Assessment overview
Students must complete all components (01, 02, 03 and 04/05) to be awarded the OCR A Level in Geography.
Content overview
Component 01: Physical systems
There are two topics:
- Landscape systems
Students will explore how the landscape can be viewed as a system, how landforms developed within their chosen landscape and the influences of both climate and human activity on this. Students develop an understanding of landscape systems by studying one of the following options:
- Option A: Coastal landscapes
- Option B: Glaciated landscapes
- Option C: Dryland landscapes
- Earth's life support systems
Students will explore how important water and carbon are to life on earth through their cycling, stores and processes. The influence of human activity is explored through the tropical rainforest and arctic tundra. Physical changes in these cycles occur over time at a range of scales as well as global management strategies to protect these cycles.
Component 02: Human interaction
Students develop a picture of how the world around them is shaped by humans, starting from the local and moving out to regional, national and international scales. There are two topics:
- Changing spaces; making places. Students explore the relationships and connections between people, the economy, and society and how these contribute to creating places.
- Global connections. Students explore the processes and flows that occur at a global level, and the ways in which these influence people, places and institutions. They must choose one option from global systems and one option from global governance.
- Global systems
- Option A: Trade in the contemporary world
- Option B: Global migration
- Global governance
- Option C: Human rights
- Option D: Power and borders
Through case studies students will build up a picture of how the world around them is shaped, the complexities associated within this and the resulting issues for people.
Component 03: Geographical debates
Students study two of the following five topics in-depth, gaining an understanding of the issues and reflecting critically on them. The topics are:
- Climate change
- Disease dilemmas
- Exploring oceans
- Future of food
- Hazardous Earth.
Component 04/05: Investigative geography
Students carry out an independent investigation into an area of particular interest to them, related to any aspect of the specification. They produce a written report of around 3000 to 4000 words. Through their investigation students develop the following valuable transferable skills:
- The structure and enquiry process
- Extended writing
- Innovation in investigating and presenting data
- Self-directed study
- Research techniques
- Making synoptic links between the real world, geographical theory, the learner’s own research and the specification.
Geographical and fieldwork skills are integrated into all aspects of the subject, helping students to ‘think geographically’.