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for those who did as and a level geography

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(edited 8 years ago)

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I got an A at GCSE (one ums off A*), B at AS and B at A2 (again, one ums off an A - just my luck :mad:). I found the subject really interesting but challenging as theres a lot to remember. It's also VERY time pressured, especially in A2. I did Edexcel btw.
D in GCSE, B in AS and then C overall (I did have three months off during A2 due to health reasons). I'm studying it at university and loving every moment of it!
Reply 3
Original post by STUDYREVISE
What did you get at gcse, as and a2. How did you find the subject as a whole?

I guess i am a bit biased when it comes to geography cause i'm doing it at uni very very soon but i really loved it at all levels tbh. i got A* gcse, A at AS and B overall for A level. at gcse you are given a lot of the information and it is really a case of learning case studies and how to apply them to longer questions- this you need to do to get A*. at A level the content gets a lot more interesting, AS it is similar in ways to GCSE some of the topics you might have covered at GCSE before, they will be covered in more detail of course and you will have a mixture of case studies given to you to learn and some that you will need to research yourself. the biggest difference between GCSE and AS is the exam, GCSE the longest question i ever did was 9 marks, at AS you get 2 25mark essay questions (depending on your exam board) and some shorter 6 and 9 mark questions. A2 i think was the year i enjoyed geography the most, you are encouraged to read around the subject and research your own case studies. my teachers didn't use textbooks in this year, we got case studies from geography magazine articles, newspapers, documentaries, and just current/recent events in the news and this made it so much more interesting and encouraged me to research my own case studies and make them out of things i had heard in the media etc. and that was great cause you could revise for your exam whilst just taking a general interest in things. I wrote a geography blog which served as part of my revision, it was also a good way to revise as it didn't feel like revision, cause it was enjoyable.

what i am saying is geography gets more interesting as you move up. when you research yourself and take a genuine interest in things then you will be driven to work harder. so basically if you enjoy geography, things will only get better. :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by STUDYREVISE
What a lovely and informative reply! Thanks:smile:

thank you, i love geography loads haha. are you doing it at gcse now and thinking about A level then?
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Time pressure in geography? Never thought of that!
Would you recommend doing geography at a level? Or would you change with another subject?
Did you spend a lot of your time on it?


Yeah in the exams! Like for unit 3 you have to write 7 essays (4 in section A and 3 in section B) in 2 hours 30 mins - sounds a long time but with the amount you need to write it really isn't. And then for unit 4 you have a 70 mark report to write in 1 hour 30. So you basically have to write super fast to finish in time. But remember I'm talking about Edexcel, other exam boards may be different!

I spent the majority of my time on geography, partly because I found it challenging remembering everything, along with my other subjects (like psychology where it's basically a memory game). But also because my teacher ended up being off sick for a couple of months so I had to self teach some of the content.

I would definitely recommend geography, it's such an interesting subject to learn and it's relevant to everyday life, learning about things that happen around you! I enjoyed studying it just felt very pressured around exam time :redface:
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Wow. It started to sound somewhat scary now. So many exams!


It sounds daunting, but if you enjoy the subject it makes it a lot easier to revise and work for it! Like one of my other a levels, I hated a lot, and that's reflected in it being my lowest grade. If you're enjoying geography at GCSE and you enjoy studying it, then I think you'll definitely enjoy it at A Level. So pick subjects that you're interested in, will make it easier :redface:
Reply 7
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Yes, I am currently in year 11, GCSE's.
I have decided on doing biology, chemistry, a language and either geography or ict.
I am planning to drop the language and continue with either Geo or ICT.

So you created a blog? Is it still accessible?
:colondollar:

i did AS ICT as well, personally i found it boring but that might just be me :biggrin:

when i said had a blog it should have been i have a blog cause i still write on it, i've just been very busy lately with uni stuff so haven't had much of a chance but yeah here it is:

http://vamoswearegolden.wordpress.com/geography/
Reply 8
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Read the page on your results too. Congrats!
What are you planning on studying at university, geography?


thank you very much, yeah i start geography officially at university of exeter (cornwall campus) on the 22nd :biggrin:
Reply 9
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Wow, love the blog!:biggrin:
Astronomy too! Its great!
Was the blog a form of revision for you too?
Also, about ICT, was it difficult or just boring?


yeah astronomy is great, sadly i haven't had much time to do any actual stargazing for a while, been very busy with everything, gonna make myself go out for the next big stargazing event (probably a meteor shower).

i started the blog as a bit of fun in the holidays between yr11 and yr12, but then i started writing about things i found interesting in my lessons and especially for A2 it was a way to revise and practice writing skills as well as having fun haha. it was a lot easier to make my own case studies that way cause i had somewhere to put all my research in a organised way. I think i have my blog to thank for my university offer and place tbh.

