2. Understanding Standards Geography Advanced Higher
An overview of course assessment

3. 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.

4. Overall structure of the revised course assessment
Question paper marks
Map Interpretation 20marks
Gathering and Processing Techniques 10 marks
Data Handling marks
Project-folio marks
Geographical Study marks
Geographical Issue marks
Total marks

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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)

15. 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)

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

17. 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

18. Project-folio Geographical Study 60 marks Geographical Issue 40 marks
Total marks

19. 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)

20. 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)

21. 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)

22. 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

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.