AQA A-Level Geography

Last Accessed

Recently visited lessons will appear here for quick access.Start exploring your first lesson today!

3.1.1 Water and carbon cycles

Water stores and transfers

3.1.1.1 - Water and carbon as systemsA river basin and the global carbon cycle both contain stores linked by transfers. Learn how to define their boundaries, trace energy and material, and explain why a system can remain broadly stable or amplify an initial change.
3.1.1.2 - Global water stores and transfersWater is distributed very unevenly between oceans, ice, ground and atmosphere. Learn why the sizes of these stores differ, how changes of state move water between them, and why a rapid local transfer can coexist with slow global storage change.
3.1.1.2, 3.1.1.5 - Drainage basins and water balanceUnder 3.1.1.2, follow water through a drainage basin's stores and pathways, from rainfall to evaporation or river outflow. Under 3.1.1.5, use mass balance and unit conversion to calculate changes in water and carbon stores without counting internal transfers twice.
3.1.1.2, 3.1.1.5 - Runoff and flood hydrographsA hydrograph shows how a river responds over time. Reading its shape is the first step; explaining that shape requires the rainfall, stores and pathways in the catchment, together with evidence about how the measurements were made.
3.1.1.2 - Natural and human changes to water cyclingWater cycling changes when inputs, storage capacity and transfer routes change. Natural events and human activities interact, so the same land use can produce different responses in different seasons or storms.

Carbon and climate

3.1.1.3 - Carbon stores and transfersCarbon moves between living organisms, air, water and rocks. The store receiving carbon, its chemical form and the rate of transfer determine whether that movement matters over a growing season or over millions of years.
3.1.1.3, 3.1.1.5 - Changing carbon stores and budgetsNatural disturbances and human activity change carbon stores and transfer rates. A budget accounts for their net effect, while evidence from land, oceans and atmosphere explains why that balance matters.
3.1.1.4 - Water, carbon, climate and lifeWater and carbon support life and help regulate climate. Their cycles are linked through organisms, soils, oceans and the atmosphere, so a change can pass between cycles and return as a feedback.
3.1.1.4 - Managing carbon transfersCarbon management changes a transfer or protects a store. Assessing it requires the size and duration of the climate benefit, the alternative without the action, and its effects on water, land and people.

3.2.1 Global systems and global governance

Global networks and trade

3.2.1.1 - Globalisation flows and driving forcesLearn how different flows connect people and places, why global production networks develop, and how technology and institutions make those connections possible. Use evidence to distinguish increased connectivity from equal participation.
3.2.1.2 - Interdependence, unequal flows and powerLearn why connected places depend on each other in different ways, how unequal flows can support development and generate injustice, and why some states have more room to shape global events than others.
3.2.1.3 - Trade patterns and access to marketsLearn how trade and investment vary over time and between places, why economies have different access to markets, and how those differences affect well-being. Compare evidence on a consistent basis rather than treating export totals as a measure of everyone's prosperity.
3.2.1.3 - A transnational corporation and its impactsUse Apple as a specified transnational corporation to explain how control, production, trade and marketing connect places. Distinguish demonstrated impacts from possible mechanisms, and compare corporate disclosures with independent investigation.
3.2.1.3 - A global commodity chain and everyday livesTrace cocoa from producing areas to international markets and consumers. Use Ghana's trade and producer-price evidence to explain how a global commodity chain distributes income, risk and environmental pressures, including effects on your own everyday purchases.

Governance and global commons

3.2.1.4 - Global governance across scalesExplain how norms, laws and institutions govern international relationships, why governance expanded after 1945, and how it can support stability while reproducing unequal power. Trace implementation from global agreements to particular places.
3.2.1.5, 3.2.1.5.1 - Global commons and Antarctic geographyExplain why global commons provide widely shared benefits, and why access must be considered alongside protection. Locate Antarctica and its surrounding ocean, distinguish physical from legal boundaries, and connect its climate and ecosystems with vulnerability.
3.2.1.5.1 - Antarctic pressures and environmental changeAnalyse climate change, resource demand, tourism and research as different Antarctic pressures. Use dated satellite and activity evidence, distinguish observed change from attribution, and explain why location and season matter alongside total activity.
3.2.1.5.1 - Governing and protecting AntarcticaAntarctic protection depends on agreements, scientific evidence and action by governments and operators. This lesson explains their different powers, examines dated examples and assesses what they mean for people in Antarctica and elsewhere.

