GCSE Geography

Natural disasters, population growth, food security … explore some of the most relevant, challenging issues facing today’s world in our GCSE Geography online course.

Geographers have a crucial role to play in helping us to understand and tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, including complex issues such as natural disasters, population growth and food security.

Through our GCSE Geography online course, you’ll explore the awesome power of nature – from river formation and volcanic eruptions, to weather and earthquakes. By studying different societies worldwide, you’ll also learn how humans interact with and impact upon the natural environment.

GCSE Geography will help you to deepen your understanding of our physical and cultural world. You’ll gain practical investigative and map skills, alongside presentation, debating and report writing skills, as you develop a broad, highly relevant ‘geographer’s skill-set’.

Why study Geography?

Why is the world’s population growing rapidly? What causes earthquakes? What role do humans play in climate change? Our GCSE Geography online course tackles relevant questions about our world, through engaging topics.

Geographers are highly employable – they have a great range of skills and a deep understanding of the world, so this course opens up a wide range of future career possibilities, and is great preparation for further study.

Course content

Section 1: Introductory skills

• Map reading
• Introductory skills maps

Section 2: Population

• World population growth
• Factors influencing natural change
• Population structure
• Population distribution and density
• Migration
• Population and resources

Section 3: Settlement topics

• Distribution and location of settlements
• Settlement function
• Urbanisation
• Urban land use
• Problems of urban growth
• Environmental problems caused by urban growth

Section 4: Tectonic processes

• Why does the Earth’s crust move?
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes

Section 5: Geological processes

• Rocks and weathering
• Rivers
• Coastal processes and landforms

Section 6: Environmental processes

• Weather
• Climate
• Ecosystems
• Human use of ecosystems
• Natural environments: benefits and hazards

Section 7: Economic activity

• Development, economic activity and globalisation
• Agricultural systems
• Industry
• Leisure activities and tourism

Section 8: Resources

• Food resources
• Water resources
• Energy resources: supply and demand
• Alternative energy resources

Section 9: Impact of economic development

• Climate change
• Economic development: advantages and disadvantages

Section 10: Investigative skills

• Enquiry skills

Your tutor

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Alison who is just one of our first-class geography tutors.

Alison Leadbetter has taught Geography for more than 20 years. Throughout this time she has also tutored students privately for both GCSE and A level Geography for a number of examination boards. She has marked and moderated examinations in her post as regional advisor/moderator for edexcel. In recent years she has also written and tutored for NEC. Alison currently teaches at an independent sixth form college in Harrogate.

What you need to know

Exam board

• CAIE 0460

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 120-150* hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 150 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 150 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 4 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 11 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards your final grade

Resources

• Set textbook – included as a free ebook with your course: Essential Mapwork Skills 2, by S Ross, Nelson Thornes, 2007

Requirements

• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

What's included?

Our course fees are open and honest to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• Access to learn@nec
• All the course materials you need to complete the course
• Support from a personal tutor for up to 18 months from your date of enrolment
• Assignment marking
• Guaranteed exam place
• Free e-book version of the essential textbook
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams

Your course fee does not cover:

• Exam entry fees

Optional extras:

• Additional past paper marking
• Revision tutorial
• Optional tutorial
• Additional review

Exams and assessment

Exams (three):

• 45% of marks (1 hour 45 minutes)
• 27.5% of marks (1 hour 30 minutes)
• 27.5% of marks (1 hour 30 minutes)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course.

Additional support if you're under 18

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies. In our experience, learning online works best when the parents are involved, so when you enrol your child with NEC, you’ll have a unique set of services to help you to support your child.

This includes:

• Your own log in to learn@nec to access the course so you can view the course materials and other information for yourself.
• Access to your child’s gradebook to help you to monitor progress and provide appropriate and timely intervention and support
• You’ll receive emails and forum posts so that you have all the examination and assessment updates/information provided by the NEC team
• Dedicated Parent Portal Pages and targeted blogs with updates/information/help and advice on many aspects of home education.
• Access to the Kudos career platform for young learners to explore career choices.

Our Geography GCSE course is ideal if you:

• Are keen to study geography at a higher level.
• Have an interest in our natural world and the impact of humans upon it.
• Aim to pursue a career in a related field.
• Would like to build your skills in communication, problem-solving, IT and research to enhance your employability.

• No formal qualifications are required for this course
• An ability to read and write in English

Future opportunities

• Studying geography at A level.
• A range of rewarding careers in fields such as conservation, urban planning, cartography, surveying, tourism, international aid, education and logistics.