Volume 30, Number 2, November 2016



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www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview




Volume 30, Number 2, November 2016

Exam links

Using this issue for AQA AS and
A-level geography

David Redfern

These notes link the content of the magazine to the new AQA specification (September 2016).



Article

Page numbers

Links to specification content

Volcanoes and ice caps: case study of Iceland

2–6

Hazards (physical option)

Glacial systems and landscapes (core)

Ecclesfield: case study of a changing place

7–9

Changing places (core)

Question and answer Changing spaces, making places

10–13

Changing places (core)

Development update Ageing populations

14–15

Population and the environment (human option)

Cooking fuel in developing countries: can it be sustainable?

16–19

The water and carbon cycles (core)

Centrepiece Ancient Crete: a catastrophic earthquake

20–21

Hazards (core)

Who owns Antarctica? Case study of a global commons

22–26

Global systems and global governance (core)

Geographical skills Fieldwork at AS

27–29

AS fieldwork

Sediments in landscape systems: stores, landforms and impacts

30–33

Landscape systems (core)

The water and carbon cycles (core)

Geographical ideas The concept of place: characteristics, change and connections

34–36

Changing places (core)

Dynamic drylands: understanding the processes at work

37–41

Hot desert systems and their landscapes (core)

The big picture Rural vs urban

42

Contemporary urban environments (human option)

Changing places (core)

Volcanoes and ice caps: case study of Iceland

The main emphasis of this article is on volcanic activity in Iceland so it will be of most use to the students of the AS and A-level physical option Hazards. There is some background material on ice caps on the island, and so it will also be of some interest to students of the core topic Glacial systems and their landscapes.

The geological background to vulcanicity on Iceland is explained well, especially the link between the constructive plate margin and the volcanic plume (or hot spot). This is followed by an analysis of volcanic activity during the ice ages, and more recently. The events that took place at Heimaey, Eyjafjallajökull and Grimsvötn are described clearly. The article ends with a more detailed examination of the recent eruption of Bárðarbunga – the initial signs, the immediate responses, the impacts and the reasons why it did not affect the rest of the world as greatly as was feared. This is an interesting article with some excellent data resources that students are recommended to take time to examine. Note that the key to the colours shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is provided on Figure 3.

Ecclesfield: case study of a changing place

This excellent piece will be of great use to students and teachers alike. Changing places is one of the new key areas of content for the AS and A level geography specifications. A crucial element of both levels of the course is the study of ‘a local place exploring the developing character of a place local to the home or study centre’. This should include a focus on ‘people's lived experience of the place in the past and at present, and either changing demographic and cultural characteristics or economic change and social inequalities’. This article covers all aspects.

However, the main benefit of this article is not that the case study of Ecclesfield can be used in an examination context — I am sure the author did not intend this — but rather that it serves as an exemplar of how students can generate their own investigations in an area that is local to them. Some teachers have already expressed concern that ‘their’ local place is not distinctive enough — it has nothing that makes it stand out, is nondescript. As the author points out at the beginning, so too is Ecclesfield, and yet it can yield an interesting and enlightening story.

This is essential reading for all AS and A-level students.



Question and answer Changing spaces, making places

The theme of Changing places continues into this next piece, which is equally important for all AS and A-level students. Although the sample question comes from the OCR specification, the basic parameters of the content and the assessment strategy are the same for all specifications. Students are strongly advised to study the questions, the sample answers and the commentary.

Teachers and students should also take note of the varying nature of the examination questions, and recognise the different demands that they make. Question (a) assesses knowledge, whereas Question (b) (i) assesses a skill. Question (b) (ii) uses the word ‘appropriate’ and hence requires a degree of evaluation. Question (c) requires analysis of unfamiliar data, and application of those data. The final essay question (d) is much more complex, requiring the interplay of knowledge and understanding and evaluation, and as with all longer-response questions, a key element will be the degree to which the candidate can construct a logical argument.

Once again this is essential reading for all AS and A-level students.



Development update Ageing populations

This Development Update will be of interest to the students of the A-level human option Population and the environment. Here they are required to examine age-sex compositions in a population, and to look towards future prospects for the global population. This piece looks at the changing proportions and distributions of people over the age of 60 between now and 2050. It also looks at the reasons for these trends and the economic, social and political challenges that they will present. One would hope that today’s 17/18 year olds should have a direct and vested interest in these challenges as they will be the ones having to enact and finance their solutions.



Cooking fuel in developing countries: can it be sustainable?

Although it is not directly linked to any part of the AQA specification, aspects of this article will be of general interest to all students of the AS and A-level core area The water and carbon cycles. This requires students to examine changes in the carbon cycle involving human activities such as burning and deforestation. This article looks at the ever growing demand for fuelwood and charcoal for domestic cooking purposes. The reasons for the growth in the use of charcoal, and its impacts on forested areas and human health are examined, together with an overview of the strategies being employed to address the resultant issues in sub-Saharan countries. The latter include tree planting, and more appropriate use of technology for both charcoal-making and cooking. It is clear that there are issues regarding sustainability, but other factors have to be considered too.



