GCSE Coursework
Advice for the completion of Geography Coursework at GCSE
The Coursework represents 25% of the final mark for Geography at GCSE. It is compulsory and students cannot get an award for the course if they do not hand in a coursework folder.
Current Year 11 coursework :
The coursework we do at Withernsea High School is based on the fieldvisit to Beverley and we set the question : "Would you recommend that a new sports shop set up in Beverley, or not. Would it make sufficient profit to be worth establishing in the town?" Students can come to either answer - 'Yes' or 'No' and still obtain the same marks; the marks depend on how well students:
- Show they understand the ideas and principles from the Introduction through to the Conclusion (UNDERSTANDING - 6 marks)
- Describe and explain how they collected the data and tried to make sure it was reliable data. (METHODS - 6 marks)
- Present the results in graphs, maps, labelled diagrams and photos (RESULTS - 6 marks)
- Analyse and interpret the results to explain what type of shopping they think is being done in Beverley and whether the data support the idea of a new sport shop or not (INTERPRETATION - 6 marks)
- Evaluate the reliability of the results and findings and comment on whether they have been able to come to a relibale Conclusion (EVALUATION - 6 marks)
The coursework folder should contain the following sections in this order:
- INTRODUCTION
- METHODS (including Initiative Data the student has collected themself)
- RESULTS
- ANALYSIS/INTERPRETATION
- EVALUATION
- CONCLUSION
The coursework is started as soon as we return from the fieldtrip to Beverley in May of Year 10 and most lesson and homework time of the summer term of Year 10 is given over to the coursework. In Year 11 approximately one lesson per fortnight is devoted to coursework, with students being expected to complete the majority of the work at home. Most homework time in the Autumn term of Year 11 is allocated to completing coursework. Students will be given deadlines to complete the various sections. It is essential that these deadlines are met. Completed sections may be emailed to your teacher, or paper-copies handed in. It is recommended that work is word-processed (although this is not essential) as student work will often be returned to improve upon the first draft. The final deadline for the coursework is in the Spring Term of Year 11.
Current Year 10 Coursework :
The coursework must all be completed in school under supervised conditions. The mark scheme is shown below in the Y10 word document.
Below are guidance sheets to help students complete the various sections.