geology
  • Precious planet: the importance of natural resources
  • Burning planet: why climate change is such a pressing issue



GCSE (Years 9, 10 and 11)


In Year 9 we begin studying for the international GCSE (IGCSE) where we delve deeper into human and physical geography topics and introduce new economic geography topics such as food production, industry and tourism. Much more global in focus than other GCSEs, it is an especially diverse and highly topical curriculum that draws on many case studies from around the planet and it is becoming an increasingly popular option for environmentally and socially conscious students.


At IGCSE level, there is a much stronger emphasis on developing Geographical skills, including data analysis, image analysis, map skills, mathematical skills and fieldwork skills. IGCSE Geography is taught as a three-year programme and incorporates a compulsory 2 or 3 day residential field trip to the south coast to practise fieldwork and data collection/ analysis techniques. You can find more information about the curriculum on the department website and the CIE IGCSE syllabus we follow can be found here: Cambridge IGCSE syllabus.



A-Level (Years 12 and 13)


A-Level Geography offers an in-depth and highly analytical study of both human and physical geography themes, building on the broad foundation of the IGCSE but introducing much more detailed analysis and far greater debate. We follow the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) A-Level at The Cedars, in order to offer our students the broadest, most contemporary and most global A-Level option. The course incorporates field work but has no compulsory coursework component, and remains one of the most highly regarded subjects at A-Level due to its multidisciplinary content and skills, and the broad-minded approach of its students.


Topics you can look forward to studying at A-Level include:

Core Physical Geography

  • Hydrology and fluvial geomorphology
  • Atmosphere and weather
  • Rocks and weathering

Core Human Geography

  • Population
  • Migration
  • Settlement dynamics

Advanced Physical Geography

  • Coastal environments
  • Hazardous environments

Advanced Human Geography

  • Environmental management
  • Economic transition


For more details about Year 7-13 Geography curriculum please head to the departmental website at: www.thecedarsgeography.com


Share by: