2 minute read
Geography
Group 3
Course outline
Geography gives an opportunity to really develop your “internationalism”. The IB Diploma course in Geography is divided into Higher and Standard Level. Higher Level and Standard Level students will study the core themes on population change, climate change and our use of food, energy and water resources.
Geography will develop your critical thinking skills and alongside the TOK course you will begin to question issues such as the politics behind map drawing and whether we should bother with environmental issues. You will leave the course with the strong sense of our international links and responsibilities which will be reinforced though your study of a foreign language.
You will also be able to apply your scientific method and mathematical skills in analysing fieldwork data. Employers will be impressed by your range of skills. You will be highly suited to directly related careers and further study including environmental science research, town planning and overseas development work. Many also find work within fields of International Finance, Marketing, Public Relations and Journalism. Should you decide to write your Extended Essay in Geography, the department will support you in developing your ideas, collecting data and doing research further into an issue of your choice.
The Geography department a fieldwork visit where we collect data which you will utilise within your coursework project. We run international trips too, and have visited places such as Iceland, Italy and Morocco. We teach students to use sophisticated computer mapping and analytical software (GIS) to examine spatial relationships. Our department is recognised as a centre of excellence in GIS education, has won the RGS Ordnance Survey Award for Secondary Education, and a Pearson Silver Teaching Award. In 2016, the department was awarded the ‘Centre of Excellence’ status by the Geographical Association. Higher Level students will study a further unit of extension topics related to the processes of globalisation, migration and global development. There are various optional units we select from. Standard level will complete two of these while Higher level students will complete three. These include river processes and management including managing flood risk; studying the hazards associated with earthquakes and volcanic events; understanding the changes affecting urban areas. Additionally there is one coursework component for both Higher and Standard Level, which will be based around writing up the results of a field trip study.
Course assessment is based on 20% or 25% coursework for Standard or Higher level, with the rest based on two examination papers for Standard level and three for the higher level students.
