Courses
We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, for key stage 3 (Years 7-9), key stage 4 (Years 10 and 11) and key stage 5 (Years 12 and 13 - Sixth Form). Click the appropriate button below to find the details for each subject offered in each key stage.
Further details of our curriculum are available on the curriculum page.
Overview
Geography
Introduction
We aim to provide the students at Silverdale with a topical, challenging curriculum designed to provide them with an understanding of local, national and international issues which shape their lives now and in the future. We aim to introduce them to the awe and wonder of the world, understand how people are living with and changing where they live, for the better and worse. We also want our students to understand what it means to live in a globalised world.
We hope our students have a strong sense of social and environmental responsibility. We aim to produce students who are inquisitive and have developed the skills needed to work independently and collaboratively to be able to carry out research, analysis and presentation of information in a variety of forms. We aim to provide the students with a lifelong interest in the world around them.
Qualification
GCSE
Awarding body
AQA
Course leader
Mr J Hamshaw Thomas
Assessment
- Examination: 100%
- Paper 1: Living with the physical environment | 1 hour 30 mins | 35%
- Paper 2: Challenges of the human environment | 1 hour 30 mins | 35%
- Paper 3: Geographical applications | 1 hour 30 mins | 30%
- Non-examined assessment: 0%
Curriculum
Course content
Students will travel the world from the classroom, exploring case studies like the rainforest in Borneo, industrial growth in newly emerging economies like Vietnam or the value of tourism to places like the United Arab Emirates. Students are also encouraged to understand their role in society, by considering different viewpoints, values and attitudes. Overall, lots of big ideas (like poverty, the global shift in economic power and climate change) to get your teeth into!
Topics
- Earthquakes.
- Tropical storms.
- Extreme weather in the UK.
- Tropical rainforests
- Deserts
- Coasts
- Rivers
- Urbanisation in higher income countries (HICs) and lower income countries (LICs).
- Economic development in LICs, newly emerging economies (NEEs) and HICs.
- Global water, food & energy resources
- UK energy resources.
Skills and requirements
Skills required
The skills that have been built up in key stage 3 are designed to help with GCSEs. Students doing geography GCSE will develop a wider range of skills, some specifically geographical (like using a range of maps and fieldwork skills), others mathematical (like simple statistics) together with graphical, literacy and data presentation skills. All these are valuable transferable skills.
Beyond the classroom
Future pathways
A GCSE in geography is an excellent stepping stone to a wide range of careers and post-16 opportunities. A good grade will allow you to take any A-level course, including continuing with geography. The practical and problem solving skills you will develop are good if you go on to follow a science-based career such as medicine or engineering. However, the discussion skills and ability to understand people’s actions will help you if you want to follow a career in social sciences or the arts, like education, media or law. Some of the content of GCSE geography can be a good introduction to new subjects (at A-level) like business studies and sociology.
