Case studies are real life examples which show the implementation and results of a development. They turn theory into action and are particularly useful when things don’t quite work as expected.
In your own Geographical Issues essay, you’ll want to consider using case studies in your main sources or wider reading. Some successful Geographical Issues take a case study as their main theme and look at differing viewpoints on it’s success. [See this example on implementing an LEZ in Edinburgh, which achieved 33/40 marks]
This week’s source is a case study of a Natural Flood Management project on the River Twyver.
Issue idea: “Is natural flood management a successful strategy to reduce urban flooding in the UK?”
Geographical Study
You should now be at an advanced planning stage of your data collection – or have already done it. As part of your Geographical Study you get marks for:
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explaining how you have planned & carried out the data collection (including the sampling techniques & sampling points)
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evaluating the success of this and the reliability of the data that has been gathered
This week, work on putting this together. You should refer to the marks sheet for guidance about what the SQA are looking for you to demonstrate in this section.
You could use diagrams/tables/photographs as part of your planning & evaluation.
You will have this week and next week to work on this task.
The SQA Understanding Standards website includes examples of Geographical Studies.
Consider this feedback, given by an SQA marker, on a successful AH study from 2019. This study got full marks for both planning and evaluation.
Feedback about their planning & gathering techniques includes:
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The candidate provided clear and explicit evidence of detailed planning, using a wide range of techniques.
Stratified sampling for the allocation of sites – used with skill, ‘this stratified sampling system is more effective than systematic transect sampling because…whole’.
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There are four valid and relevant research questions across ten sites have been used.
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The techniques used include vegetation type, pH, soil moisture, organic matter and an interview.
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Evidence of planning is supported by relevant information and figures.
Feedback about their evaluation includes:
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The candidate has provided clear and explicit information.
Strengths and weaknesses of research techniques are explicitly discussed.
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Strengths: ‘an advantage is this method gave reliable pH readings’. ‘ interviews are advantageous because information gathered is from an expert’
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Weaknesses: ’a drawback of this method is that moisture may have been lost from the soil samples prior to testing ….’ ; ’ the interviewee may be inclined to present the RSPB positively and give subjective, qualitative data’.
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Reliability of data gathered: ‘the quadrat was randomly placed … three times for each site. This made the data more representative because the average was calculated’.
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Next steps: ‘to investigate this further a greater variety of pH’s would have to be sampled’.
Read the full commentary here (Candidate 2) and their full study here.
Exam Practice
Standard Deviation 2017 – 10 marks – 30 mins
Slope Profile 2023 – 10 marks – 30 mins
