Edexcel B ‘investigates many of the major issues that currently face today’s citizens, and it looks ahead to the changes that are likely to affect candidates as citizens of the future’. There are three core units exploring change and four options, of which two have to be chosen. The specification adopts an enquiry question approach.
My Place
The early ideas contained in the Pilot GCSE theme ‘My place’ relating to images and perceptions of the local community could be explored first-hand through fieldwork. You might then think about linking them to the bigger UK picture in the core unit ‘Planning for Change’ through 2.1 and 2.3, as well as Unit A1 on ‘population change’ and 2.5 on ‘changing employment opportunities’ in a UK context. These all provide vehicles for introducing the concepts of interdependence, uneven development and futures. The Teachers’ Resource Guide includes an exemplar on Royston (pages17-23) that you might find helpful for ideas on introducing ‘candidates’ personal geographies’.
An Extreme Environment
Opportunities to access the ‘enquiry questions’ of the theme ‘An extreme environment’ (either as a starter or synoptic topic) could be introduced by choosing the Sahara Desert as the exemplar. You might then link Unit 3.4 through the River Nile to Option B4, which could then be taught through consideration of its position in the Eastern Sahara. C6.3 provides the opportunity for a look at ‘a smaller example of a typical landscape’ focussing on the Sahel which would allow the physical processes, including climatic factors, to be introduced when discussing desertification. This approach provides many opportunities to consider the concepts of sustainability, uneven development and futures. If you want to look at two examples of this approach turn to pages 25-28 in the Teachers’ Resource Guide for an exemplar using the Arctic Ocean and Svalbard Islands.
Alternatively, you can acces the Resources section via the navigation bar on the left or visit Unlocking the Archives, where you will find ‘Antarctica’, another example of an extreme environment.
People as Consumers
The Edexcel B core units A1 and A2 provide opportunities to consider aspects of the third theme ‘People as consumers’, especially 1.5 on resource implications for the candidates and for others. Unit 2.4 allows exploration of a familiar product as well as providing entries into discussing ‘two contrasting landscapes of consumption’ and ‘the rights and responsibilities of consumers’. You could then combine them with Option C7 by using the holiday industry as the named service. This type of approach is explored in the Teachers’ Resource Guide exemplar (pages 29-39).
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Pilot GCSE: Links to Edexcel B 1313
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