3.2.2 Changing places

Place character and connections

3.2.2.1 - Place, experience and perspectivesLearn why a place means more than a position on a map, how different people experience the same setting, and why distance and sources of knowledge produce different categories of place.
3.2.2.1 - Endogenous and exogenous place characterLearn how a place's physical setting, population, economy and built environment combine with connections to other places to produce its character.
3.2.2.2, 3.2.2.2.1 - Flows, connections and external forcesLearn how flows and decisions connect places across geographical scales, how to distinguish continuity from change, and why the same change can affect people's lives differently.
3.2.2.2.1 - Demographic and cultural change in placesLearn how population change and cultural practices reshape character and everyday life, and how to combine numerical evidence with people's accounts.
3.2.2.2.1 - Economic change and social inequalitiesLearn how restructuring changes work and opportunities, why benefits can be unequal, and how social statistics and maps connect to people's lives.

3.4 Geographical evidence and methods

Spatial and field evidence

3.4.1, 3.4.2.1, 3.4.2.2, 3.4.2.5 - Maps, spatial data and GIS in geographical enquiryMaps connect evidence to location. Learn to collect usable spatial records, combine layers, read scale and relief, and choose maps that represent quantities, distributions and movement faithfully. The Aster examples are original illustrative geography, not observed fieldwork or a real place.
3.4.2.1, 3.4.2.5 - Field sketches, photographs and remote sensingVisual evidence can locate features, reveal patterns and support explanations, but it also reflects a viewpoint, resolution and selection. Learn to annotate photographs, field sketches, diagrams and graphs, then use geo-located and remotely sensed images without claiming more than they show.
3.4.1, 3.4.2.1 - Measurement, sampling and data qualityA measurement or sample is useful only when its definition and collection method fit the geographical question. Learn to record quantities with units, diagnose measurement error, choose sampling approaches and judge how far supplied evidence can support a conclusion. All worked data here are orig...
3.4.1, 3.4.2.1 - Interviews, questionnaires and qualitative codingQualitative enquiry investigates meanings, experiences and representations of places. Learn to combine interviews, questionnaires, text and visual evidence, code it transparently and recognise whose voices or interests the resulting account includes. The examples are original fictional training m...

Graphs and statistical enquiry

3.4.2.3 - Choosing and interpreting geographical graphsA graph's form determines which comparisons are easy to see and which can be misleading. Learn to select, construct and interpret line, bar, scatter and circular graphs using complete original illustrative geographical data. Graph construction is ungraded notebook or software practice; written qu...
3.4.2.3 - Triangular, logarithmic and dispersion graphsSpecialist graphs reveal composition, multiplicative change and the distribution of observations. Learn to read their scales, choose them for suitable geographical data and avoid misleading comparisons. All datasets below are original illustrative training data; graph construction is ungraded pra...
3.4.1, 3.4.2.4 - Central tendency and dispersion in field dataDescriptive statistics summarise the centre and spread of geographical observations. Learn to calculate and select mean, median, mode, range, interquartile range and standard deviation, then interpret them within the measurement and sampling design. The worked data are original illustrative field...
3.4.1, 3.4.2.4 - Spearman's rank and significanceSpearman's rank describes the strength and direction of a monotonic association between paired variables. Learn to calculate it, handle tied values correctly and distinguish a descriptive coefficient from a justified significance test. The complete original training examples concern geographical...
3.4.2.4 - Chi-square and geographical hypothesesChi-square compares observed categorical counts with counts expected under a stated null model. Learn goodness-of-fit and contingency-table methods, their assumptions and significance decisions, then express a defensible geographical conclusion. All worked counts are original illustrative trainin...

