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Edexcel Geography GCSE Syllabus A Coursework Guidance: Designing and Planning the Coursework

It is a requirement of the GCSE Subject Criteria for Geography that all candidates should undertake geographical investigations supported by fieldwork. This will involve a process of enquiry that demonstrates their understanding and skills within a geographical context. Unlike the written papers, there are no entry tiers for coursework. All candidates will be assessed against the same criteria and will have an equal opportunity to show what they can do.

Candidates are required to use ICT at various stages of their investigation. See the section Incoorporating ICT in coursework below.

Designing and planning the coursework

Candidates are required to submit one item of coursework. It must take the form of an investigation which will involve candidates in the following stages of a geographical enquiry:

1 the planning of the topic for study can be developed from observation, discussion, reading or previous study, and should be approached in terms of a question or problem to be investigated, a hypothesis to be tested, or a combination of these

2 the defining of the aims of the enquiry; the more specific the aims, the more likely is the candidate’s attention to be directed to the purpose of the enquiry and specific problems or questions arising from it

3 the planning and decision making about what data is relevant to the study and how this data can best be obtained; the general format and development of the study should also be agreed at this stage

4 the candidate should be able to demonstrate the skills of data refining and presentation by presenting the material in a variety of forms appropriate to the nature of the particular study, eg maps, diagrams and charts, sketches and annotated photographs

5 interpretation and analysis , where the candidate should consider the significance of the collected data, leading to a formulation of conclusions relating to the original aims of the study.

• Candidates should avoid submitting coursework that is either extremely brief or of great length. It is recommended that approximately 2000 words should be the maximum length.

Incorporating ICT in coursework

There are three important considerations relating to the use of ICT in producing coursework:

• it must be used appropriately

• its use must enhance the investigation

• it should be properly integrated into the finished study (‘built in’, not ‘bolt on’).

Candidates’ use of ICT is assessed in three of the five coursework assessment criteria.

• It is assessed as part of Data collection. Candidates should use ICT in some form as part of the overall data collection process. This could be research supporting secondary data, collecting primary data, or collating the data collected. Appropriate uses of ICT could include:

- researching related geographical theory from the Internet or CD ROM, to help with the analysis and conclusions

- using satellite images (e.g. from ‘Window on the World’ CD ROM)

- downloading location maps from CD ROMs (e.g. Encarta) or websites (eg, geographyfieldwork.com )

- capturing images of the fieldwork on digital camera

- using data loggers to help with collection of, e.g. weather data

- collating group data with the use of spreadsheet or database software.

• It is assessed as part of Data presentation. Appropriate uses of ICT could include:

- printouts of spreadsheets in the form of tables, charts, graphs

- annotated digital camera images

- graphics packages to plot river or beach profiles from data collected in the field

- annotated maps and satellite images.

• It is assessed as part of Planning and organisation. As part of this criterion, candidates will be assessed on the overall contribution that ICT has made to the study, particularly the extent to which they have been successful in using 1CT appropriately, and the extent to which the use has been integrated into the finished study. Candidates should still be encouraged to produce hand-drawn diagrams where this is likely to be the more effective method - for example for annotated sketch maps.

The presentation of the completed investigation

• The completed coursework should consist of text supported by relevant maps, diagrams, tables, photographs and other illustrations appropriate to the nature of the enquiry. Video tapes, audio tapes and other media may be submitted, but candidates should be advised that their use is no substitute for the required text.

• The work should be submitted on A4 paper secured in a simple, lightweight folder. Plastic wallets and ring binders should not be used.

• Centre and candidate names and numbers should be clearly written on the front cover.

