We live in a world of amazing beauty, infinite complexity and rigorous challenge. Geography is the subject which opens the door to this dynamic world and prepares students for the role of global citizen in the 21^st century. Through studying geography, students begin to appreciate how places and landscapes are formed, how people and environments interact, what consequences arise from our everyday decisions, and what a diverse range of cultures and societies exist and interconnect.

In Geography we like to get students to ask and formulate questions, develop their intellectual skills and find answers to issues affecting their lives. It introduces them to distinctive investigative tools such as maps, fieldwork and the use of powerful digital communication technologies such a GIS. It opens their eyes to the beauty and wonder around them and acts as a source of inspiration and creativity. More than this, it ensures that they appreciate the complexity of attitudes and values which shape the way we use and misuse the environment. Through geography, Hurstmere’s students learn to value and care for the planet and all its inhabitants.

Here at Hurstmere, we want our geography students "to know and care about the world we live in". Therefore, we want our geographers to: 

On a global scale: 

• To have knowledge and processes of how the world is shaped. 
• To become global citizens 
• To be in awe and wonder of the world 
• To understand sustainability and the future of the world 
• To have cultural awareness and diversity. 

On a national scale: 

• To have knowledge and processes of how the UK is shaped. 
• To have cultural understanding of the people of the UK. 
• To have historical understanding of the shape and make-up of the UK. 

Develop geographical skills: 

• Students should leave with the ability to apply geographical skills to their everyday life. 

• Mr Baston – Geography Department Curriculum Lead  
• Mr Maher – Geograpy Teacher and Raising Standards Lead 
• Mr Monksfield - Geograpy Teacher and Raising Standards Lead 
• Mr Giddings – Geography Teacher and Department Trainee Teacher Lead 

More information about the topics listed can be found in the Student Resources area of Sharepoint.

Please find below everything you need to know about the GCSE Geography course we do here at Hurstmere:

Examination Board: AQA

Syllabus Number: 8035

Course content:

This GCSE Geography course covers areas in physical and human geography incorporated into a series of themes.  Students will travel the world from the classroom, exploring case studies in the United Kingdom (UK), newly emerging economies (NEEs) and lower income countries (LICs). Topics of study include climate change, poverty, deprivation, global shifts in economic power and the challenge of sustainable resource use. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes.  It is available as an option subject at GCSE.   Throughout the two years students will study a variety of topics:

Living with the physical environment

• The challenge of natural hazards
• Physical landscapes in the UK
• The living world

Challenges in the human environment

• Urban issues and challenges
• The changing economic world
• Challenge of resource management

Geographical applications

• Section A: Issue evaluation
• Section B: Fieldwork

Geographical skills

• Geographical skills (Ordnance Survey map work, photographic interpretation satellite imaging and data interpretation.)

Assessment structure:

Assessment will include three final examinations:

• Paper One (35%) :  The challenge of natural hazards, Physical landscapes in the UK, The living world, and Geographical skills.
   
• Paper Two (35%): Urban issues and challenges, The changing economic world, The challenge of resource management, and Geographical skills
   
• Paper Three(30%) : Issue evaluation, Fieldwork, and Geographical skills

Geographical skills check list:

The following skills will be acquired by students studying GCSE Geography:

Cartographic skills

• use and understand gradient, contour and spot height on OS maps and other isoline maps (eg weather charts, ocean bathymetric charts)
• interpret cross sections and transects
• use and understand coordinates, scale and distance
• describe and interpret geo-spatial data presented in a GIS framework (eg analysis of flood hazard using the interactive maps on the Environment Agency website)

Graphical skills

• select and construct appropriate graphs and charts to present data, using appropriate scales and including bar charts, pie charts, pictograms, line charts, histograms with equal class intervals
• interpret and extract information from different types of graphs and charts including any of the above and others relevant to the topic (e.g. triangular graphs, radial graphs, wind rose diagrams, proportional symbols)
• interpret population pyramids, choropleth maps and flow-line maps

Numerical skills

• demonstrate an understanding of number, area and scale and the quantitative relationships between units
• design fieldwork data collection sheets and collect data with an understanding of accuracy, sample size and procedures, control groups and reliability
• understand and correctly use proportion and ratio, magnitude and frequency (e.g. 1:200 flood; and logarithmic scales such as the Richter scale, in orders of magnitude)
• draw informed conclusions from numerical data

Statistical skills

• use appropriate measures of central tendency, spread and cumulative frequency (median, mean, range, quartiles and inter-quartile range, mode and modal class)
• calculate percentage increase or decrease and understand the use of percentiles
• describe relationships in bivariate data: sketch trend lines through scatter plots; draw estimated lines of best fit; make predictions; interpolate and extrapolate trends
• be able to identify weaknesses in selective statistical presentation of data

More information about the topics listed can be found in the Student Resources area of Sharepoint.