A-Level Geography Tips: Coasts
Today we’re going to examine some of the difficulties in tackling the Edexcel A-Level Geography exam. There are lots of different exam boards, but Edexcel is widely used in Hong Kong and much of the advice is just as relevant for other exam boards too!
Challenges of A-Level Geography
A-Level Geography is an undeniably challenging subject. It incorporates a broad range of case studies and requires powerful analytical thinking on top of good information recall and strong essay writing skills. Geography students are often deterred by the scale of the case studies and the high level of analysis that is required, but this shouldn’t be the case. There are some key A-Level Geography tips and tricks that can be followed and implemented in your writing to ensure that it makes the grade.
Example of weaker A-Level Geography Coasts response
“Evaluate the view that hard engineering approaches to coastal management produce more winners than losers. (20 marks)”
The following is the opening extract of an answer that could be written by an A-Level Geography student in response to this question.
Hard engineering such as using a sea wall can have positives and negatives. It can be highly damaging to the environment even though it saves people’s lives and businesses by stopping runaway erosion. The beaches can be held in place with groynes and sea walls to protect the cliffs, which could have a positive or negative impact on tourism for local businesses depending on how it is used. These methods are also extremely expensive so can come at a cost to the government. The Holderness Coastline is eroding very quickly and some parts have been protected by hard engineering, others by soft engineering. How different techniques are used to protect the coastline at different points tells us about the effectiveness of the project. Comparing these gives a clearer picture of places where there are lots of winners.
Why is this response considered weak?
Where this response slips up:
Too general and non-committal, it lacks detail and hasn’t defined the key terms.
Blends introduction with the main points and lacks setting a clear direction or roadmap for the reader.
Lacking in key terms and although hinting at winners and losers, it needs to explicitly mention stakeholders to get the marks.
Improved A-Level Geography Coasts response
Now consider this alternative response to the question (key terminology is italicized):
Hard engineering approaches to coastal management do generally produce more winners than losers, despite significant drawbacks. Hard engineering involves the construction of physical structures to protect coasts from erosion, and can include sea walls, gabions and groynes as opposed to soft engineering which generally works with nature and takes more sustainable approaches to management. Most authorities on coastlines employ holistic or integrated coastal zone management to assess the winners and losers of different stakeholders, from local people and businesses to local/national governments and the environment. A case study of such a coastline is the 50km-long Holderness Coast in the northeast of the UK, the fastest eroding coastline in Europe, which will be used to assess the winners and losers of the hard engineering approach in this essay.
Why is this response better?
How this response succeeds:
Defines the key terms while directly addressing the question.
There is an integration of key terminology such as ‘stakeholders’, with a clear link to the question.
Signposts and introduces the case study that will be analysed in the response.
In summary, quantity does not mean quality in the A-Level Geography Coasts analysis. A different syllabus will have a different focus for their questions but broadly speaking, the recommendations here hold for all A-Level standard exams. Defining the key terms, establishing a clear introduction to the case study and introducing the concepts you’ll discuss in your answer is essential. Nailing the introduction by giving a clear outline of what it is you will discuss will help you plan and present your answer. Check the rest of your answer against your introduction, and remember to refer back to the introduction when you’re writing your conclusion!
Working with an A-Level Geography tutor can make the challenging skills and concepts required for the Coasts section much easier to consolidate. Find out more about our A-Level Geography tutoring programmes on our website here, or reach out today at (852) 2882 1017 or enquiries@bartyed.com.