The assessment of the coursework

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Geography Coursework

Christopher-John Hammond

Contents page

Collection and Selection of Primary and Secondary Data

Page 1                        Introduction

Page 2                House Pricing

Page 3-6                Location, Maps and Photos

Page 7                Hypothesis

Page 8-9                Key Geographical Terms

Page 10                Geographical Theory – Shopping Hierarchy

Page 11                Geographical Theory – The Burgess Model

Page 12-13                Method table

Data Presentation

Page 14                Hypothesis 1

Page 15                Hitchin Dot and Isoline Map

Page 16                Southgate Dot and Isoline Map

Page 17                Pedestrian Density Table

Page 18                Pedestrian Density Scatter Graph

Page 19-20                Spearmans Rank

Page 21                Hypothesis 2

Page 22                Hitchin Environmental Quality Table

Page 23                Hitchin Environmental Quality Stacked Bar Graph

Page 24                Southgate Environmental Quality Table

Page 25                Southgate Environmental Quality Stacked Bar Graph

Page 26                Hypothesis 3

Page 27                Sphere of Influence Map for Hitchin

Page 28        Sphere of Influence Table for Southgate

Page 29        Sphere of Influence Graph for Southgate

Page 30        Hypothesis 4

Page 31        Land Use Map for Hitchin

Page 32        Land Use Map for Southgate

Page 33        A Bar Graph to Show Types of Services in Hitchin

Page 34        A Bar Graph to Show Types of Services in Southgate

Page 35        Questionnaire Tables for Hitchin and Southgate

Page 36        Questionnaire Graph for Southgate

Page 37        Questionnaire Graph for Southgate

Page 38        Questionnaire Graph for Hitchin

Page 39        Questionnaire Graph for Hitchin

Page 40-41        Display of Questionnaire for Hitchin

Page 42-43        Display of Questionnaire for Southgate

Analysis, Interpretations and Conclusions

Page 44-47        Analysis

Page 48-49        Evaluation

Page 50-51        Conclusions

Page 52        Comparison

Page 53        Bibliography

Introduction

In June 2006, my geography group went on a trip to Hitchin as part of as introduction. Key elements of this topic are land use models, shopping and settlement hierarchy, sphere of influence and traffic , pedestrian survey, environmental survey, questionnaires and vehicle surveys. We had collected these pieces of data to test against hypothesis we made.

Southgate originated as a small settlement which developed up in the North West corner of Edmonton parish along the southern boundary of Enfield Chase. The name derived from the south gate of Enfield Chase which stood roughly where Chase Road now joins Winchmore Hill Road. Slightly to the south another small settlement, known as South Street, grew up around Southgate Green. The two settlements were eventually linked by ribbon development along what is now Southgate High Street. The name, South Street, gradually fell out of use during the 19th century. Southgate's first place of worship, the Weld Chapel was built in Waterfall Road in 1615. (It was replaced by the present Christ Church in 1863).

The area was originally very heavily wooded. Much of the future Arnos and Grovelands estates consisted in the 16th century of oak coppice woods which were heavily exploited. The main products were firewood, charcoal and oak bark which was sold for use in tanning. (Remains of the woodland can be seen in Grovelands Park).

Although now best known for it's  Hitchin's history stretches far back in time. By the middle of the 19th century the railway had arrived, and with it a new way of life for Hitchin. The Corn Exchange was built in the Market Place and within a short time Hitchin established itself as a major centre for grain trading. The latter half of the 20th century has also brought great changes in communication to Hitchin. Motorways have shortened the journey time and brought Luton, a few miles away on the Ml, and the A1 (M) even closer.

Here is a four bedroom house in Southgate; it’s on for sale for £645,000. It is a detached house on chase way.

This is also a four bedroom detached house on sale for £339,995.

Hitchin in comparison to Southgate sells homes for the same size but almost half the price. This is because the land becomes more expensive closer to London.

• East of England
• Found between the M1 and A1 (M) motorways
• Located along A505
• NE of Luton
• NNE of central London
• Approximately 40 km from Southgate
• Population of 30 360
• Hertfordshire
• Greater London
• 15 km from central London
• Piccadilly line

There are more pedestrians closer to the CBD in both Hitchin and Southgate.

I predict this because there are services and jobs therefore making it busier. There is also the tube and a bus terminal where locals pass through to get to central London. Also further out there are less services, less jobs and it is more residential.

The environment is of a higher quality in Hitchin than in Southgate.

I predict this because firstly there, is the tube and a bus terminal, therefore commuters may drop litter. It is also closer to central London. There are two fast food restaurants. There are a high density of pedestrians and cars causing a lot of congestion through the high street. Further more Hitchin also has pedestrianised areas.

  Hitchin has a wider sphere of influence than Southgate.

This is a preview of the whole essay

  I predict this because there is a market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. They sell more comparison goods than Southgate. Hitchin has car parks where as Southgate have pay and display areas so there are very few areas to park. Hitchin has the biggest shopping area in relation to surrounding towns. Also Southgate has a big residential area surrounding it so therefore there are only locals commuting to Southgate.  

