Curriculum

GEOGRAPHY

Studying geography gives students the opportunity to travel the world via the classroom, learning about both natural and social sciences along the way. It provides students with a holistic understanding of our planet, its systems and how we, as humans, are impacting our world. Students learn to appreciate the complexity of our world and the diversity of its environments, economies and cultures.  Through geography, students develop an understanding of the global political issues that occur between countries, cultures, cities and their hinterlands, and between regions within countries.
Geography at KS3
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

Map Skills

We start Year 7 by ensuring all students have the foundation skills to be able to access and interpret the maps we use throughout our geography curriculum.

What is my school like?

Throughout Year 7, students will focus their studies on the geography of the UK which starts with a skill focussed topic.  This topic is designed to build students geographic skills that they will apply throughout their geography lessons.  It is focussed local fieldwork on the school site where students will plan a fieldwork enquiry, collect primary data, analyse the data and reach a conclusion.

How has Bradford changed overtime?

This topic continues to develop the students’ knowledge of their home city and how it has changed over time.  Key areas of focus include migration, health and regeneration.

Is the earth running out of resources?

After students have looked at an urban settlement, they investigate natural resources and why they are vital for life. This topic continues the focus on the UK and links human actions with the physical world.

What is a coast and how do they shape the land?

From resources students start to investigate the UK and how physical processes have shaped it and will continue to shape the land we live on.  It continues to develop students understanding of weather and erosion started in the previous topic and examines how the sea shapes our coastlines.

How safe is our planet?

Following on from Year 7, students start Year 8 by looking at hazards in the UK before studying natural disasters around the world focussing on their effects to people and the environment. The topic ends with a comparison of the effects between richer and poorer areas of the world and links to the idea that wealth can help keep us safe. t

Why do countries develop differently?

Students continue to look at the differences between the rich and the poor in the world as they begin to look at the development gap.  Through this topic they develop an understanding of the contrasts that exist and the reasons for them.

How do rivers and ice shape the land?

This builds on the learning from the coasts topics in year 7 and looks at how physical processes of water and glaciers shape the land.

How developed is India?

Development is put into context through a case study example of India. It examines reasons for India’s economic development and looks at how globalisation has increased it.

What influences weather and climate? 

The final topic of Year 8 is weather and climate.  This examines what makes the weather at a local, national and global scale.  Students will complete a microclimate fieldwork enquiry during this topic where they will collect, analyse and present their own data.

Why is our climate changing? 

Following on from weather and climate, students study climate change as a global issue.  This links back to the Year 7 topic on resources and develops the key concept of sustainability.

Why are ecosystems important? (with fieldwork)

Year 9 starts with a topic on ecosystems.  This builds on learning from the weather and climate topic in Year 8.  Students look at global characteristics and how they are being damaged by human actions.  It includes biomes in Russian, Middle East and South America.

What is Africa like?

Students build on their knowledge of physical landscapes, weather and climate, and ecosystems to investigate the challenges and opportunities across the continent of Africa.

What are tectonic hazards?

This topic allows students to look in depth at tectonics hazards and builds on their learning from year 8 when they looked at how safe our planet is.

How developed is the Middle East?

This topic provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge in a new context while continuing to gain new case study specific knowledge.

What are meterological hazards?

This is the final topic of Year 9 and it focuses on the causes, effects and responses to weather hazards.  It goes in depth into plate tectonics and tropical storms and builds students understanding of how physical processes shape human actions.

 

 

 

 

 

Assessment

Assessments take place throughout each topic and are a combination of low stakes quizzes and extended written pieces.

Geography at KS4 (GCSE)
Year 10 Year 11
  • Natural hazards
  • The living world: Rainforests and Hot Deserts
  • Urban issues and challenges
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: Coastal landscapes
  • Fieldwork
  • Physical landscapes in the UK: river landscapes.
  • The changing economic world
  • The challenge of resource management
  • Issue evaluation (with pre-release material)
Assessment

KS4 Exam Board Specification: AQA GCSE Geography (8035)

 

Paper 1: Living with the Physical Environment
Overview Focus
  • Written exam (1 hour 30 minutes)
  • 88 marks (including 3 marks for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terminology (SPaG))
  • 35% of GCSE
  • Section A: The Challenge of Natural Hazards
  • Section B: The Living World
  • Section C: Physical Landscapes in the UK
Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment
Overview Focus
  • Written exam (1 hour 30 minutes)
  • 88 marks (including 3 marks for SPaG)
  • 35% of GCSE
  • Section A: Urban Issues and Challenges
  • Section B: The Changing Economic World
  • Section C: The Challenge of Resource Management
Paper 3: Geographical Applications
Overview Focus
  • Written exam (1 hour 15 minutes)
  • 76 marks (including 6 marks for SPaG)
  • 30% of GCSE
  • Pre-release resources booklet made available 12 weeks before Paper 3 exam
  • Section A: Issue Evaluation
  • Section B: Fieldwork
Geographical Skills
Pupils are required to develop and demonstrate a range of geographical skills, including cartographic, graphical, numerical and statistical skills, throughout their study of the specification. Skills will be assessed in all three written exams.
Enrichment Offer

The Department offers subject-specific enrichment clubs and organises a range of fieldwork trips throughout the year. Pupils are able to take part in school-wide competitions, as well as representing the Academy in local and national competitions designed to increase their engagement and enhance their subject knowledge. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress are at the heart of our delivery model.