Geography offers pupils the chance to develop a number of useful and transferable skills which will serve them well beyond the Geography classroom. Skills that are developed include literacy, numeracy, communication and collaborative working.

An understanding of Geography is a valued skill by employers; pupils will find a qualification in Geography useful for careers in engineering, travel and tourism, teaching, media, business, science and many more.

Geography BGE – Broad General Education (S1 – S3)

The broad general education Geography course is taught on a rotation alongside History and Modern Studies. In S1 and S2, these rotations occur every 12 weeks and they will experience one 12 week block of each subject.

In S3 these rotations take place every 6 weeks, and they will complete this rotation twice throughout the year.

S1

S1 pupils will be timetabled to attend Geography classes 3 times per week on a 12-week rotational basis. Pupils will be developing the skills required to study Geography and will have the opportunity to apply these skills to a number of geographical topics.

The S1 course is taught in a number of different areas:

• Map Skills – Pupils will develop the skills they require to accurately interpret a variety of different maps.
• Weather – Within the weather unit, pupils will discover what causes the weather we experience in Scotland along with how these weather patterns are predicted; they will be given the opportunity to apply their skills to their own weather forecast presentation.

S2

S2 pupils will be timetabled to attend Geography classes 3 times per week on a 12-week rotational basis. Pupils will build upon their skills and geographical knowledge gained during the S1 course as they further explore a number of geographical issues:

• Natural Regions – Pupils will learn about the extreme climatic conditions in which some people live their lives; using the rainforest, tundra and desert climates as case studies, we will explore the challenges and benefits of living in these areas.
• Development and Health – Pupils will explore the impact of disease on human development and the development of countries.

S3

S2 pupils will be timetabled to attend Geography classes 3 times per week on a 6-week rotational basis. Pupils will further build upon skills developed in their previous geography experience, but will also focus on building their skills to prepare them for the senior phase.  The S3 course builds these skills through exploring a number of geographical topics:

• Earth Forces – Pupils will explore the causes, effects and impacts of both Volcanoes and Earthquakes
• Climate Change – Pupils will learn about the causes and impacts of global climate change.

National 3/4/5

This course follows the guidelines set out by the SQA, the external examination board. It involves a more detailed study of Geography, and builds on the work and topics covered in S1- S3. The course is split into multiple areas of study which are;

• Physical Environments
• Human Environments
• Global Issues
• AVU (N4 Only)
• Assignment (N5 Only)

Physical Environments

Within the Physical Environments unit of National 3/4/5 Geography at St. Stephen’s, pupils will learn about the formation of the Earth’s physical landscape along with the effect this has on the ecosystem and surrounding environments.

At National 3/4/5 level, the unit is taught as three parts.

• Limestone Landscapes
• Rivers and Valleys
• Weather

Human Environments

The Human Environments unit of National 3/4/5 Geography allows pupils to explore how, why and  where humans live across the world. The unit is taught as three parts.

• Rural Geography
• Urban Geography
• Population

Global Issues

Within the Global Issues unit of the National 3/4/5 course at St. Stephen’s pupils will explore two geographical issues that affect the world today. These issues are:

• Global Climate Change
• Development and Health

AVU (National 4 Only)

Within the National 4 course, pupils will complete a separate piece of individual work on an appropriate geographical issue of their choice. The final product will take the form of a short write-up on the issue studied and is internally assessed at the school. This, along with the three unit assessments, will be used to assess the final qualification at National 4 level.

Assignment (National 5 Only)

Within the National 5 course, pupils will complete a piece of individual work, on top of their final exam, to be externally assessed by the SQA.

This piece of work will take the form of a write-up of a field work study conducted on a nearby river. Pupils are given the opportunity to take part in a field excursion to Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, where they will study one of the many rivers that flow through the area. The results of this field study will then be analysed and presented in the form of a written report, which will be reproduced under exam conditions in March.

The National 5 assignment constitutes 20% of the overall final grade awarded for the course.

Higher Geography

This course follows the guidelines set out by the SQA, the external examination board. It involves a more detailed study of Geography, and builds on the work and topics covered in the National 5 course. The course is split into multiple areas of study which are;

• Physical Environments
• Human Environments
• Global Issues
• Assignment

Physical Environments

Within the Physical Environments unit of Higher Geography at St. Stephen’s, pupils will learn about the formation of the Earth’s physical landscape along with the effect this has on the ecosystem and surrounding environments.

At Higher level, the unit focusses on four specific aspects of physical geography

• Biosphere (Soil Science)
• Hydrosphere (Water and the Environment)
• Lithosphere (Glaciation and Coasts)
• Atmosphere (Weather and its Impact)

Human Environments

The Human Environments unit of Higher Geography allows pupils to explore how, why and where humans live across the world. The unit is taught as three parts.

• Rural Geography
• Urban Geography
• Population, Migration and Development

Global Issues

Within the Global Issues unit of the Higher course at St. Stephen’s pupils will explore two geographical issues that affect the world today. These issues are:

• Global Climate Change
• Health and Disease

Assignment

Within the Higher course, pupils will complete a piece of individual work, on top of their final exam, to be externally assessed by the SQA.

This piece of work will take the form of a write-up of a field work study conducted on a nearby river and will build upon the skills and techniques developed during the preparation of the National 5 assignment. Pupils are given the opportunity to take part in a field excursion to Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, where they will study one of the many rivers that flow through the area. The results of this field study will then be analysed and presented in the form of a written report, which will be reproduced under exam conditions in March.

The Higher assignment constitutes 27% of the overall final grade awarded for the course.