ENTRY LEVEL
You will normally be expected to have attained a pass at N5 Geography, or another social subject.  Exceptional circumstances will be considered on their merits.

 

COURSE CONTENT – What will I learn?
There are three main sections in Higher Geography:

Physical – 
You will learn about different aspects of our physical environment from the air we breathe to the ground we walk on.

• Atmosphere
• Lithosphere
• Biosphere
• Hydrosphere

Human – 
You will learn about different human environments, how we have changed landscapes and populate areas of the world.

• Population
• Rural
• Urban

Global Issues – 
You will learn about two global issues that we are faced with, why they exist and how they could be solved.

• River Basin Management
• Development and Health

Mapwork – 
This involves using an Ordnance Survey map and a variety of other sources (e.g. graphs/tables) to answer a scenario-based question.

 

TEACHING METHODS – What will I do?
In the Geography department, we use a variety of teaching methods. You will be working as an individual much of the time, but often, also, in pairs, groups or as a whole class. All of the content will be teacher-led, but it is important that consolidation tasks are carried out independently. Your teacher will have high expectations of your levels of personal effort.

 

ASSESSMENT

Assignment	This is a report based on fieldwork and research, written under exam conditions with a prepared sheet of maps and graphs, and marked by the SQA.  It is worth 27% of the final mark for Higher Geography.
Final Exam	The examination for Higher Geography is two papers, worth 160 marks (73% of your grade): Paper 1 is worth 100 marks – Physical and Human Geography (50 marks each). Paper 2 is worth 60 marks – 20 marks for two global issues topics (40 marks in total) and 20 marks for the mapwork scenario question.

 

HOMEWORK
You will be given regular homework for Higher Geography – about 1- 2 hours a week. Higher students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning, organisation and homework and to do significant amounts of extra reading and preparation for assessments. The Geography Department uses Glow, which has resources to support homework and study, which you can easily access from home.

 

PROGRESSION IN THE SENIOR PHASE
A pass in Higher Geography would lead to Advanced Higher Geography in S6.