Understanding Standards Geography Advanced Higher An overview of course assessment

What this presentation covers To provide teachers and lecturers with an overview of the revised Advanced Higher Geography course assessment for session 2019–20, covering: the overall structure of the revised course assessment what is unchanged and what has changed an overview of each component.

Overall structure of the revised course assessment Question paper 50 marks Map Interpretation 20marks Gathering and Processing Techniques 10 marks Data Handling 20 marks Project-folio 100 marks Geographical Study 60 marks Geographical Issue 40 marks Total 150 marks

An overview of what is unchanged - question paper There is no change to the knowledge and understanding and skills of the course.

Mandatory skills and knowledge and understanding developing and using a wide range of research and mapping skills and techniques in complex geographical contexts developing and using a wide range of numerical and graphical skills and techniques in geographical contexts developing and using a wide range of statistical techniques

Mandatory skills and knowledge and understanding developing and using knowledge and understanding of geographical terminology, ideas and systems, using complex information to explain and analyse a wide range of geographical phenomena developing and applying skills, knowledge and understanding to analyse a wide range of complex geographical evidence

Question paper - Map interpretation 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey Map of England and Wales maps or map based diagrams photographs sketches geographical information outline drawings drawings based on photographs, data tables and written text

Question paper - Gathering and Processing Techniques Physical beach profile analysis micro-climate analysis pebble analysis slope analysis soil analysis stream analysis vegetation analysis

Question paper - Gathering and Processing Techniques - human environmental quality survey interview design and implementation pedestrian survey perception studies questionnaire design and implementation rural land use mapping traffic survey urban land use mapping

Question paper - Geographical Data Handling handling different data types – nominal, ordinal, interval sampling methods – random, regular, stratified geographical presentation of data – bipolar analysis, dispersion diagram, kite diagram, logarithmic graph, polar graph, systems diagrams, scatter graph, triangular graph map or map-based diagrams – annotated overlay, choropleth map, cross-section, dot map, flow line map, isoline map, proportional symbols, sphere of influence map and transect

Question paper - Geographical Data Handling Descriptive statistics measures of central tendency – mean, median, mode measures of dispersion – range, interquartile range, standard deviation, standard error of the mean, coefficient of variation Inferential statistics chi squared analysis, linear regression analysis, nearest neighbour analysis, Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient

An overview of what is changed - question paper to increase flexibility, the question paper will have two or three questions Map interpretation (20 marks), Gathering and Processing Techniques (10 marks) and Data Handling (20 marks) questions are likely to be in the range of 10 to 30 marks

An overview of what is changed — question paper Some examples of how two questions could be structured: Map Interpretation and Gathering and Processing Techniques (30 marks) and Data Handling (20 marks) Map Interpretation (20 marks) and Gathering and Processing Techniques and Data Handling (30 marks) Map Interpretation and Gathering and Processing (25 marks) and Gathering and Processing Techniques and Data Handling (25 marks)

An overview of what is changed - question paper The structure for three questions will be as it currently is: Map Interpretation (20 marks) and Gathering and Processing Techniques (10 marks) and Data Handling (20 marks)

An overview of what is unchanged - project-folio There are no changes to the project-folio.

Project-folio Candidates will: carry out independent research and/or fieldwork apply a wide range of geographical methods and techniques integrate a wide range of geographical skills

Project-folio Geographical Study 60 marks Geographical Issue 40 marks Total 100 marks

Geographical Study Candidates must: justify their choice of a complex geographical topic to research (4 marks) plan and carry out detailed research, which could include fieldwork (10 marks) evaluate research techniques and the reliability of the data gathered (8 marks)

Geographical Study Candidates must: demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the topic from wider reading (8 marks) use a wide range of appropriate techniques to process the gathered information (10 marks) analyse the information gathered and processed to identify and explain relationships (12 marks) reach reasoned conclusions supported by a wide range of evidence (8 marks)

Geographical Issue Candidates must: justify their choice of a current complex geographical issue (4 marks) undertake wider background reading from a wide range of sources (8 marks) summarise a wide range of viewpoints (10 marks) critically evaluate each of the viewpoints (10 marks) reach reasoned conclusions supported by a wide range of evidence (8 marks)

Project-folio assessment conditions The Geographical Study and Issue are: carried out over a period of time produced independently by the candidate completed in time to meet SQA submission dates

Project-folio Teachers and lecturers must ensure that the work is the candidate’s own by carrying out, for example: regular checkpoint and/or progress meetings with the candidate short spot-check personal interviews checklists which record activity and/or progress.

Project-folio reasonable assistance Reasonable assistance may be given: to ensure that the topic chosen by a candidate will allow them to complete the requirements of the project-folio on a generic basis to a class or group of candidates on a generic basis to an individual candidate. If assistance is given on a one to one basis in the context of something a candidate has already produced, there is a danger that this becomes support for assessment and should not go beyond reasonable assistance.

Project- folio – evidence to be gathered Geographical Study – no more than 3,000 words in length. Word count must be submitted by the candidate. Geographical Issue – no more than 1,800 words in length. Word count to be submitted by the candidate. If the word count exceeds the maximum by more than 10%, a penalty is applied.

Summary There is no change to the Advanced Higher Geography course. Learning and teaching is not affected. The question paper may have 2 or 3 questions.

WWW.sqa.org.uk│0303 333 0330