Post 16 and HE
Visit the Post 16 & HE Phase Committee page to find out how GA members are working for you. You can also download issues of their newsletter Geography Matters featuring news, articles and issues relating to Post 16 geography.
Top Spec Geography
These cutting-edge resources for Post-16 students investigate specialist geography topics from the AS/A2 specifications and help to bridge the gap between A-level and university geography.
The books contain a mixture of the latest research, case studies and classroom activities, and each title is supported by accompanying online material.
The Rapidly Changing Arctic >>>
Health Issues in Geography >>>
Flood Risk and Management >>>
Emerging Superpowers: India and China >>>
Price (each): £19.99 / £14.99 GA members
Price (set of six, same title): £99.95 / £74.95 GA members
Sheffield A-Level geography students get a taste of university
In June 2010, sixth form students from three Sheffield schools attended a workshop at the University of Sheffield's Department of Geography. The aim of the event was to provide new ideas and up-to-date material for A-Level geography students and to give sixth form students the opportunity to experience university geography. The following report of the event was written by one of our interns, Emma Browning, who is herself studying for a geography degree at the University of Sheffield.
Read about the workshop here
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Emma also wrote a Q&A based on some of the questions that were asked at the event. It will be very helpful for any students who are considering applying for a geography degree at university.
Student Q&A
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Geography Matters available to download
The latest issue of Geography Matters, produced by the GA's Post 16 and HE committee, is now available to download from the Geography Matters page.
This edition provides ideas, thoughts, updates and classroom resources which will be useful for new A-level specifications and in particular for fieldwork requirements. Emma Rawlings Smith and Viv Pointon offer some perspectives on climate change; Alan Marvel unravels geography in the new Diplomas; Helen Hore and Iain Palôt share their experiences; Gill Miller discusses global health; and Richard Kotter shares his personal views of 'A Different View'.
Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies in Education (MA APSE)
The Sheffield University MA in Applied Professional Studies in Education is an exciting programme which is run in partnership with nine subject associations (including the GA) and local authorities. It is supported by the Training and Development Agency for Schools as part of its Postgraduate Professional Development (PPD) programme.
All students on the APSE course are entitled to free GA membership. Find out more about the MA on the University of Sheffield website.
Book: GIS for A-level geography
GIS for A-level geography is a substantial book, covering the theory and applications of GIS and five step-by-step exercises using ArcView and digital mapping data. The book comes with two CDs containing the ESRI ArcView software and digital mapping data plus some additional activities to complement the exercises. The book is available to buy in our online shop. Extracts from the theory and applications section and a sample from one of the exercises are available to download below.
GIS for A-Level geography - sample pages
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Think Piece on Teaching A Level Geography
In this Think Piece, Bob Digby (Community Geographer for the Geographical Association) explores some of the issues that face PGCE students in teaching post-16 groups. Although it was written with a focus on the needs of teacher educators in mind, it is likely to be of wider interest.
AS and A-Level Results Analysis
Every year the GA's Assessment & Examinations Special Interest Group provides a summary of the Geography AS and A-level entry statistics and results. You can find these on the Geography Results page.
Bridging the gap: Writing an essay at university
One way to ease your Post 16 students' transition to university is to give them an idea of the kind of information that will be presented to them in a first year lecture, and the sorts of essay questions they might recieve in their first year.
This article written by an undergraduate student who undertook work placement with the GA gives some guidance about how to unpick and analyse the information given in lectures in order to write a good essay. The particular example given here is on the topic of poverty and inequalites. Also provided is an example essay, the essay question sheet and the original lecture presentation that the essay is based upon.
Writing an essay at university
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Sample essay on poverty and inequality
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Sample essay assignment sheet
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