Geography

Geography is a popular subject at St Edward’s, and 2008 saw us move into our new classrooms in the Abbott Building.

Our lessons focus on current issues and integrate videos, computers and the Internet to present information in a variety of different ways to add interest. Field work also provides a way of bringing the subject to life. In a typical academic year pupils will not only use the local area for their studies but also get the chance to visit Cheddar Gorge, Gloucester Docks and the Long Mynd in Shropshire. Trips further afield have included Iceland (click here for the blog of that trip), Italy and Costa Rica, with a trip to Morocco due in Feb 2011.

Topics covered are:

• Year 7: Map and Atlas skills, Population, Environment, Economic Activities and Sports Project.
• Year 8: Italy, Weather and Climate, Ecosystems and Development Issues with case studies of Italy and Kenya.
• Year 9: Tectonics, Rocks and Limestone, Tourism.

At GCSE and A Level we follow the AQA Syllabus. At AS Level both physical and human topics are studied, and all students undertake a two day residential fieldtrip to Shropshire. At A2 Level the work is more essay- based, studying topics such as World Cities, Hazards and Atmosphere. There is no formal coursework. There is a decision-making exam based on topical issues which makes use of pre-release materials. Many of our A Level students go on to study Geography or Geography-based subjects at degree level.

Results at both GCSE and A Level are excellent - see the results page for full details.