GCSE Geography and Beyond

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GCSE Geography and Beyond
WJEC B for September 2009 St Marys Catholic
High School
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Famous Geographers

• Nicholas David James Hodgson (born October 20,
  1977) is the drummer, backing vocalist and
  principal song-writer of English indie band
  Kaiser Chiefs. He went onto Trinity All Saints
  University College in Horsforth, Leeds where he
  studied Geography.

In 1981, Michael Jordan earned a basketball
scholarship to the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural
Geography.
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent CBE is an English
rowing champion, four-time Olympic gold medallist
and broadcaster. After finishing school, Pinsent
studied Geography at St Catherine's College,
Oxford.
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GCSE Geography

• What useful life skills will I acquire?
• Team work
• Creative thinking
• Independent enquiry skills
• How to solve problems and justify decisions made
  essential for most jobs and careers
• How to collect and interpret data through
  fieldwork.
• Using secondary data to find out about different
  peoples, cultures environments research and
  filtering skills
• Reflective, analytical skills and communication
  skills

Geography helps to develop broadminded and
capable independent learners who are better
equipped to cope with lifes challenges.
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GCSE GeographyWJEC B

• Unit titles
• People the Natural World
• Challenges of Living in a Built Environment
• People, Work Development

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People the Natural World

• Weather
• UK weather patterns, reasons for the weather we
  receive, The impact of weather events on people
  and the environment storms, hurricanes and
  droughts.
• Climate patterns Climatic changes
• Exploring how and why climate varies around the
  world.
• Global warming. Desertification. Rising sea
  levels. Acid rain. The impact of climate change
  on people and the environment.
• Ecosystems
• Tropical rainforest ecosystems. Desert
  ecosystems. The impact of human exploitation on
  natural systems, together with the role of
  sustainable development in future management
  decisions.

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• The Hydrosphere
• How water is transferred and stored on earth.
  Sources of water for human consumption.
• River Landscapes
• The formation of natural landforms like
  waterfalls and meanders. Flooding problems in the
  UK and worldwide. The impact of human use of
  river landscapes.
• Coastal landscapes
• Coastal processes and the formation of erosional
  and depositional landforms. How human activity
  impacts on the natural coastal system when used
  for tourism and industry. The management of
  rising sea levels and coastal towns.
• Water Management
• The challenge of providing enough water for our
  growing population.

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Challenges of Living in a Built Environment

• Quality of life issues
• Assessment of factors that affect our quality of
  life and standard of living, both in and out of
  our own control. Investigation into differences
  in standard of living, access to housing and
  environmental quality within UK towns and cities
• Changing urban environments
• Improving urban areas in the UK and overseas.
  London Docklands regeneration and improving the
  lives of people living in squatter settlements in
  Brazil.
• Population change
• Management of populations worldwide.
  Impact of aging UK
  population for future generations.
• Urban - Rural interaction
• Effect of counter-urbanisation on traditional
  local villages. Impact of migration on host
  countries. Rural depopulation in the UK and
  overseas. Housing mass migrants in overcrowded
  cities worldwide.

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People, Work Development

• Employment structures
• What jobs do people do in the UK and around the
  world. Factors that affect our access to work.
  Impact of technology on jobs and communities in
  regions of the UK.
• Trade and Aid
• How trade affects wealth. The role of Fair
  trade. The impact of globalisation on jobs,
  culture and industry in rich and poor countries.
  The notion of appropriate and inappropriate aid.
• Economic activities
• Types of work. Changes in industry and
  employment over time and its impact on
  communities. Impact of inward investment in South
  Wales and Swindon and impact of recession.
• Economic activity and the environment
• Impact of tourism on the environment

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Summary of Assessment
You will sit a total of two exam
papers Foundation Tier C G grade Higher Tier
A - D grade
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Should I choose Geography?

• Yes, IF one or all of the following apply to you
• You are interested in finding out about the world
  around you.
• You are not afraid of work hard.
• The topics studied are of interest to you.
• You want a qualification in a subject that will
  help you in a wide range of careers and areas of
  study
• You want a future employer to see you as a
  multi-skilled individual with an understanding of
  the world around them.