Centrepiece Ancient Crete: a catastrophic earthquake

This Centrepiece will be of general interest to students of the AS and A-level physical option Hazards. Although this region and the associated geological events involving plate movement, earthquakes, tsunamis and relict coastlines are unlikely to feature as a case study in an examination context, it is interesting to note how all of these have combined and manifested themselves in a relatively small geographical area, and one which many students may have visited, and will continue to visit for other reasons. As we often say, geography is all around you.



Who owns Antarctica? Case study of a global commons

This article is perfect for the A-level core area of study Global systems and global governance. The AQA specification concentrates on the continent of Antarctica when looking at the concept of a ‘global commons’. As well as the physical characteristics of the continent, other required areas of study include threats to the continent (including fishing, whaling, and the extraction of mineral resources) and the systems of management and protection. All of these elements are covered here. One of the more challenging aspects of studies on Antarctica is the legal situation and the operation of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). This is dealt with in a clear and concise manner.

Once again it has to be stated that A-level students should regard this as essential reading. Note that Global systems and global governance do not feature in the AS assessment.

Geographical skills Fieldwork at AS

It is not known just how many students will be taking the new AS qualification in geography, but what is known is that the assessment of the fieldwork element is not only different from that of previous specifications, but also varies between the examination boards. All assessments will consist of a mix of general questions on the ‘route to enquiry’, questions based on the fieldwork undertaken by the student during the compulsory 2 days in the field, and questions based on an unfamiliar context that will be generated by the examination board. This excellent column summarises all of the various forms of the fieldwork assessment, and provides a useful table of the differences between the examination boards. It should be read carefully and understood fully.



Sediments in landscape systems: stores, landforms and impacts

Under the new generation of AS and A-level specifications, students will quickly become aware of the importance of systems theory. The general concept of storage is a key element within this framework. The article may form an ‘extension’ piece that students can read to enhance their understanding of these important areas of conceptual content.

The article focuses on the role of the storage of sediments, and especially those ‘stored’ as landforms. The author looks at glacial depositional landforms, hillslope landforms and processes, and introduces the concept of ‘residence time’ in the movement of sediments. The role of human activity is then examined, both at the larger scale (farming practices in the midwest) and smaller scale (field boundaries and agricultural terraces). The movement of sediments between different temporary storage locations also results in impacts that can affect agricultural landscapes such as that of Flanders in Belgium. This in turn has generated enforced changes to the landscape to deal with the issues caused. The study of sediment stores and movements between stores can also help us to understand how pollutants and carbon (in the form of organic matter) move through a landscape.

None of the above is directly needed for the AQA specification, though the contexts and processes involved may further assist more able students getting to grips with this area of study.



Geographical ideas The concept of place: characteristics, change and connections.

This is the third article examining the concept of place in this issue, thereby reinforcing the importance of the ‘new’ concept within the new specifications. This piece examines the concept in a more theoretical manner, explaining the meaning of ‘characteristics, change and connections’. In the study of place students are encouraged to examine the actual (or real) endogenous factors (physical, economic and demographic) and exogenous factors (connections with other places) as well as more subjective characteristics of that place such as perceptions and meanings. This Geographical Ideas looks at the former.

What constitutes a place is examined in some detail, and a useful framework for study is provided. This is followed by a section on the factors that may cause change in a place. Again these can be from within (endogenous) and/or from beyond (exogenous). Some useful exemplars are used to illustrate the points made, together with another useful framework to apply to an individual student’s place studies. Finally, many of the changes that occur in a place are due to the ongoing development of connections with the wider world, both near and far. Over time therefore a place develops as a series of layers, or a palimpsest, which can be unravelled in order to develop a greater appreciation of that place.

Once again this is essential reading for all AS and A-level students of this core area of study.



Dynamic drylands: understanding the processes at work

Students of the physical core topic Hot desert systems and their landscapes will find this piece a highly useful resume of the processes operating in their landscape study. It examines key concepts such as the aridity index, sources of energy, sediments and major landforms (sand dunes, yardangs and smaller-scale features) resulting from deposition and erosion. The article also briefly addresses human–environment interactions — where the activity of humans has had a largely damaging impact on the natural landscape.

This is essential reading for students of this area of study.

The big picture Rural vs urban

This photograph will also be of interest to all AS and A-level students in their work within the core topic area of Changing places. As noted earlier, it is becoming clear that this aspect of geography presents challenges for teachers and students alike, taking them into unfamiliar areas of geographical understanding. The representation of places in and between diverse media is one such challenge, and it is discussion of material such as this that will help stimulate deeper understanding of the concepts involved.




This resource is part of Geography Review, a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts. To subscribe to the full magazine go to:  http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview





Hodder & Stoughton © 2016 www.hoddereducation.co.uk/geographyreview

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