Southgate sells more low order goods than Hitchin.

I predict this because Southgate has two supermarkets; Southgate is closer to central London and sells more convenience goods. Southgate is closer to central London and so the land is more expensive. The land in Southgate is mainly used by commuters and people living locally.

Key Geographical Terms

• Urban  - An urban area is an area with an increased  of humans. An urban area is more frequently called a  or .
• Rural  - Rural areas (also referred to as the countryside) are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large . People in rural areas live in , , on  and in other isolated .
• CBD - Is the central district of a city, usually typified by a concentration of retail and commercial buildings. Although applicable to any city, both terms usually refer to larger cities.
• Sphere of Influence  - In some areas of habitation, shopping or retail outlets or indeed destination outlets, have a sphere of influence over towns of certain areas, for example the Central Business District (CBD).
• Shopping Hierarchy  - The concept of a shopping hierarchy, ranging from large regional shopping centres down to the village or corner shop, settlements can be placed in order in a hierarchy based on their size and the services which they provide.
• High order goods (comparison goods) - These are things bought less frequently and are more expensive.
• Lower order goods (convenience goods)  – These are things bought more frequently and are usually less expensive.
• Social Geography - Social geography is the study of how  affects  features and how  factors affect society.
• Economic Geography - Economic geography is the study of the location, distribution and spatial organization of economic activities. It focuses on the location of industries and retail and wholesale businesses and on the changing value of real estate.
• Environmental Geography - Environmental geography represents a critically important set of analytical tools for assessing the impact of human presence on the  by measuring the result of human activity on natural landforms and cycles.
• Congestion - Congestion is a state of excessive accumulation or overfilling or overcrowding. This mainly generalized to traffic and vehicles.
• Burgess Model – It is a graph to show the outward growth from the CBD.
• Central Place theory - Is a  theory that seeks to explain the size and spacing of human .  

Geographical Theory

Shopping Hierarchy

The concept of a shopping hierarchy, ranging from large regional shopping centres down to the village or corner shop, settlements can be placed in order in a hierarchy based on their size and the services which they provide. The same can be applied to account for the distribution of shopping centres of different sizes. The diagram below shows how the five types fit into an urban hierarchy, although this has been generalised. In some areas CBDs have declined due to competition with regional shopping centres. Dudley is an example of this. The construction of the Merryhill Shopping Centre has caused huge problems in Dudley the local CBD. Many shops have closed or moved to the shopping centre. Shops can be placed into a hierarchy order, ranking based on what type of shop it is and what it sells. At the bottom of this hierarchy are the small shops that sell convenience items, like bread or milk (everyday items). Then at the top of this structure would be shops, which sell comparison items, like a large TV or a home appliance.

• CBD & Shopping Centres  – High order centre (usually only one). Sells: comparison, luxury and specialist goods.
• Secondary Centres & Suburban Parades  – Middle order centres (usually several). Sells: a mixture of convenience and specialist goods.
• Corner Shops  – Low order centres (many). Sells: convenience goods.

The Burgess Model

As towns develop they grew outwards from the CBD, this means that buildings became increasingly recent towards the city boundary. The outward growth is shown on the model by five circular zones next to the CBD. This model can help us when it comes to the pedestrian count, because we can use the data that we collect to write a conclusion from the information we already know about the burgess model.

• Zone 1 : Central Business District (CBD) where most of the tertiary employment is located and where the urban transport infrastructure is converging, making this zone the most accessible.
• Zone 2 : Immediately adjacent to the CBD a zone where many industrial activities locate to take advantage of nearby labour and markets. Further, most transport terminals, namely port sites and rail yards, are located adjacent to the central area.
• Zone 3 : This zone is gradually been reconverted to other uses by expanding manufacturing / industrial activities. It contains the poorest segment of the urban population, notably first generations, in the lowest housing conditions.
• Zone 4 : Residential zone dominated by the working class and those who were able to move away from the previous. This zone has the advantage of being located near the major zones of employment and thus represents a low cost location for the working class.
• Zone 5 : Represents higher quality housing linked with longer commuting costs.

