Reaction by Yeats College Geography teacher – Vikki Brennan
The Paper was balanced and well received. The sections were very topical, fair, and accessible to all students. The short questions had a wide variety of topics, and the section was very manageable. Yearly favourites were present, such as ‘Weathering’, ‘Coastal Features’, and ‘Landform Identification’.
The Physical Section included broad themes from ‘Rock Formation’, ‘Landscape Development’ and ‘Seismic Activity’, which were asked in a very straightforward manner. Many students were delighted with Q1, as it presented the ‘Ordnance Survey Map’ paired with ‘Human Interaction with Surface Processes’ and ‘Destructive Plate Boundaries’, two favourites among students. The Physical Section presented students with an ideal set of questions.
The Regional Section was slightly more challenging and received a mixed reaction from students. The section had a variety of questions on the Sub-Continental region, Europe, and Ireland. This year choice was offered in the ‘Concepts of Region’ question, which allowed students to excel in their chosen concept.
The Human Elective was slightly more challenging in its pairings, but did offer the students room to impress with topical questions on ‘Overpopulation’ and ‘Migration Policies in Europe’. The section also tested students’ map skills, through identifying reasons for ‘Urban Growth’. This section offered well prepared students with answerable questions.
The ‘Geoecology’ questions in the Option Section were by far the most answerable section. Students received a generous choice between; ‘Human Activity impacting on Soil’, ‘Characteristics of Soil impacting on Soil Development’ and ‘Characteristics of a Biome’. Overall, the Higher-Level Geography Paper was well received and offered a great choice for all students.
