Geography Department - Course Choice S5/S6
If you choose to study Higher geography, it is expected that you have opted for it because you like the subject, and you wish to take it further. You will also be expected to have shown yourself above average in the Standard Grade exam, by gaining a Credit pass. If you have a General level 3, or have a Credit pass in another Social Subject, you will find the work more taxing, and you will be expected to put quite a bit more effort, in your own time, into learning up the material.
Just as for our S1-S2 and Standard Grade courses - lesson materials can be accessed by pupils online for revision!
The course is divided into two equal sections - Human and Physical Geography. You must pass both of these sections throughout the course.
There are four basic sub-topics for each section and a highly detailed case for each as well. The sub-topics are ;-
HUMAN:
population, rural, urban and industry, case study world development and health.
PHYSICAL:
biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere, case study rural land resources.
The basic topics take about four weeks (on average) each, the case studies about six weeks, maybe longer.
There are internal assessments to be passed. Each section will set two ‘NABs’, one for the case study and the other for assessing two of the topics plus skills called Geographical Methods and Techniques (GMT’S). A pass is 50% but to use them in an appeal you need to get 70% or over. ( eg 30 out of 50)
There is a Prelim exam on which your appeal will be based, if required.
In the exam in June, there are two papers.
Paper 1 tests all eight basic sub-topics. There are three questions to be answered from each section of the course. The first four are compulsory- two human and two physical- and then you can choose one human and one physical from the rest. (You never know which sub-topics are going to be in the compulsory questions, so you need to learn them all! ) These questions are worth about 16-20 marks each, and you get an hour and a half to do your six questions.
Paper 2 has two compulsory questions, one from each case study. They are each worth 50 marks! Each answer takes about 45 minutes in the exam.
(Please note that there are several case studies available to schools, each school choosing one of each type to study. Therefore there will be questions in the paper that do not apply to you;
DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE QUESTIONS in the real exam! )
Please note; As from August 2007, half marks will no longer be awarded at Higher. Effectively, the marks for all Higher questions have been doubled, and you should adjust the marks accordingly when working on older past paper questions.
Remember- you will not get a Higher as easily as you got a Credit Standard Grade. Dedication to learning your notes and attention to fine detail are the keys to a good award in this subject.
We wish you good luck in your course, and urge you to put in serious effort to your studies in order to maximize your results. We hope you will be rewarded with not only a certificate, but an increase in the respect and wonder you feel for your planet and its ecosystems.
The geography staff.
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