Director Dr Rita Gardner responds to reforms announced today on the content and assessment of geography GCSE.
The Department for Education announced new content criteria for geography GCSE this morning. The revised qualification will be taught for the first time in September 2016 and includes substantial changes to key topics, fieldwork and the role of statistics. Oqual also confirmed assessment arrangements for the new GCSE.
We warmly welcome these changes and believe that the new GCSE will be both exciting for pupils and highly relevant to their lives. Subject content will focus on environmental, social and economic processes, and how they shape and change the places and regions of the world. Combining the study of thematic processes with real places, this offers very good progression from the National Curriculum and into A Level.
The selected key topics will be underpinned by sound geographical knowledge and draw on the breadth of our subject. For example, students will learn about the forces shaping the UK’s landscapes, the processes of climate change, the human influences on ecosystems and economic development including the role of globalisation.
This is a robust curriculum with an enhanced level of demand. The selected key topics will be exciting for pupils and are highly relevant to their lives. We are confident that students awarded a GCSE in geography will have a sound understanding of some of the most important opportunities and challenges that face the world’s peoples, places and environments.
We have been involved in the Department for Education’s Expert Advisory Group for Geography in the National Curriculum and at GCSE over recent months. We continue to work to with others to ensure the relevance and excitement of geography in schools and are currently involved in the ALCAB A Level review group for geography.
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