3.1.2 Hot desert systems and landscapes

Aridity and desert processes

3.1.2.1 - Desert systems and global aridityExplain desert landscapes as interacting systems, then account for the uneven global distribution of aridity using atmospheric circulation, distance from moisture, relief and ocean currents.
3.1.2.1 - Climate, soils and vegetation at desert marginsConnect hot-desert and semi-arid climates to soils and vegetation, and use a water balance and aridity index to compare water limitation without confusing dryness with land degradation.
3.1.2.2 - Desert energy and sediment budgetsTrace the energy and sediment that connect desert slopes, channels, fans and dunes, then use a defined sediment cell and budget to explain changing stores.
3.1.2.2 - Weathering and mass movement in drylandsExplain how rock breaks down in drylands and how gravity moves the resulting debris, distinguishing breakdown mechanisms from the shapes of their products.
3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3 - Wind processes and aeolian landformsLink wind erosion, transport and deposition to distinctive landforms, using sediment supply, rock resistance and wind direction to explain contrasts.
3.1.2.2, 3.1.2.3 - Episodic water and arid landformsExplain how infrequent but energetic flows connect desert uplands to basin floors and distinguish depositional fans from erosional surfaces and residual hills.

Desertification and evidence

3.1.2.4 - Desertification, risk and changing extentDistinguish long-term changes in desert extent from dryland degradation, then explain why climate, land use and vulnerability combine to produce uneven desertification risk and impacts.
3.1.2.4, 3.1.2.6 - Desertification responses and local futuresUse Ranawa in Burkina Faso as a local desertification and restoration case, judge the evidence of community and landscape change, and assess conditional futures under climatic and management uncertainty.
3.1.2.5, 3.1.2.6 - A hot desert setting and field evidenceConnect Death Valley's setting and landforms to processes, work with actual published aeolian field evidence from nearby Dumont Dunes, and practise observation, GIS, statistics and qualitative interpretation without presenting training data as observed fieldwork.
3.1.2.3 - Process, time and contrasting desert landscapesCompare Death Valley and the Namib to explain how processes, sediment connections and time produce contrasting mid- and low-latitude hot-desert landscapes.

3.1.3 Coastal systems and landscapes

Coastal processes and landscapes

3.1.3.1, 3.1.3.2 - Coastal systems and energyUnderstand how energy and sediment move through a coast, why waves and tides vary, and how feedbacks connect individual landforms into a changing landscape.
3.1.3.2 - Sediment cells and coastal processesTrace sediment from its sources through a coastal cell, explain the processes changing and transporting it, and use a budget to distinguish movement from net gain or loss.
3.1.3.3 - Erosional coastal landscapesExplain how interacting marine and sub-aerial processes produce cliffs, platforms, caves, arches and stacks, and use a coast beyond the UK to show how structure changes the sequence.
3.1.3.3 - Depositional coastal landscapesExplain how sediment supply, waves, currents and wind produce beaches, spits, bars, barriers and dunes, using Cape Cod beyond the UK while distinguishing similar-looking forms.
3.1.3.3 - Estuaries, mudflats and saltmarshesExplain how tidal water, sediment and vegetation build estuarine landscapes, and judge why mudflat or saltmarsh growth can vary within the same estuary.
3.1.3.3 - Sea level and emergent or submerged coastsDistinguish changes in ocean level from movement of land, then explain raised coastal features and drowned valleys using contrasting settings beyond the UK.
3.1.3.3 - Climate, time and coastal landscape changeEvaluate observed and projected climate effects on coasts, and explain how short events, longer trends and inherited landforms interact without confusing a prediction with a measured outcome.

Management and contrasting coasts

3.1.3.4 - Engineering and sustainable coastal managementExplain how interventions change coastal systems and evaluate hard engineering, soft engineering and integrated management using risk, sediment transfers, time and fairness.
3.1.3.5 - Coastal field measurements and spatial evidenceChoose and interpret coastal observations, measurements, maps, statistics and qualitative evidence. All practice data here are original illustrations; they are not claimed field visits or assessed investigations.
3.1.3.6 - Local coastal processes and sustainable managementUse Holderness–Spurn as a complete provider-local worked example, focusing on measured retreat near Mappleton and Cowden. Learn how to adapt its investigation design to a coast accessible from your own home or study centre.
3.1.3.6 - A contrasting coast beyond the UKUse Delfland and the Sand Motor in the Netherlands to contrast an engineered sandy dune coast with Holderness. Evaluate risks, opportunities and resilience by separating intervention aims from monitored outcomes.

