Students choosing geography in the Sixth form are able to study Geography as part of the IB diploma.
Topics
The course is divided into two sections; the core paper covers three broad topics; population, resources and development, whilst the standard level option paper covers ecosystems and coastal environments. If you choose to study Higher level geography then there are two further topics, which are climatic hazards and change and globalisation.
During the IB course we take every opportunity to take students out into the field and use practical skills to investigate each topic first hand. In Yr 12 all students travel to the Field Studies Centre at Nettlecombe Court, where they spend three days looking at, for example, coastal processes and sand dune succession. This year, Yr 13 are travelling to Southampton Water to look at conflicting uses of the coastal zone around the city of Southampton.
Assessment
IB subjects are assessed by exams at the end of Yr 13;
At Standard Level;
- Paper 1
- Students must answer 2 questions out of a choice of 3 in 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Paper 2
- Students must answer 2 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes. There is a choice of 1 essay or 1 structured question for each of the 2 topics that make up the course.
At Higher Level;
- Paper 1
- Students must answer 2 questions out of a choice of 3 in 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Paper 2
- Students must answer 4 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, There is a choice of 1 essay or 1 structured question for each of the 4 topics that make up the course.
Coursework;
Coursework is based on primary research and is worth 20% for Standard Level students and 25% for Higher Level students.
Extended Essays
In recent years several students have chosen to write their IB extended essay in geography and the results have been very promising. Topics for this component of the overall IB course have included the impact of globalisation on High Streets in Hendon, the impact of HIV/AIDS in rural Zambia and a study looking into the spread of tuberculosis in relation to income in North London.
*More information on the Extended Essay can be found in the IB section of the website.