Geographical Skills — AQA GCSE Geography
Geographical skills are tested throughout all three papers. They include cartographic, graphical, numerical and statistical skills, as well as fieldwork.
Cartographic (map) skills
- Use OS maps: four- and six-figure grid references, scale and distance, compass directions, gradient and relief (contours).
- Interpret cross-sections, sketch maps, choropleth, isoline, dot and proportional symbol maps.
- Describe distributions and patterns on maps (e.g. "clustered in the south-east").
Graphical skills
- Select and construct suitable graphs: line, bar, pie, scatter, histograms, population pyramids, climate graphs and flow lines.
- Interpret graphs: describe trends, identify anomalies and read off values.
Numerical and statistical skills
- Calculate and interpret mean, median, mode and range.
- Work with percentages, percentage change, ratios and proportion.
- Understand measures of central tendency and recognise patterns, correlations and anomalies in data.
Fieldwork
Across the course you complete two fieldwork enquiries (one physical, one human). For these you should understand:
- forming a suitable enquiry question/hypothesis,
- selecting and justifying data collection methods (and sampling),
- presenting data appropriately,
- analysing and explaining results, and
- reaching a conclusion and evaluating the enquiry (limitations and improvements).
In Paper 3 you may be asked about your own fieldwork and an unfamiliar fieldwork situation.
Exam tips
- Practise OS map skills: grid references, scale, contours and directions.
- Choose the right graph for the data and describe trends with figures.
- Be confident with mean/median/mode and percentage change.
- For fieldwork, know your enquiry process and be ready to evaluate it.