AQA GCSE Geography (8035) · Paper 3
🧭 Fieldwork & Skills (Paper 3)
Revision notes written to the specification, with examiner tips and the required practicals. Every point here has flashcards in the Stickwise app.
Fieldwork enquiry
GCSE geography fieldwork involves carrying out two enquiries, one physical and one human, and Paper 3 examines them directly. Both enquiries follow the same six-stage structure: question, data collection, presentation, analysis, conclusion and evaluation. The titles, methods and results of both enquiries need to be known in detail, since the exam asks for specific information rather than general answers.
Map, graph & exam skills
Grid references give eastings before northings, and a six-figure reference pins down a precise point. Contours are lines of equal height; when they are close together the slope is steep, and where they form a V-shape, the point of the V indicates the up-valley direction. Different graph types suit different data: bar charts for categories, line graphs for change over time, scatter graphs for relationships between variables, pie charts for proportions, and choropleth maps for showing regional intensity.
When describing distributions, start with the overall pattern, such as whether it is clustered or linear and in which region, using compass directions. Then add specific numbers taken from the map or graph, and finally identify any anomaly that breaks the pattern. Useful statistics include the mean, median, mode and range, and the interquartile range when outliers would distort the picture.
Paper 3's pre-release booklet is issued before the exam, and every figure in it should be learned in detail. The exam includes a decision-making question, which requires choosing one option, justifying it using evidence from the booklet together with wider geographical knowledge, and acknowledging the trade-off of the option that was rejected.
Numerical skills turn up in every paper. Percentage change is (new − old) ÷ old × 100, so a rise from 40 000 to 52 000 is a 30% increase; a ratio compares two amounts (3 : 1); a proportion is a part out of the whole; magnitude is the size of a number or event, and some scales, such as earthquake magnitude, rise in steps of ×10. Quote the units and round sensibly.
Writing an extended answer: read the command word first (describe = say what is there; explain = give reasons; assess or evaluate = weigh both sides and decide). Make a point, back it with evidence — a figure from the resource or a case-study fact — explain why it matters, then link back to the question. Finish 6- and 9-mark answers with a conclusion that answers the question directly and rests on the evidence you used, and leave a minute to check spelling and key terms.