The GCSE syllabus offers a great deal of choice and the department has chosen topics which reflect our interests, allow the study of major world issues and provide the possibility of fieldwork.

There are three physical and three human geography topics spread over the two year course.

The units studied are as follows:

Tectonics: this course begins at the end of Year 9 and is used by pupils for their Chemistry GCSE as well as their Geography. It involves studying the following topics:

• structure of the earth
• earthquakes, including case studies from a variety of locations
• volcanoes
• fold mountains

Population: this unit includes the study of;

• the distribution of population
• problems of population growth and possible solutions
• problems of ageing populations and solutions
• migration and associated issues

Glaciation: this physical unit looks at the influence of ice on the landscape and is reinforced during a residential fieldwork trip to the Lake District when we study the valley of Easedale. Topics include

• glacial budgets
• features formed by erosion, e.g. corries and glacial troughs
• depositional features, e.g. moraines and drumlins
• human use of glaciated areas and associated problems
• footpath erosion in National Parks

Agriculture: the emphasis of this unit is on the reasons for different types of farming in different locations. We study:

• farming as a system
• hill sheep farming ( there is a visit to a Lake District Hill Sheep Farm)
• market gardening in the Netherlands
• pastoral nomadism
• desertification – causes and solutions
• irrigation
• traditional rice farming and the Green Revolution
• arable farming in the UK
• the influence of government and EU policies on agriculture

Ecosystems: this unit looks at three major world biomes, studying how the climate, vegetation and soils are all inter-related. Traditional uses of the areas are considered alongside more modern exploitation. The associated problems are discussed and solutions considered.

• Tropical rainforests (problems - Global Warming, soil leaching and erosion)
• Savanna Grasslands (problem - desertification)
• Coniferous forest  (problem - acid deposition)

Management of Resources: there are two areas of resources which are considered:

• Tourism – this part of the syllabus is supported by research conducted during the Lake District fieldtrip into the management of White Moss Common and on tourism in the settlement of Grasmere. This unit also includes the study of tourism in Kenya, although sadly we cannot offer a fieldtrip!
• Energy Supplies – the study of the location factors required by different types of power production. Three different HEP schemes are used as case studies. We also consider ways of saving energy including the development of alternatives, recycling, energy-saving in the home etc.

Coursework
At the beginning of Year 11 the girls conduct research into the location of the CBD core in Durham. The girls collect their data over half a day and are given guidance about writing up their investigation, which usually takes all lesson and homework time in the first half of the Autumn Term of Year11.

Skills
Throughout the course, students will practise their geographical skills including map reading, graph drawing, interpretation of data, aerial photographs, presentations, ICT skills, group work etc. There is a skills section in the GCSE examination.