3.1.4 Glacial systems and landscapes

Ice processes and landscapes

3.1.4.1, 3.1.4.2 - Cold environments and glacial systemsCold environments develop where limited heat changes the storage and movement of water and rock. This lesson connects their global distribution to climate, soils, vegetation and the operation of glacial systems.
3.1.4.3 - Glacial budgets, advance and retreatA glacier's budget measures additions and losses over a stated period. Learn to calculate and interpret surface mass balance without confusing point measurements, whole-glacier change and terminus movement.
3.1.4.3 - Glacier types, movement and weatheringBed temperature and the stresses within ice determine how a glacier moves and erodes. This lesson links thermal conditions, weathering and contrasting forms of movement.
3.1.4.3, 3.1.4.4 - Glacial erosion and landscapesGlacial erosion reshapes rock at several scales. Learn how abrasion and plucking combine with inherited relief to produce a connected erosional landscape, including examples beyond the UK.
3.1.4.3, 3.1.4.4 - Glacial transport and depositional landformsGlaciers move debris and leave sediment when transport changes or ice melts. Distinguish the material, process and form, then connect depositional features into a landscape.
3.1.4.3, 3.1.4.4 - Meltwater and fluvioglacial landscapesMeltwater transfers both water and sediment through and beyond glaciers. Its variable discharge produces distinctive channels and deposits that differ from direct ice deposition.
3.1.4.3, 3.1.4.4 - Periglacial processes and landscapesCold ground processes reshape landscapes both near and far from glaciers. Learn how freezing, thawing, water and gravity produce different forms, and why inherited forms need cautious interpretation.

Cold-environment management and evidence

3.1.4.5 - Fragile cold environments and their futuresCold landscapes are fragile because their physical and ecological systems can respond slowly to damage but rapidly to thresholds. Evaluate management through environmental effectiveness, community needs and changing climate.
3.1.4.6 - Glacial field measurements and spatial evidenceUse observations, measurements and spatial data to test glacial landscape explanations. This is a methods lesson using published and clearly illustrative resources; it does not claim learner fieldwork or assess an individual NEA.
3.1.4.7, 3.1.4.4 - Local glacial processes and landscape evidenceCwm Idwal and Nant Ffrancon in Eryri, Wales, provide a complete provider-local worked landscape study. It is geographically local to learners based near that area; other learners must adapt the enquiry to a genuinely relevant study-centre or home setting.
3.1.4.7 - A contrasting glaciated landscape beyond the UKSoutheast Vatnajökull in Iceland contrasts with relict Cwm Idwal through active ice, changing drainage and communities managing present hazards. Link processes and landscape to occupation, resilience and future choices.

3.1.5 Hazards

Risk and tectonic hazards

3.1.5.1 - Hazard risk, perception and responsesA physical event becomes a disaster through its interaction with people, assets and the environment. This lesson explains why similar hazards produce different risks, perceptions and responses, and how two management models help interpret change over time.
3.1.5.2 - Earth structure and plate movementPlate tectonics connects Earth's internal heat and gravity to the creation, movement and recycling of crust. Understanding these drivers helps explain where tectonic hazards and landforms develop.
3.1.5.2 - Plate margins, landforms and magma plumesDifferent directions of plate movement create different landforms and hazard patterns. This lesson links each margin's mechanism to the shape, location and depth of its associated features, then distinguishes a mantle-plume chain from a subduction island arc.
3.1.5.3 - Volcanic hazards and their patternsVolcanic hazards differ in material, speed, route and duration. Their distribution reflects tectonic settings, but predicting a particular eruption requires local monitoring and careful interpretation of uncertain evidence.
3.1.5.3 - A recent volcanic event and responsesThe eruption near Grindavík, Iceland, on 14 January 2024 shows how a fissure's location can change risk despite close monitoring and protective works. The case distinguishes this event from the wider Reykjanes sequence and evaluates immediate protection and later housing adaptation.
3.1.5.4 - Seismic hazards and their patternsEarthquakes release accumulated strain suddenly, yet their distribution reflects long-term tectonic processes. This lesson distinguishes magnitude, local shaking and secondary hazards, then explains what probability maps and warnings can realistically tell us.
3.1.5.4 - A recent seismic event and responsesThe Türkiye–Syria earthquakes of 6 February 2023 show how a large physical event becomes a disaster through exposed buildings, unequal vulnerability and disrupted services. This case distinguishes the event sequence, country-specific impact measures and the evidence needed to judge recovery.

