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Should i do A-Level Geography?

I need a fourth A-Level to do and the college i am going to offers Geography (AQA). Though i haven't done GCSE geography the course seems interesting and we have the choice on what topics we want to study. So i was wondering has anyone done AS Level AQA geography and is it any good or a complete headache?

(how hard is it in relation to other subjects?)

THANKS! :woo:

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Reply 1
I did edexcel and loved it. :smile:
Geography is recommended from me.
Reply 2
ghastlymistake
I need a fourth A-Level to do and the college i am going to offers Geography (AQA). Though i haven't done GCSE geography the course seems interesting and we have the choice on what topics we want to study. So i was wondering has anyone done AS Level AQA geography and is it any good or a complete headache?

(how hard is it in relation to other subjects?)

THANKS! :woo:


OMG! I do AQA geog, and its the worst subject ever!! So much memorising! Human geog is v.easy, but the physical option unit is just impossible! Also its the subject that sets the biggest workload ever!

If you do take it.. whatever you do, dont choose cold environments on the physical side!

In relation to other subjects it requires no real understanding of anything, just how good you are at memorising stuff..
It really is a big workload as there's a lot of memorising to do of case studies, so if you've done gcse and hated that part, then it might not be for you. I've just finished AS Edexcel, parts of it were really interesting and I did enjoy it, but for me the huge workload and the massive amount of stuff you have to memorise for the exam (like, facts for each case study etc) has put me off taking it next year (although I decided that mainly because I didn't want to give up any of my other subjects). On the other hand, it is do-able, so it's probably better to decide on how much you think you'd enjoy doing it.
Quite a few of people in my class (as well as me) think that most of it is just learning the content, so you might want to take it if you know you're good at it and know that it'll give you a good grade.
However I don't know much about the AQA course - if it's the same as Edexcel in that your school chooses from several options, check what they are. And talk to some people in the year above, most people are happy to talk about the subjects they do :smile:
Don't let me (or other people) put you off from doing it by saying "argh there's so much work" because it's your decision and you have to do what's best for you - and it's pretty much objective. Teachers from different colleges might set different levels of work, and get through it much quicker.
Reply 4
Im on the Edexcel board, whether or not that is comparable to the AQA syllabus I dont know.

BUT

I HATED MINE!

If your the type of person who prepares in advance and revises in good time you should find when you come to exams you will be in good sted. If not, and your like me who stupidly revises rather late in the day (days till the exams) its ALOT of work to go over and memorise, however this luckily works for me.

As others have said physical Geography is really the 'kick in the teeth' section. Most parts are quite complex and very boring (pressure systems - how they form etc). I found human geography far easier as it relates to other subjects such as Business & Economics and is far more relevant to the whats happening in the world (Population crisis/ Migration/ Trade issues/ North-South divide)

If I could go back and swap this subject for another I think I would have done.

But if ya take the subject then good luck and enjoy! :smile:
Reply 5
If you want an easy ride dont take geography!

If you want an easy ride from what I know,
I'd suggest Business studies (Mostly common sense)
Law (Because effectively your AS exams are scripts because the same question occurs)
Reply 6
I'm on the Edexcel board and I found it a bit of a doddle.

The theory is quite interesting, and not too vexing. 'Memorsing' case studies isn't what it seems - you don't need to know absolutely loads, and you don't need to know them in extreme detail.. so its all very managable.

I've taken Geography, Maths and Biology at A2.. and even though Geog has been much less work than the others, I'm confident that I'll be getting an A.
Reply 7
I am doing edexcel..
I would say AS was the easiest thing ever.
A2 is horrible, sheeer volume of stuff you have to know..
So, my advice, is if you need a 4th one do it for AS, drop it for A2!!!
Well I love Geography as a subject (hopefully studying it at uni) but HATED the AQA spec B course, oh god don't get me started on it! But anyway, it's all changed now and I know nothing about the new one! Maybe it's better?

