A Level Geography
Inspired by Geography as a key discipline relevant to understanding the world’s changing places and peoples, you will also develop a sense of achievement as you grow as a critical, independent thinker and as an informed and engaged citizen.
TOP COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
- Curriculum enrichment
- Optional international trips
- Excellent tutor support
- Range of progression routes
Support and resources
The Geography team are friendly, enthusiastic, and ambitious in supporting you to achieve at your highest potential. Excellent teaching and learning resources will allow you to enjoy exploring the subject – whilst engaging with the content and writing technique needed for exam success.
Case studies and field trips
Case studies are constantly updated in line with current affairs – to make sure students find Geography fully relevant to their own lived experience of the world. Local fieldwork allows students to develop the skills necessary to carrying out their own geographical research.
Career relevance
It’s often said that there is no such thing as a geography job; rather there are multiple jobs that geographers do. Our students become aware of a wide range of subject-relevant career fields, ranging from hazard management to resource security to humanitarian action.
WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
Do you have a keen interest in our ever-evolving world? This course provides an exciting issues-based investigation of both physical and human aspects of the subject. Applying your geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to the world around you, you will engage critically with a wide range of contemporary issues such as tectonic hazards, climate change, resource sustainability, globalisation, and superpowers. As Michael Palin (former President of the Royal Geographical Society) has said: “Geography explains the past, illuminates the present and prepares us for the future. What could be more important than that?”
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
On the physical side of the course, you will investigate tectonic hazards, coastal risks, and resource sustainability. Much of this will be directly connected to one of the defining issues of our times – climate change.
On the human side, you will evaluate the factors that make places unique, the pros and cons of globalisation, the shifting influences of superpowers and the effectiveness of humanitarian action.
WHERE WILL IT TAKE ME?
A qualification in Geography is highly regarded by universities and employers. Our students progress onto a range of degree courses including Geopolitics, International Relations, and Town Planning. Geography is an excellent subject to complement many other courses such as Environmental Studies, Politics and Sociology. An A Level in Geography can lead to varied, rewarding, careers.
Some career progression options include environmental consultancy / hazard management / resource security / town planning / humanitarian action.
Achievement relies heavily on your attendance and commitment to learning, both within lectures and more independently.
Independent work is set weekly. This will include consolidation / extension work, practice exam questions and coursework. You will be expected to record and meet deadlines – skills that will serve you well at university and beyond.
Early in Year 1, you will be given a minimum target grade – based on your GCSE results profile. Your progress towards achieving / surpassing this grade at A level will be evaluated regularly, through assessment feedback, 1:1 discussion and reported grades.
In Year 1 and Year 2 you will sit internal, exam-style assessments. You will be expected to prepare for these as if they were external exams – thereby becoming familiar with the requirements of the external exam season at the end of Year 2.
GCSE Grade 5 in English or a Humanities subject, alongside four GCSEs at Grade 4 or above.
We provide “further study” resources relating to Geography both within and beyond the specification. We also offer our students geographical field-study visits to specification-relevant locations such as Iceland, Toronto, and Eswatini (subject to cost and availability). You can find out more about our charitable work in Eswatini here.
“Thanks for everything over the last two years. The knowledge I had about places I visited [during my Gap Year] was largely due to your lectures, and really made a difference in understanding the demographics and landscapes of the places I saw.” (Meg W, former A level Geography student)
For further details please contact Ian Hyland ianhyland@truro-penwith.ac.uk or Ben Walsworth-Bell benwalsworthbell@truro-penwith.ac.uk