Atmospheric hazards and hazardous places

3.1.5.5 - Tropical storms and hazard patternsTropical storms draw energy and moisture from warm oceans, but their hazards can extend far inland. This lesson connects formation to wind, coastal and catchment processes, then shows how distribution, frequency and forecasts should be interpreted.
3.1.5.5 - Two contrasting recent tropical stormsHurricane Helene in the southeastern USA in September 2024 and Cyclone Freddy in southeastern Africa in February–March 2023 affected contrasting places. Their comparison shows why storm strength, prior conditions, access and response capacity must be considered together.
3.1.5.6 - Wildfire processes, impacts and responsesWildfire risk depends on ignition, available fuel, weather, topography and exposed communities. This lesson explains those controls and uses the Lahaina fire of 8 August 2023 in Maui, Hawaiʻi, to examine impacts, emergency communication and longer recovery.
3.1.5.7 - A multi-hazardous environment beyond the UKAlbay province in the Philippines contains Mayon volcano, steep volcanic slopes, settlements and a typhoon-exposed coast. This case examines interacting hazards and the ways management, livelihoods and risk perception influence continuing occupation. Evidence from 2020, 2023 and 2026 is kept sepa...
3.1.5.7 - A local community in a hazardous settingThis worked local community is Lower Broughton and Lower Kersal beside the River Irwell in Salford, England. It connects the 2015 flood, subsequent management and attributed resident experience. The final part teaches how to build an equivalent study for the community around your own home or stud...

3.1.6 Ecosystems under stress

Ecosystem functioning and biomes

3.1.6.1 - Biodiversity and ecosystem sustainabilityExplain what biodiversity measures, why it changes at different scales, and how ecosystem conservation can support human wellbeing and economic development.
3.1.6.2 - Ecosystem structure, energy and nutrient cyclingUse ecosystem boundaries, food webs and budgets to distinguish energy flows, biomass production and mineral nutrient cycling.
3.1.6.2 - Succession, environmental controls and changeExplain how communities change through succession, how environmental controls interact, and why climatic change and human exploitation can alter the pathway.
3.1.6.3 - Biomes and tropical rainforest adaptationsLocate major terrestrial biomes and explain tropical rainforest structure and adaptations through climate, soils and seasonal water availability, using Ducke Reserve near Manaus.
3.1.6.3 - Savanna adaptations and biome comparisonExplain how seasonal water availability, fire, soils and grazing shape savanna plants and animals, and compare these processes with tropical rainforest.
3.1.6.3 - Development pressures in rainforest and savannaCompare population, economic development and agricultural change in two named biome settings, then judge their implications for biodiversity and sustainable development.

Changing ecosystems and management

3.1.6.4 - British Isles succession and plagioclimaxExplain lithosere and hydrosere pathways in British settings, the conditions supporting temperate deciduous woodland, and how management maintains heather moorland.
3.1.6.5 - Coral reef processes, threats and futuresExplain warm-water reef development and stresses, analyse the Great Barrier Reef's changing condition, and evaluate how management and future climate affect its prospects.
3.1.6.6, 3.1.6.7 - A local ecosystem and conservationUse Wicken Fen as a complete worked local ecosystem for a Cambridge-area reference centre, interpret conservation evidence, and adapt the enquiry to an accessible ecosystem near your own home or study centre.
3.1.6.7 - Regional ecological change and community responsesExplain ecological change in the Flow Country of northern Scotland, connect it to community livelihoods and governance, and judge restoration responses using appropriately scaled evidence.

