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Year 11 - Geography

Evaluating geographical enquiries

Fieldwork

Unit Summary

This unit teaches pupils about fieldwork, an important assessment component at GCSE. Pupils will learn about the six stages of enquiry (formulating a question; collecting, presenting and analysing data; and writing conclusions and an evaluation). Pupils will also consider four field study options.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to evaluate the effectiveness of the different stages of a geographical enquiry.

Key Notes

  • There are many stages of a geographical enquiry that can be evaluated.
  • Conclusions should be evaluated to show how reliable and valid the data is.
  • Geographical research is often evaluated to see how ethically and morally considerate it is.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • objective: objective data is data that is considered to be factual
  • subjective: subjective data is data that is based on opinions
  • reliable: reliable data is data that would show the same result were it to be collected on a comparably similar occasion
  • valid: valid data is data that allows the geographer to answer their enquiry question successfully
  • anomaly: a piece of data that sits outside the general trend and cannot be explained

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Highlighting the flaws in a geographical enquiry shows that I am a poor geographer.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.

There are many stages of a geographical enquiry that can be evaluated. Conclusions should be evaluated to show how reliable and valid the data is.

2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'objective'

objective data is data that is considered to be factual.

3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.

Mistake: Highlighting the flaws in a geographical enquiry shows that I am a poor geographer. Correction: Good geographers take time to be deeply reflective of their work and will present their findings honestly and transparently, even if they show errors that affect the final outcome. Good geographers also show how a study can be improved and extended.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 11 Geography guide library.