What is A Level Geography? Many students who are new to the subject or studied it at GCSE want to know what it’s like. A Level Geography is one of the most versatile and useful subjects available. No other qualification brings together physical science, human science, data analysis and real-world exploration in the way A Level Geography does. You’ll develops skills in critical analysis, spatial thinking, data interpretation and extended essay writing, all of which are highly valued by universities and employers across a huge range of fields.
What do you study in A Level Geography?
A Level Geography is divided into two main branches: physical geography and human geography. AQA assesses both across two exam papers, with an independent non-examined assessment (NEA) component completed during the course. You’ll cover a wide range of interconnected topics that build into a coherent picture of how the world works.
Physical Geography
Physical geography explores the processes that shape the natural world.
Water and Carbon Cycles examines how water and carbon move between the atmosphere, land, ocean and living organisms, and what happens when those cycles are disrupted by climate change. This topic sits at the heart of contemporary environmental debates on mitigating global carbon cycle changes.
Coastal Systems and Landscapes looks at the processes of erosion, transportation and deposition that form our coastlines, and considers how coastal environments can be managed as sea levels rise. Not only will you look at how the coast of the UK has evolved over many years, you also have the chance to study coastal landscapes abroad, such as in Odisha in India.
Glacial Systems and Landscapes explores how ice shapes the land: from glacier formation to the distinctive landforms left behind as ice retreats. Glacial landscapes are some of the most beautiful in the world, and you’ll get to study exactly how they came to be.
Hazards covers the physical processes behind tectonic and atmospheric hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical storms and wildfires. You’ll look at how humans around the world have adapted to a variety of natural hazards, alongside some of the biggest case studies in recent times, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Tohoku tsunami in Japan.
Human Geography
Human geography examines the relationship between people, places and the forces that shape our world. This may be an area of particular interest to students who are studying politics or economics.
Changing Places, a favourite of our founder Leo, is one of the most unique topics in A Level Geography. It asks you to think critically about what gives a ‘place’ its identity, and how that identity changes over time through migration, investment and regeneration. Our dedicated Changing Places post explores how to approach this topic in exams. You’ll study a ‘near’ place, maybe the town your school is in, along with a ‘far’ place, analysing the differences between the two.
Global Systems and Global Governance explores patterns of globalisation, international trade and migration, and the political frameworks that govern global relationships. Since the world is more interconnected than ever before, changes on a global scale can have impacts that stretch across continents.
Contemporary Urban Environments looks at how and why cities grow, the challenges they face (including inequality, deprivation and environmental pressures) and how urban planning can address them. This is a fantastic topic to learn if you are interested in a career in town planning or engineering.
How is A Level Geography assessed?
AQA A Level Geography is assessed through two written papers and a non-examined assessment (NEA). Papers 1 and 2 cover physical and human geography respectively. The NEA is a 3,000 to 4,000 word independent investigation, worth 20% of the final grade. This is completed during the course, and gives you a wide range of skills that you can apply to the final exams, including data analysis and evaluative writing.
Examiners reward case study knowledge applied to the question. Having a bank of useful A Level Geography case studies is the difference between a low and high grade, since you can take the theory you have covered in class, and apply it to one or more real-life scenarios.
Is A Level Geography hard?
A Level Geography has a wider range of assessment styles than most subjects, which can catch students off guard. From short-answer questions with data analysis to longer open-ended essays that ask you to consider a range of topics, there’s plenty of variety in the course. That said, the subject is great for students who are curious about the world and willing to engage with their case studies in depth. It has an unfair stereotype of being an ‘easy’ subject, when in reality the variety of skills can make it an enjoyable challenge for many new students.
How to revise for A Level Geography
When it comes to revising for A Level Geography, there are plenty of techniques you can use. Knowing your case studies in depth and practising past paper questions are the two revision habits that make the biggest difference. For every case study, you should know the geographical context, the key data and statistics, and what the case study illustrates about the broader concept.
Synoptic thinking (drawing links between different parts of the course) is increasingly important at the higher mark levels. Start building these connections early by considering how, for example, changes to the local water cycle have been impacted by exogenous factors at that place (Changing Places).
You should also check out the Study Dog Geography courses, which cover the core AQA course and most popular optional modules. With course notes, quizzes, case studies and more, Study Dog is here to help you unlock your A* potential in A Level Geography.