Method Table

Hypothesis 1

The closer to the CBD someone is the population density increases. There further away from the town centre the population density decreases I saw that there were 226 people in the CBD where as 300m away there was a total population density of 23 south of the ton centre. However there was a population density of 130, 250m north of the town centre. This could be because of the parking area was there, and there were some out of town shoppers using their cars to get to and from Hitchin, going home . There is a high density of people near the CBD because there is more comparison goods sold near there as well as there will be more attractions, this therefore means there are going to be a higher density of people there. Furthermore there is a market place close to the CBD which will furthermore attract people closer to the centre.

Southgate station is the CBD of Southgate. I know there are more people near the CBD as I counted 281. I counted the pedestrian density in four different places near the CBD, and all four places had a high pedestrian density. Away from the CBD pedestrian densities consisted of the following figures; 150, 156 and 102. These all way below 200, which was been the lowest pedestrian density close to the CBD. The CBD has such a high density because there is a tube station. Many locals use the tube to get to work; furthermore there is a bus station around the station, making the CBD the most important means of transport. As well as there is only residential areas further out of the CBD, this making it the only attraction in Southgate.  

The graph has a negative correlation. Therefore the further away from the town centre the number of pedestrians decrease. This is because are all the high order goods sold there, furthermore there is the CBD there making it more attractive, as well as there being a Marks and Spencers for people doing their daily shopping. There were two anomalies in the graph; the first was because this point was the closest to the CBD making it the densest. For reasons stated above. The second anomaly was also fairly close to the town centre although this point had a low pedestrian density, this could be because of an unexpected circumstance such as there weren’t many shops open there or more people were in the shops rather out side.

Spearmans rank show similar results as the scatter graph. I calculated a rank of -0.632. The ranks go from 1 to -1, 1 means strong positive correlation, whereas -1 shows strong negative correlation. Because I calculated a rank of -0.632 this means that as the distance increases from the town centre the population density decreases. This could be because of the same reasons cover in the scatter graph which were, high order goods sold there, more attractive and a market place.

The dot and isoline map for Hitchin (pedestrian density), dot and isoline map for Southgate (pedestrian density), scatter graph with line of best fit pedestrian density in Hitchin and the spearmans rank has proven that there are more pedestrians closer to the CBD in both Hitchin and Southgate.

Hypothesis 2

In the stacked bar graph a score is given from between -5 to 5. A high score (5) represents a good environmental quality and a low score (-5) represents a low environmental quality. Scores are given in ten different aspects, noise, safety, beauty, litter, crowd, pollution, space, attractive, congestion and friendly. This environmental survey was done in four different places. Looking at my stacked bar graph there wasn’t much noise except for the high street. This is because Hitchin has many pedestrianised areas, as well as there being a parking area, therefore there were very few cars making any noise. Also unlike Southgate Hitchin hasn’t got so many buses. The high street was the only exception when it came to noise, as this is where there was the most activity going on such as, cars passing by and it is the main attraction to shoppers. The high street scored a -4 when it came to noise making in the loudest.  In terms of safety sun street was the safest. This is because this was a pedestrianised area, where there is no risk of being run over by any cars, this also meant there is very little pollution as well. Sun Street was generally had the best environmental quality out of all the 4 different places. Scoring 21 out of 50, and the high street scoring -15 out of 50. There is such an extreme difference because having a pedestrianised area is really important for environmental quality, this because it shows attractiveness, very little congestion, although having a pedestrianised area could risk more litter and crowds, however Hitchin’s pedestrianised areas have a large space. Although it is at more of risk of having more litter, it however doesn’t. This could be because there are a lot dustbins situated everywhere. And because of these pedestrianised areas Hitchin is less polluted.

Looking at Hitchin's environmental I can see that Hitchin’s environmental quality is much better than Southgate. Southgate is way more congested as there are no areas dedicated for parking, therefore the only parking available is on the side of pavements (pay and display), this causes trouble for buses as parking spaces run out, so some people park in bus lanes. Southgate unlike Hitchin has no pedestrianised areas except the pavement, making it to be very congested. Having a tube station and a bus terminal has a big effect on Southgate’s environmental quality. Southgate becomes a very noisy place and very polluted because of the tube station and bus terminal. There also tends to be a lot of litter, this is due to have a fast food restaurant. Litter and the fact that it is noisy and polluted make Southgate quite ugly and unfriendly.