Like people above me have said, there's a LOT to memorize, and I really reccomend revising as you go along, don't just coast through and then try and relearn everything a few months before the exam (like me!), you'll die! If you put the effort in and read over your notes right from when you start the course you should be fine. Good luck!

What other subjects are you choosing?
glitsy
I am doing edexcel..
I would say AS was the easiest thing ever.
A2 is horrible, sheeer volume of stuff you have to know..
So, my advice, is if you need a 4th one do it for AS, drop it for A2!!!


good advice!! though I thought the AQA B course only got interesting at A2, but the workload completely destroyed any chance of fun!
Reply 10
andrew.P
OMG! I do AQA geog, and its the worst subject ever!! So much memorising! Human geog is v.easy, but the physical option unit is just impossible! Also its the subject that sets the biggest workload ever!

If you do take it.. whatever you do, dont choose cold environments on the physical side!

In relation to other subjects it requires no real understanding of anything, just how good you are at memorising stuff..

This
Reply 11
Fairly hard... but easier then Latin and Chemistry and Art I bet =P... It's a gd one to take up, besides you should be given the option to change courses in the first month so dw =)
Reply 12
Fairly hard... but easier then Latin and Chemistry and Art I bet =P... It's a gd one to take up, besides you should be given the option to change courses in the first month so dw =)

And you what to do economics, so yh def a gd one to take up
Reply 13
glitsy
I am doing edexcel..
I would say AS was the easiest thing ever.
A2 is horrible, sheeer volume of stuff you have to know..
So, my advice, is if you need a 4th one do it for AS, drop it for A2!!!


Really? My A2 was easier (maybe cos I had done AS Geog before obv) =P...natural disasters, globalisation and sustainable development... you?
I'm doing OCR Geography (started A2 about 2 weeks ago) and it's reasonably hard. But I like a challenge, and it's interesting as well. I would rate it as my 2nd hardest subject (after Biology).

It covers a board topic area from different ecosystems, reasons why a country is poor/rich and how it varies from regions, how landscapes change over time due to processes, and so forth. I admit there was a lot to memomise, though.

However, if your other subjects are of the science/humanities kind, then I recommend Geography. The physical and human nature of Geo would mix well with your other subjects.
Well I did AQA Geography A, finished this year and i thought it was probably the easiest of my a levels. Blagging unfortuneately doesn't work (got AAD for AS) you'll never guess which one I blagged. Workload is fairly high, though I put more work towards maths. Overall the course was nice. I'd recommend it for sure.

I also did Maths and Economics along with AS chemistry.
Reply 16
I chose Geography as my 4th subject. I seemed to get higher grades even though I put far less work into it than my other subjects - I only did the odd essay that was set for homework probably once a term in all. It was the only subject I was able to leave for last minute revision only and come out with high A grades. Of course, this isn't to say it's an easy choice for everyone - but it seemed to be for me, even though I never really thought of myself as a particularly good geographer!

It's also given me an opportunity to practice essay writing. I did OCR, but I imagine the similarities between boards are greater than their differences. I think A2 should come with a health warning though - there is a huge jump with regards to extended writing at A2 level than AS!
Reply 17
The workload is pretty much, so if you are willing to work hard, then most definitely opt for it:top:
Reply 18
andrew.P
OMG! I do AQA geog, and its the worst subject ever!! So much memorising! Human geog is v.easy, but the physical option unit is just impossible! Also its the subject that sets the biggest workload ever!

If you do take it.. whatever you do, dont choose cold environments on the physical side!

In relation to other subjects it requires no real understanding of anything, just how good you are at memorising stuff..


I can't express how much I agree with you. A-level Geography has got to be the most boring subject I have taken in my life, thank god I got a class of funny people.
Geography is a good subject and it sometimes relates really well to other subjects and the outside world. There is often a lot information which makes it slightly difficult during exams, but as you get to choose what topics you want to it makes it more interesting. It does depend on what your teacher is like because some just make it so boring.

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