3.2.3 Contemporary urban environments

Urban growth, form and inequality

3.2.3.1 - Urbanisation, megacities and world citiesDistinguish changes in urban population from movements within urban systems, then explain why large cities and globally connected cities matter.
3.2.3.1 - Urban growth, economic change and British policyExplain how linked demographic, economic and political processes change cities, and judge British regeneration through mechanisms and outcomes since 1979.
3.2.3.2 - Urban forms, land use and new landscapesExplain how physical setting, land markets and planning create urban forms, including the new landscapes of contemporary western cities.
3.2.3.2, 3.2.3.3 - Inequality, segregation and cultural diversityExplain urban spatial inequalities and cultural diversity, using Salford and Detroit to distinguish evidence, lived experience and management choices.

Urban physical systems and waste

3.2.3.4 - Urban climate, wind and air qualityExplain how urban form modifies heat, rainfall and airflow, then connect particulate and photochemical pollution to practical management.
3.2.3.5 - Urban water cycles and sustainable drainageTrace urban water through stores and transfers, interpret changed hydrographs and explain sustainable drainage under realistic ground and capacity constraints.
3.2.3.5 - Evaluating an urban river restoration projectUse the River Quaggy at Sutcliffe Park to explain restoration choices and evaluate flood, ecological and social outcomes with appropriate evidence limits.
3.2.3.6 - Urban waste and disposal choicesExplain how waste sources and lifestyles shape disposal choices, then compare energy recovery and landfill in Greater Manchester's municipal-waste system.

Environment and sustainable urban places

3.2.3.7 - Urban pollution and derelictionCompare atmospheric pollution, water pollution and dereliction in Salford and Detroit, connecting management to exposure and defensible outcomes.
3.2.3.8 - Sustainable cities, footprints and liveabilityExplain urban sustainability across local and global scales, distinguish ecological footprints from city area and compare strategies through liveability and distribution.
3.2.3.9 - An urban area's well-being and environmentStudy Salford district and its nested Quays area as a complete urban case, then adapt its approach to the learner's own home or study-centre locality.
3.2.3.9 - A contrasting urban area and sustainabilityUse Detroit municipality as the contrasting case, then compare its well-being, environment and sustainability with Salford without mixing boundaries or indicators.

3.2.4 Population and the environment

Environment, food and health

3.2.4.1 - Population patterns and environmental contextLearn how population numbers, density and change differ, and how environments and development processes interact to produce uneven settlement patterns.
3.2.4.2 - Climate, food systems and food securityLearn how agricultural systems link climate and productivity to food consumption, and judge strategies for maintaining secure access to food as conditions change.
3.2.4.2 - Zonal soils, agricultural problems and managementLearn how two zonal soils support different agricultural systems, and trace the causes of erosion, waterlogging, salinisation and structural deterioration to appropriate management.
3.2.4.3 - Health patterns, development and environmentLearn how to compare health, mortality and morbidity, and explain how development, climate, drainage, air and water interact to shape unequal health outcomes.
3.2.4.3 - A biologically transmitted diseaseUse malaria to connect global and seasonal disease patterns with vector ecology, social conditions, health impacts and the strengths and limits of control strategies.
3.2.4.3 - A non-communicable disease and global healthUse lung cancer to analyse disease burden, environment and lifestyle pathways, then judge prevention, treatment and the roles of international agencies and NGOs.

Population change and futures

3.2.4.4 - Natural population change and the demographic dividendLearn to interpret vital rates and age–sex composition, apply demographic-transition ideas in contrasting settings, and explain when a larger working-age share can produce a demographic dividend.
3.2.4.4 - Migration processes and consequencesLearn how migration categories, causes and processes differ, and analyse demographic, environmental, social, economic, health and political consequences for origins, destinations and migrants.
3.2.4.5 - Population ecology, resources and competing modelsLearn how growth, carrying capacity and consumption affect population–resource relationships, then evaluate Malthusian, neo-Malthusian, Boserup and Simon perspectives through their assumptions and mechanisms.
3.2.4.6 - Environmental change and population futuresExplain how environmental change can alter health and food security, then distinguish dated population projections from observed outcomes and appraise competing ideas about population futures.