From my sphere of influence map I can see that out of the ten people I asked in my questionnaire 2 travelled less than 2km, 2 travelled between 2-5 km, 4 travelled between 5-10km and 2 travelled more than 10km. People have travelled far to get to Hitchin because Hitchin sells more high order goods. This means items bought less frequently such as furniture. Shops that sell things that are bought less frequently are rarer in comparison to shops that sell things bought quite often. This would therefore mean people are going to have to travel further to buy their comparison goods.

From my sphere of influence graph I can see that out of the ten people I asked in my questionnaire 4 travelled less than 2km, 2 travelled between 2-5 km, 2 travelled between 5-10km and 2 travelled more than 10km. This is because Southgate there are two supermarkets in Southgate, Asda and Marks and Spencers. These are convenience goods and are bought more often. This means mainly locals come to Southgate.

 Hitchin has a larger sphere of influence because it sells more comparison goods, this attracts out of town shoppers. Furthermore having a parking area also attracts people to come to Hitchin as it doesn’t require them to have to find a parking space. Because Southgate has only pay and display very little or no out of town shoppers will come to Southgate.

From the land use map of Hitchin and Southgate and the bar graph of services in Hitchin and Southgate I can see both towns contradict each other as Hitchin sells more comparison goods whereas Southgate sells more convenience goods. Hitchin has an excellent range of shops, many of which are comparison goods stores, such as furniture. Hitchin has managed to maintain its market town traditions and feel and still integrate some larger chain stores. This section will list some of the smaller independent shops, many of which are owned by local families.

Southgate has many pubs and restaurants that cater for a wide variety of interests and tastes. There are several top sports and fitness centres and the public leisure centre is also close by, complete with a large swimming pool. The town utilises a varied shopping centre served by the top high street retail and financial outlets plus a large Asda superstore. A Marks and Spencers is also available. A wide selection of smaller grocery and late night opening shops are also present.

This hypothesis was correct, which had demonstrated in my pedestrian density count. There was a higher density of pedestrians in the centre of both Hitchin and Southgate then further away. The hierarchy of shops slowly decreases as you go further away from the CBD as well as the pedestrian count. The pedestrians came to Southgate are good transport links in the CBD in Southgate such as bus and train station.

I predicted this because there are generally more services and jobs in the CBD in any town, therefore making it busier. Also further out there are less services, less jobs and it is more residential. The highest value was 281 and it was next to the tube station, the lowest value was along Bourne Street and was 50. The CBD in Hitchin had a pedestrian count of 226. Then moving further out the CBD was 13.                

This hypothesis was also true. Looking at my stacked bar graph, environmental quality, after looking at all the factors involved such as litter, congestion, pollution etc, Hitchin seems to have much better quality. Firstly because I think Southgate have more fast food restaurants and newsagents as well as having a tube station in the CBD which means that people who commute to London tend to litter quite a bit. Hitchin has many pedestrainised areas resulting in less pollution and congestion and of course Hitchin has a parking area there a lot more people can walk rather than driving everywhere. Southgate is also situated closer to London that Hitchin is as well. London is where most of the work is located.

  I predicted this because there is a market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Hitchin has car parks where as Southgate have pay and display areas so there are very few areas to park. Hitchin has the biggest shopping area in relation to surrounding towns.  I used my sphere of influence map for Hitchin and my bar chart for Southgate made from information collected from my questionnaire.  Also Southgate has a big residential area surrounding it so therefore there are only locals commuting to Southgate .

Because those who come to Hitchin aren’t locals they use it more as a shopping centre so therefore it doesn’t sell convenience items

.The  land in Southgate is mainly used by commuters and people living locally. This was also proved by use of my questionnaire. I used the question, ‘How often do you come to Southgate?’,’ How often do you come to Hitchin?’ Because those who come to Hitchin aren’t locals they use it more as a shopping centre so therefore it doesn’t sell convenience items. Using the land use map for both Hitchin and Southgate, I compared them to see which shopping place had which types of shops. Southgate had considerable amount more convenience shops. Hitchin is larger and is more of an all day shopping area. This means that it can have more comparison shops and it will keep people interested and attracted.

Bibliography

• Key Geography for GCSE Book 1
• Key Geography Skills
• GCSE Bite size
• Google Images

Document Details

• Word Count 4549
• Page Count 26
• Subject Geography

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Exemplar Answers for AQA GCSE Geography | Paper 3 Familiar Fieldwork | Coasts

Last updated 15 Jan 2024

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