Chelmsford County High School for Girls

A foundation grammar school and specialist college

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Subjects

Geography - Sixth Form

A Geography photo
Aims of the Course

Geography is an integral part of all our lives and the course aims to stimulate and develop students' interest in people, places and environments. In order to understand the complex inter-relationships between people and their environment, it is essential to have knowledge and understanding of physical and human processes: a geography course provides this.

In fieldwork, practical work and class work the course provides many opportunities to develop key skills considered vital in further education and employment. Students learn how to collect, present, analyse and interpret data and how to communicate their findings in numerical, written and spoken form. The course promotes an investigative approach and students often work in teams where they have to think creatively and critically in order to work out strategies and solve problems. ICT is used regularly in a wide variety of situations.

The breadth of subject matter and approach is a great strength of Geography and it combines well with many other Sixth Form subjects. By the end of the course we expect students not only to have a wide range of transferable skills but also a knowledge and understanding of the world which will enable them to contribute equally to a local planning enquiry relating to flood plain developments as to a debate on global warming.

Subject Combinations

At university Geography is studied with a huge variety of other subjects. The subject combinations both influence and are influenced by post A Level courses and careers. For instance, students who studied A Level Geography and went on to do Geography degrees in recent years are now working in planning (City of Birmingham), conservation (Woodland Trust), publishing, accountancy, estate management (Strutt & Parker), actuarial work, journalism (Financial Times) and marketing. Other students used A Level Geography as an entry requirement for other degree courses and are now working in civil engineering, oil exploration, the civil service, banking and E.U. administration. New GIS (Geographical Information Systems) courses provide graduates with vocational skills.

AS Geography Field Trip to North Yorkshire

Students spend one week in North Yorkshire looking at a variety of places to give real case studies for their 'AS' and 'A' Level examinations. Some of the work completed includes:

  • River measurements in Iburndale
  • Sand dune cross-sections at Coatham Sands
  • Weathering at Whitby Abbey
  • Deciduous woodland measurements at Newton House Woods
  • Settlement studies at Sleights
  • Coastal studies at Robin Hood's Bay
  • Changes in farming in the area
Scheme of Assessment:

We follow the OCR Geography Syllabus A: (AS) 3832 & (A2) 7832

AS
Module 1 - The Physical Environment
eg. hydrology; ecosystems; plate tectonics; atmospheric systems.
Module 2 - The Human Environment
eg. population policies, fertility and mortality and impacts on it e.g. Aids; urban problems; rural decline.
Module 3 - Geographical Investigation
This focuses on practical work and fieldwork and on the accessing and analysis of many sources and types of data. It includes a 1000 word fieldwork report, based on work carried out on a residential fieldcourse.
A2
Module 4 - Options in Physical and Human geography
Two options will be chosen from a range on offer and will be studied in greater depth. Options include coasts; hydrology; agriculture and food.
Module 5 - Synoptic Geography
Again two options will be chosen, focusing on geographical issues eg. living in hazardous environments or on specific regions eg. European Union. Students will need to apply knowledge, understanding and skills learned throughout the course.
Module 6 - Investigative Skills
Students submit a short (1,000 word) report on a fieldwork investigation. In the examination they answer further questions on their fieldwork and on other provided data.

Lots of online resources are made available to CCHS students on the school Intranet.

It is expected that students applying for this course will have achieved an A* -B grade in GCSE Geography.

For further details please see Mr D. Turrell, Head of Geography