Cambridge IGCSE Geography

Through the Cambridge IGCSE Geography syllabus, learners will develop a 'sense of place' by looking at the world around them on a local, regional and global scale. Learners will examine a range of natural and man-made environments, and study some of the processes which affected their development. They will also look at the ways in which people interact with their environment, and the opportunities and challenges an environment can present, thereby gaining a deeper insight into the different communities and cultures that exist around the world.

Aims of the Syllabus

The aims are to enable students to:
• An understanding of location on a local, regional and global scale
• An awareness of the characteristics, distribution and processes affecting contrasting physical and human environments
• An understanding of the ways in which people interact with each other and with their environment
• An awareness of the contrasting opportunities and constraints presented by different environments
• An appreciation of and concern for the environment
• An appreciation of the earth including its people, places, landscapes, natural processes and phenomena

Syllabus

The themes are designed to develop an understanding of natural and human environments.
The syllabus is divided into three themes:
Theme 1:
Population and settlement

Theme 2:
The natural environment

Theme 3:
Economic development.

Objectives of Assessment

1. Knowledge with understanding
Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
• The wide range of processes, including human actions, contributing to the development of
(a) physical, economic and social environments and their effects on the landscape
(b) spatial patterns and interactions which are important within these environments
• The relationships between human activity and the environment
• The importance of scale (whether local, regional or global)
• The changes which occur through time in places, landscapes and spatial distribution.

2. Skills and analysis
Candidates should be able to:
• Interpret and analyse geographical data
• Use and apply geographical knowledge and understanding to maps and in numerical, diagrammatic, pictorial, photographic and graphical form
• Use geographical data to recognise patterns in such data and to deduce relationships
• Select and show understanding of techniques for observing and collecting data
• Select and use techniques for organising and presenting data.

3. Judgement and decision-making
Through their geographical training, candidates should be able to:
• Reason and make judgements and decisions, including evaluation and conclusions, which demonstrate, where appropriate
(a) An appreciation of the attitudes, values and beliefs of others in issues which have a geographical dimension
(b) An awareness of the contrasting opportunities and constraints of people living in different places and under different physical and human conditions
(c) A willingness to review their own attitudes in the light of the views of others and new knowledge acquired
• Make judgements and decisions and recognise how these are made within a geographical context as affected and constrained by
(a) The physical and human contexts in which decisions are made
(b) The values and perceptions of differing groups or individuals
(c) The choices available to decision-makers
(d) The increasing level of global interdependence and the need for sustainable development.

Assessment

Paper 1
Geographical Themes 45%
75 marks, weighted to 100 marks
Candidates answer three questions, each worth 25 marks. Candidates must answer one question from each section Externally assessed
1 hour 45 minutes

Paper 2
Geographical Skills 27.5%
60 marks
Candidates answer all the questions. Externally assessed
1 hour 30 minutes

Component 3
Coursework 27.5%
60 marks
Teachers set one centre-based assignment of up to 2000 words
Centre-based assessment

Paper 4
Alternative to Coursework 27.5%
60 marks
Candidates answer two compulsory questions, completing a series of written tasks. Externally assessed
1 hour 30 minutes

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