IGCSE Geography

Syllabus

The course contains a number of activities and several Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAs). We also include a number of Activities for self assessment designed to assist in your studies. TMAs should be returned to your tutor for marking and comment, although remember they do not count towards your final mark.

Assessment

This syllabus is available for examination in both the June and November sessions.

There are four units or Papers. You will be expected to study units 1 and 2 and 4. You will not have the option in this course of pursuing unit 3 as this is a school-based assignment and is thus unsuitable to the distance learning format.

• Paper 1

Exam – 1 hour 45 minutes

Candidates must answer any three questions out of six. There are two questions set on each of three themes. Questions are structured with gradients of difficulty and are resource based, involving problem solving and free response writing.

(75 marks, weighted to 100 marks)

45% of total marks

• Paper 2

Exam – 1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates must answer all the questions. The paper is based on testing the interpretation and analysis of geographical information and on the application of graphical and other techniques as appropriate. The questions will not require specific information of place. One question is based on a 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 topographical map of a tropical area such as Zimbabwe, the Caribbean or Mauritius.

(60 marks)

27.5% of total marks

• Paper 4

1 hour 30 minutes

Candidates answer all the questions, completing a series of written tasks based on three themes. The questions involve an appreciation of a range of techniques used in fieldwork studies. Questions test the methodology of questionnaires, observation, counts, measurement techniques and may involve developing hypotheses appropriate to specific topics. The processing, presentation and analysis of data will be tested.

(60 marks)

27.5% of total marks

Aims of the Course

During the course you should develop:

· A greater understanding of place. This will be local, regional, national and global in scale

· An awareness of contrasting physical and human environments

· An understanding of the processes affecting the development of such environments

· Greater knowledge of the spatial effects of the ways in which people interact with the environment and each other

· A greater sense of the different communities that exist in the world

· An understanding of the opportunities and constraints presented by differing environments

This course has three main assessment objectives:

· AO1 Knowledge with understanding

· AO2 Skills and analysis

· AO3 Judgement and decision making

In assessment objective 1 (AO1) you will develop a knowledge and understanding of:

1. The wide range of processes and human actions that contribute to physical, economic, social, political and cultural environments and their associated effects on the landscape. You will also develop an understanding of the spatial patterns and interactions which are important within these environments.

2. The inter-relationships between humans and the environment

3. The importance of scale

4. The change that occurs over time to landscapes etc.

In assessment objective 2 (AO2) you will develop your analytical skills and will be able to:

5. Analyse and interpret geographical data

6. Apply geographical understanding of maps in a variety a number of forms

7. Use geographical data to examine and determine patterns and relationships

8. Demonstrate understanding of data observation and collection techniques

9. Select and use techniques for organising data

In assessment objective 3 (AO3) you will develop your judgement and decision making skills and will be able to:

10. Reason and make judgements which demonstrate:

(a) A sensitivity to, and a concern for, landscape, the environment and the need for sustainable development

(b) The aesthetic appreciation of the earth including its people, places, landscape, natural processes and phenomenon

(c) An appreciation of the attitudes, values and beliefs of others

(d) An awareness of the contrasting opportunities and constraints of people living in different places and under different conditions

(e) A willingness to review their own attitudes in the light of new knowledge and experiences

11. Recognise the role of decision making within a geographical context as affected by:

(a) The physical and human contexts in which decisions are made

(b) The values and perceptions of groups and individuals

(c) The choices available to decision makers and the influences and constraints within which they operate

(d) The increasing level of global interdependency

Curriculum Themes

The curriculum is divided into three separate themes. These themes have been designed to develop an understanding of both the natural and the human environment. These themes are:

1 Population and settlement

2 The natural environment

3 Economic development and the use of resources

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 300 hrs.