Edexcel A Level

Geography
Paper 3
Longer questions: Longer questions:
20 marks x2 (Coasts and Carbon / 20 marks x2 (Regen and Health/
Water) Human Rights)

Longer questions: based on resource:

18 and 24 mark
A Level Assessment Objectives
 AO1 - AO2 – THINKING AND APPLICATION SKILLS
KNOWLEDGE Student ability to apply understanding to unfamiliar
Student knowledge situations/make own links
and understanding. Must lead to analysis, interpretation and/or
evaluation.

A03 – OTHER SKILLS

Higher order thinking
Use skills to investigate – construct an argument.
Only used in fieldwork skill questions.
To draw conclusion, interpret, analyse and
evaluate
Paper 3 (Synoptic) Breakdown of marks
4, 4, 4, 8, 8, 18, 24

• Questions do not tell you where to get

the information from nor are they in
chapters.
• All questions are resource linked; every
question has AO3 marks attached to
them (using figures and resources).
Paper 3 in a nutshell
• An issues-based approach to A level Geography
• An unseen synoptic paper based on synoptic themes in the
specification from the compulsory content
• Students assessed on their knowledge, understanding, skills and
ability in applying the themes to an unseen situation
• 2 hour 15-minute exam, worth 70 marks, contributing 20% of marks
towards the final A level grade
• Important to stress the degree of extended writing – 2 x 8 mark (with
an ‘Analyse’ command), an 18- and 24-mark questions = 42 marks
out of a total of 70.
• Geographical skills integrated into the questions – but manipulation
of data likely to be low tariff (4 marks) bulk of marks here from AO2 –
adding own knowledge.
What content will I be tested on?
5-6 pages of resources of all types • Maps, data tables, graphs, views and quotes, diagrams plus some
text.
• This paper is about applying your knowledge to a place based
geographical issue.
• It will not be a local focus – it’s going to be broad and international
(involving more than one country)
• The geographical 'location' of the unseen resources won’t be
known in advance! But it will need to be somewhere where issues
concerning Globalisation and Superpowers are evident.
• Any carbon and water cycle material is likely to be woven into
'places' that map into Globalisation and Superpowers.
• The unseen materials will focus on compulsory topics, however
you can bring in knowledge and thinking from the optional
topics.
• In learning these topics, be aware of the 'issues' that arise – these
are not too hard to find.
Overview of compulsory topics at A-level
Content overview – compulsory topics in red
Dynamic Landscapes Dynamic Places
1. Tectonic Processes and 3. Globalisation
Hazards 4. Shaping Places
2. Landscape Systems, (Either 4A: Regenerating
Processes and Change Places or 4B: Diverse Places)
(Either 2A: Glaciated
Landscapes or 2B: Coastal
Landscapes)
Physical Systems and Global development and
Sustainability connections
5. The Water Cycle and Water 7. Superpowers
Insecurity 8. Global Development and
6. The Carbon Cycle and Connections
Energy Security (8B: Migration, Identity and
Sovereignty)
What will the exams look like?
4 4 mark questions are awarded 4 marks for 1
Assessment objective depending on nature
4 EXPLAIN, of the command word either AO1 or AO3
COMPLETE, (especially where question relates to data
DRAW, PLOT, manipulation, interpretation, statistical
CALCULATE analysis etc.
4
8 mark questions are awarded 4 marks for
AO1 & 4 marks for AO3
8 Extended
explanations based 18 mark questions are awarded 3 marks
8 on resource booklet. AO1, 9 marks for AO2 & 6 marks for AO3
ANALYSE
18 Longer essays
based on resource 24 mark questions are awarded 4 marks
AO1, 12 marks for AO2 & 8 marks for AO3
booklet but mainly
24 own synoptic Out of a possible 70 marks, approx. 50% of them
knowledge. come from using the evidence in the resources!
Analyse:
Use geographical skills to investigate an issue by
systematically breaking it down into individual components
and making logical, evidence-based connections about the
causes and effects or interrelationships between the
components
• ‘Analyse’ only appears in Paper 3
• Linked to data in the Resource Booklet
• The 8 mark ‘analyse’ question has its own AO
balance (AO1=4, AO3 = 4)
• It has its own levels descriptors
 AO3 (2 marks)

Using the data in figure 2, calculate the %

of income earners who earn less than the
GDP per capita in Singapore (2)
*You must show your working out
Study Figure 4 in the Resource booklet, which shows data
on GDP per capita and national average salaries for
selected countries. Analyse the relationship between GDP
per capita and national average salaries (8)
AO1 (4 marks) AO3 (4 marks)
 The three synoptic themes

1. Players

2. Attitudes
and actions

3. Futures
and
uncertainties
TASK: For each topic make spider diagrams of
the synoptic links. Each diagram has 3 main
branches and then annotate using the text
book.

What’s the benefit of doing this?

1. Gets students revising the topics
2. Gets students thinking synoptically where
information comes from.
Useful
Issue is based on something routed in globalisation resources to
or superpowers. Location depending on the issue
and the physical location (e.g. hazard impacts, sea
get you
level rise etc.) Issue comes from the Human started!
Geography and the location from the Physical. Pages 17-21
TASK: For each topic make spider diagrams of
the synoptic links. Each diagram has 3 main
branches and then annotate using the text
book.

What’s the benefit of doing this?

1. Gets students revising the topics
2. Gets students thinking synoptically where
information comes from.
Useful resources
Issue is based on something routed in globalisation to get you
or superpowers. Location depending on the issue started!
and the physical location (e.g. hazard impacts, sea
level rise etc.) Issue comes from the Human
Pages 275-288
Geography and the location from the Physical.
 Mind map Sample layout
Actions and Futures and
Attitudes uncertainties

Topic

Players
Interpreting paper 3 June 2018