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| Higher |  |
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| AS Level | |
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| A Level | |
Geographers study the interaction between people and the places they inhabit. As such it is a relevant and flexible subject which integrates well with a variety of other subject areas and can usefully be combined with science, for example Maths, Computer Studies, Physics, Chemistry and Biology; or arts and social sciences, for example English, History and Economics. It allows the science specialist to develop important literacy skills and the arts specialist to develop important numeric and graphical skills. Indeed, all the important key skills can be acquired through a study of Geography.
Value to other professions
Candidates who might wish to follow a business, law or other vocational degree would also benefit from the rigours of a subject that sits firmly astride the pure and social sciences. Increasingly there are opportunities for Geography graduates in environmentally-based work, from waste management to research in global climate change.
The key to geographers‘ employability lies in their flexibility. They are able to handle large amounts of data, often in different formats; they have to be numerate, and to be able to write at length; and they are trained to experiment and test methodically as well as to absorb and present findings.
Entry requirements
Grade A-C (preferably A or B) at Scottish Higher, or equivalent.
Geography A-Level Syllabus
All students will have completed the Scottish Higher in the 6th year. This gives them the security of a Higher exam grade when applying for university, and it also gives them excellent examination preparation for theirfull A-Level. In those areas where there is an overlap between the Higher and the A-Level, candidates will be taught to A-Level standard in the 6th year.
A-Level courses are currently under review across the UK. The Department is considering closely which of those available offers the greatest opportunities within the pattern of courses at the Academy. Pupils currently follow the EDEXCEL specifi cation which dovetails well with the Higher course. The particular benefi t of this course is that it recognises the essential unity of Geography, while also allowing students to study discrete areas of the subject. It provides an opportunity to establish an in-depth understanding of physical, human and environmental Geography before the more complex inter-relationships are explored in a synoptic context.
AS Module 1: Physical Environments
Volcanic systems for example are included in this section, as witnessed by the school's iceland expedition. "We visited Hekla and walked to the freshest, five-year-old lava through fields of ash, uncomfortably aware that the volcano only gives a one-hour warning before erupting." |
AS Module 2: Human Environments
The landscape is more than just attractive scenery or a record of the past; it also provides a place for us to live, work and play, through farming, forestry, industry, commerce, recreational areas and so on, processes that all shape, and will continue to shape, the landscape. |
AS Module 3: Applied Geographical Skills.
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A2 module 4: Physical Systems, processes and patterns
Glaciers flow as a result of gravity deforming ice and pulling it downhill. The deformation makes glacial flow resemble rivers of Ice. However there are important differences between glacial flow and stream flow. |
A2 module 5: Human Systems, processes and patterns For examaple with diminishing energy supplies, aging infrastructure, and increasing energy costs, a worldwide search for more efficient and clean energy resources and power systems is under way. But at what cost? |
6. Synoptic Paper
For example the Grangemouth refinery and petrochemical complex on the estuary of the Forth has recently been presenting interesting problems for the construction of a football stadium for nearby Falkirk FC. |
Earth Systems, Fluvial Environments and Coastal Environments.
Population Characteristics, Settlement Patterns and Population Movements..jpg)
Which requires students to participate in three days of fieldwork related to
the course. This part of the syllabus is covered through a short conversion course from Higher to A-Level at
Blair House, the Academy’s outdoor centre in Glen Clova. The course takes place in the summer term of the
6th year. Candidates are introduced to the rigours of A-Level, and are given the opportunity to gather data
for the fieldwork component of the course.
Atmospheric Systems and Glacial Systems..jpg)
Rural-Urban Interrelationships and Development processes.
People and their Environments This page is: Edinburgh Academy / curriculum / geography /alevel.htm
