OCR GEOGRAPHY AS LEVEL (New Spec 2016)

Congratulations on getting an A Lii!!
Thank you for your time and responding to this thread.

- I totally agree with you! OCR is really playing with us all. What specific things were asked in the exam last year which got everyone annoyed, if I may ask?

I would really love some help and advices on how you would structure your essay based questions which worth 12 or 14 and the 20 mark questions. My teachers haven’t been a great help so its worrying for us because we don’t know how to answer those specific questions.

- We even didn’t have a proper mock exam to practice which I honestly don’t know what my teacher is doing? Apparently she gave us an ‘A level exam paper from an old spec’ which really didn’t go too well so our class practically got PLAYED.

I’d also like to point out the timing in Paper 1 (Landscape and Place) as the amount of questions set are ridiculous. Especially the last question in Paper 2 (Geographical Debates).

- From the case studies in the book, do we also have to apply other case studies which weren’t included to answer in the exam? (As a class we just learnt the cases studies from the book)

Ok so I'll start with what got us pissed by the exam board; So in Changing Spaces; Making Places you learn about informal representations which is 2 pages of complete waffle in the OCR textbook. It's only one spec point but 10% of the marks I worked out on our AS paper were on questions to do with this like a 6 marker and an 8 marker in the synoptic bit.

Which I felt was awful considering it's such a small part and they tested us on it in both the AS papers ( It came up in the hazardous earth section as how do hazards affect informal representation of place? etc)

The other part was the investigational geography part which in the specimen AS paper used a coastal area or something for you to suggest an investigation on. In the actual AS they used a glaciated landscape of some hills and like one house in the photo. My argument is that in the coastal area figure there was clearly enough town in the figure for students to suggest a human geography investigation instead of a coastal one if they hadn't studied coasts but in the glaciated landscape the one house meant it felt like quite the stretch for linking it to any human geography at all.

- My teacher actually complained about this to the exam board and the exam boards excuse for the unfair overly glaciated landscape centred source was that it was a coastal one in the specimen paper. My teacher assumes that because they messed up so bad with the AS paper they will have to be much nice with both paper's this year.

Annnyway.... In terms of essay structure I think I can give you some pointers for how I practised answers.

Firstly for coasts, I recommend writing model answers for the formation of all the geographical landforms you've learnt about because that is what there is in the spec paper and it is what they gave us for one of our questions in the actual exam.

In our exam I believe it was on explain the formation of Geos or something - one of the less well known formations I think so my advice is look in the specimen paper below and work out the formula for things the examiner wants to answer the question such as how is the 5 physical factors of waves tides currents winds and geology involved and what do they want in terms of geomorphical processes of erosion weathering deposition transportation fluvial aeolian and mass movement. All things you can talk about so get it down to a formula and do it for each landform You can do that probably for some other questions as well so see what you think.

I know for CSMP at least we get it drilled into us about AO2 and the need to link it back to the question so you get marks for your knowledge and facts that you provide but you need to explain why that fact is important and why it explains the question so make sure when you try "explain" and "to what extent" questions to keep referring back to the questions after you provide some AO1 knowledge then explain the AO2 relevance.

(Ive tried to attach a copy of the exam boards explanation of AO1 and AO2)

Thirdly I think thats absolutely awful for your teacher to just give you old spec stuff cus thats so different and like unneccessary given that there's now a past paper AND a spec paper! Below I've attached a link to the specification and the papers you can see so you can have a proper go at it. (the mark schemes can be found at the end) If you're not sure how to mark it then I suggest handing it to your teacher with the mark scheme and being like I'm being proactive here thank you now show me how to mark.

Specification: www.ocr.org.uk/Images/223012-specification-accredited-a-level-gce-geography-h481.pdf

Landscapes and Human Geography Specimen Paper ( the mark scheme is at the bottom of the paper) : www.ocr.org.uk/Images/223034-unit-h081-01-landscape-and-place-sample-assessment-material.pdf

Landscapes and Human Geography Specimen Resource Booklet: www.ocr.org.uk/Images/223035-unit-h081-01-landscape-and-place-sample-resource-booklet.pdf

Hazards Spec Paper: www.ocr.org.uk/Images/223037-unit-h081-02-geographical-debates-sample-assessment-material.pdf

Resource Booklet: http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/223038-unit-h081-02-geographical-debates-sample-resource-booklet.pdf

So about the timing of the papers honestly, I feel you. I ran out of time in the exam completely and had only half written a pathetic answer to the 20 mark question. Which again I suggest you try and make sure to answer A01 and AO2 fully to get the max marks

I wouldn't be sure what to advice other than perhaps use the spec paper to inspire your own questions so you can get faster at writing it and spend less time trying to work out what the heck it is they're looking for and more time writing which is just as time consuming and difficult.

For the case studies: If you look in the specification there are essential case studies and then I presume your teacher is giving you extras in lessons. Yes I think to some extent they are useful too even if for example in coasts it's just an extra of being able to name a location where each landform is formed. In Changing Spaces Making Places I think other locations along side those in the text book are good for general AO1 points. I think place specific information is particularly useful for the rebranding strategies.

In Hazardous earth I think that volcano and earthquake case studies beyond what is required in the textbook and spec are almost essential to get through those 20 mark questions as no 2 volcanoes are the same and they each bring different points for the same question. - If you want some good volcanoes to have information on I can give you that too.

The other thing I'd like to add is that in the OCR textbook there is a section on deltas in the coast section. The textbook company were question on this I believe and they felt it was necessary to understand to use the Nile Delta case study - I personally do not and think you should just learn it as it is without the delta stuff so my advice is to ignore it if you want to take it.

Sorry this is ridiculously long I just like helping sorry if it's too much XD. Any other questions feel free to ask I can do more condensed if you want.

My parting note for this post will be this - don't take it out too much on your teachers, I know I do to a certain extent but honestly they're probably doing the best they can with so little. Unfortunately this does mean you will have to take the intitiative and try and get your head round the course fully yourself. Which I guess is the silver-lining as hopefully you'll know how to answer questions more easily when it comes to it!

Your advice is amazing!! I'm in second year as well but we sat internal exams at the end of year 12 and the papers were not very realistic. The mock we had a couple of months ago was literally the specimen paper.... I noticed that on the OCR website, under the A Level tab for Geography, there is a locked link to 'geography practice papers' under the heading practice papers and mark schemes. Have you been given these to practice at all? Or does anyone know where to get the answers for the practice questions at the end of each chapter in the OCR textbook?

hiya guys,
I'm preparing to sit ocr geog in the summer and the Changing Places module is by far the worst one...
I'm doing:
coasts, Earths life suport systems,
changing places, migration, human rights
climate change and oceans.

I'm dreading the second paper, the questions are too vague and the changing places module is just horrendous. If anyone has a good way to revise that module let me know because i've tried everything

When I picked my subjects - Biology, Chemistry and Geography, I didn't think for a second that Geography would be the hardest one. Yes, the sciences are hard, however, there are actually good resources which enable me to learn/revise it effectively. Geography, on the other hand, is just wishy-washy BS and I just can't seem to get good marks, God I hate "Changing Spaces Making Places" -_- I sent OCR a complaint email and got an official response PM me if you'd like to read what they said.

In Changing Spaces for rebranding, do you need to know both the Birmingham and Barcelona case study, or do you need to know only one of the case studies?

I know there are limited past papers available as this is the first year of the new spec, but what papers are available for practice questions? I know there is a sample assessment paper for human interactions, physical systems and geographical debates, but is that all we have? As a friend at another school has 2 sets of questions for each topic, but there is only one set available on the website. Have any of your teachers given you other assessment resources?