By Yeats College Geography teacher Ms. Vikki Brennan
The Higher-Level Geography Paper was balanced and well received. The sections were very topical, fair, and accessible to all students. The short questions had a wide variety of topics, the section was very manageable. Yearly favourites were present such as the Earth’s Structure and Landform Identification.
The Physical Section included broad themes from ‘Rock Formation’, ‘Landscape Development’ and ‘Weathering’, which were asked in a very straightforward manner. Many students were delighted with Q3, as it presented the ‘Tectonic Cycle’ and ‘Human Interaction with the Rock Cycle’, two favourites among students. The Physical Section presented well-prepared students with ideal questions.
The Regional Section was slightly more challenging and received a mixed reaction from students. The section had a variety of questions on the Sub-Continental region, Europe, and Ireland. There wasn’t a question on the ‘Concepts of Region’, which did dishearten students, but ‘Complexities of the European Union’ was asked, which allowed strong students to excel.
The Human Elective was generous and offered the students room to impress with topical questions on ‘Population Change’ and ‘Issues associated with Urban Development’. The section also tested students’ map skills, through identifying ‘Rural Settlement Patterns’. This section offered something to suit all students.
The ‘Geoecology’ questions in the Option Section were by far the most answerable section. Students received a generous choice between; ‘Human Activity in Biomes’, ‘Characteristics of One Soil Type’ and ‘Soil Forming Processes’. Overall, the Higher-Level Geography Paper was well received and offered a great choice for all students.