3.2.5 Resource security

Resource development and water security

3.2.5.1 - Resources, frontiers and sustainable developmentLearn how natural materials become resources, why estimates and frontiers change, and how development can be judged through environmental and human consequences.
3.2.5.2 - Resource patterns, trade and geopoliticsLearn why resource production and use occur in different places, how their connecting flows can be analysed, and why those flows create both cooperation and unequal power.
3.2.5.3 - Water availability, demand and stressLearn how climate, rocks and drainage control usable water, how different users affect demand, and how water stress can be measured without confusing withdrawal with consumption.
3.2.5.3 - Water supply strategies and a major schemeLearn how supply strategies change water storage and movement, and use Phase I of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project to connect a major dam network with its benefits and environmental costs.
3.2.5.3 - Water consumption, sustainability and conflictLearn how reducing and reusing demand can change water pressure, and compare local, national and international conflicts through their users, institutions and river boundaries.

Energy and mineral security

3.2.5.4 - Energy sources, demand and competing interestsLearn how energy services create demand, compare the UK and South Africa using a common primary-energy consumption dataset, and connect physical opportunities with firms and national interests.
3.2.5.4 - Energy development and supply strategiesLearn how Johan Sverdrup connects an offshore resource to markets, distinguish its planned impacts from operating evidence, and compare ways of increasing energy supply.
3.2.5.4 - Energy demand management and sustainabilityLearn how energy demand can be reduced while preserving useful services, how different pollutants and waste create different problems, and how sustainability extends across traded energy chains.
3.2.5.5 - A traded metal ore and extraction impactsLearn how copper's geology, uses and processing shape global commerce, and use Escondida and its Coloso network to analyse extraction impacts and sustainability.

3.3 Independent geographical investigation

Planning and field investigation

3.3.1, 3.3.2.1, 3.3.2.2 - Fieldwork requirements and independent enquiryLearn how the course fieldwork requirements in 3.3.1 differ from the independent decisions in 3.3.2.1, and what teacher support 3.3.2.2 permits. The examples are fictional formative training: they help you understand an enquiry without producing or marking your assessed investigation.
3.3.2, 3.3.4.1 - Research questions, context and preliminary researchLearn how 3.3.2 connects an individual geographical question to feasible field evidence, and how 3.3.4.1 values relevant preliminary research. Work with the fictional examples to practise the decisions; develop your own assessed question independently with the general guidance of your teacher.
3.3.2, 3.3.4.2 - Fieldwork design, sampling and method justificationLearn how 3.3.2 connects a geographical question to feasible evidence, and how 3.3.4.2 values justified field methods. Use the original fictional designs to practise method decisions without developing a plan for an assessed investigation.
3.3.2, 3.3.4.2 - Collecting relevant, good-quality field evidenceLearn how to implement the evidence collection required by 3.3.2 and distinguish actual practical quality in 3.3.4.2 from a method that only sounds suitable on paper. All records below are original illustrative training data, not observations from a learner's fieldwork.

Analysis, reporting and independence

3.3.2, 3.3.4.3 - Analysing, representing and interrogating field dataLearn how 3.3.2 requires suitable analysis and representation, and how 3.3.4.3 connects critical data examination to geographical understanding. The small complete datasets and responses are original fictional practice material, not evidence collected in a candidate's investigation.
3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4.4 - Conclusions, wider context and evaluationLearn how 3.3.2 connects a conclusion to the geographical question, how 3.3.4.4 values evaluation and wider context, and how 3.3.3's official quality levels differ from formative feedback. The evidence examples are original fictional training material; no assessed candidate investigation is grade...
3.3.2, 3.3.4.4 - Coherent reporting, referencing and ethical reflectionLearn how 3.3.2 and 3.3.4.4 connect clear reporting to evidence, source credit and ethical reflection. Short fragments and scenarios here are original fictional practice material for learning communication skills; they are not a report template for an assessed investigation.
3.3.2.2, 5.1, 5.2 - Authenticity, assistance and the candidate recordLearn the assistance and authentication rules in 3.3.2.2, 5.1 and 5.2, together with the current six-page 2027 candidate record form (CRF) and JCQ requirements. Rules were checked on 2 October 2026. All scenarios are original fictional training decisions; no assessed candidate proposal, draft, re...