Geography is a solid academic subject and is well respected by universities and employers alike. Geography helps you make sense of the world around you. It is hands-on, it is relevant and it is fun. The current GCSE course is a good mix of topics which are occur frequently in the news and current affairs. You may have seen a news item and not even realised it was linked to Geography! The course will give you the chance to get to grips with some of the big questions which affect our world and understand the social, economic and physical forces and processes which shape and change our world.

AQA External Examinations 100%: 3 exams - 3 x 90 minutes.

Paper 1: Living with the Physical Environment The challenge of natural hazards involving volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and extreme weather in the UK. Physical landscapes in the UK which include rivers and coastal studies. Finally, the living world involving ecosystems, rainforests and hot deserts./p> Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment Urban issues and challenges involving cities in the UK and abroad. The changing economic world which explores issues around development and poverty. The challenge of resource management in the UK with an additional focus on global water resources. Paper 3: Geographical Applications This will involve an issue evaluation exercise and skills questions. It also involves undertaking two field trips out of school, answering questions based on the field trips as part of the exam.

Geography can be taken at A level. It is a key facilitating subject that universities rate highly. Geography can be taken as a BA or BSc degree at university. It also has direct relevance to certain areas of work e.g. the Leisure and Tourism industry, Environmental Management, Urban Planning, Business and Commercial Enterprises. The careers this subject could lead you to is :

• Conservation Officer
• Environmental Consultant
• Cartographer
• Town Planner
• Geographical Information System Officer
• Landscape Architect
• Teacher/Lecturer
• Geomorphologist
• Polar Conservationist

From a Students Perspective I really enjoy Geography, especially the field trips. We went to Flamborough Head in Year 10 where we had activities to do to help us prepare for our exams. On the whole it was a great day, I had a fun time and felt I learned a lot. Overall, Geography is a really interesting subject which covers a wide variety of different topics and is something which is always in the news.