ICT i found was boring basically for everything i did, in it tbh and some things i found really hard, i am not naturally gifted in IT i think.:redface:
Original post by tgwktm
yeah astronomy is great, sadly i haven't had much time to do any actual stargazing for a while, been very busy with everything, gonna make myself go out for the next big stargazing event (probably a meteor shower).

i started the blog as a bit of fun in the holidays between yr11 and yr12, but then i started writing about things i found interesting in my lessons and especially for A2 it was a way to revise and practice writing skills as well as having fun haha. it was a lot easier to make my own case studies that way cause i had somewhere to put all my research in a organised way. I think i have my blog to thank for my university offer and place tbh.

ICT i found was boring basically for everything i did, in it tbh and some things i found really hard, i am not naturally gifted in IT i think.:redface:


What did you achieve in your Geography and ICT GCSE?
Reply 11
I got an A* at both GCSE and A Level. I found it really easy/very interesting, but there'a a huge workload (loads of case studies, as at GCSE). At A Level, there's more longer answers/essay style questions as opposed to the 1/2/3 mark answers at GCSE. There's also more of a focus on relating the theory to the case studies- you have to be analytical in your answers and be able to make apply the theory to the case studies, and sometimes you're required to compare/contrast 2 different case studies in the same answer. The case studies themselves are mostly rote learning though!
Original post by falling
I got an A* at both GCSE and A Level. I found it really easy/very interesting, but there'a a huge workload (loads of case studies, as at GCSE). At A Level, there's more longer answers/essay style questions as opposed to the 1/2/3 mark answers at GCSE. There's also more of a focus on relating the theory to the case studies- you have to be analytical in your answers and be able to make apply the theory to the case studies, and sometimes you're required to compare/contrast 2 different case studies in the same answer. The case studies themselves are mostly rote learning though!

Thanks :smile:
Well done on such fantastic results!
Are you planning on pursuing your career in geography/geology?
Reply 13
Original post by STUDYREVISE
Thanks :smile:
Well done on such fantastic results!
Are you planning on pursuing your career in geography/geology?


Thank you!
I'm doing a degree in geography atm, but I'm actually hoping to go into nursing afterwards.
Reply 14
Original post by STUDYREVISE
What did you achieve in your Geography and ICT GCSE?

Geography i got A* and ICT i got a distinction but IT AS i got a B
Reply 15
I got a C in GCSE doing Foundation and ended with a B in A level, a B in every exam
Original post by spookz
I got a C in GCSE doing Foundation and ended with a B in A level, a B in every exam


Well done! You've got a great result. :smile:
How did you find Geography as a whole? Easy/Interesting?
What other subjects did you do for AS and which did you drop for A2, and how did you find Geography in comparison to those subjects?
Does geography link in with your career choice?
Hi , i am currently in the process of choosing my A-levels too and would like to do medicine in the future, my definite options are bio ,chem and maths but for my 4th option i was thinking geography because i find it really interesting and fun especially human geography and consistently get good grades in it, also i am really good at remembering case studies. I heard AS geography is similar to GCSE, is this true ?
Reply 18
Original post by tgwktm
i did AS ICT as well, personally i found it boring but that might just be me :biggrin:

when i said had a blog it should have been i have a blog cause i still write on it, i've just been very busy lately with uni stuff so haven't had much of a chance but yeah here it is:

http://vamoswearegolden.wordpress.com/geography/


Hey, I've seen you blog and its great. Thanks.:smile:
Reply 19
I got a B at gcse, very close to an A with only 3 months of work. I only started GCSE Geography 3 months before the exam.
I find it really interesting im currently doing it in AS And will do it in A2, It's a case of understanding the work, once you understand it all you have to do is regurgitate it, with some practise of the questions it should go smooth.

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