Introduction to Geography
Aims and Objectives

At Columba College we believe that Geography is the study of where places are, what they are like, what life is like in them, how and why they are changing, and why there are arguments about how we use them. Geography helps to give a greater awareness of day-to-day life at local, regional, national and world levels, emphasising the relationship between people and their environment. We feel that this equips pupils with vital understanding and skills that allows them to make a positive difference to their lives and those of others.

Geography students study issues as diverse as migration, plate tectonics, urban sprawl and various types of erosion. These and many other topics are synthesised within a number of overarching themes including sustainable development, positive attitudes to the physical and human environment and active and informed citizenship.


The Junior Certificate course is 3 years in length and covers three broad topics:

  • The Human Habitat : Processes and Change
  • Population Settlement Patterns and Urbanisation
  • Patterns in Economic Activity

There is no project component so assessment is based on a final exam at the end of three years.
The exam is two hours long and consists of two components;

  • 20 short answer questions worth 60 marks
  • 5 long answer questions, only 3 have to be completed, worth 90 marks

Useful Tips

  • Reading over and answering questions from past papers can be a great way to see how to get your answers exactly right.
  • Ensure you maximise your abilities using OS maps as they are an integral part of the syllabus and final exam
  • Pay attention in class and get involved as much as possible. Most of your learning and understanding of the subject happens in the classroom.
  • Before attempting your written homework read over all information covered in class that day and highlight any parts you don’t understand and ask about it in the next class
  • When studying Geography make sure to have a set time frame and a precise topic that will be revised. For e.g. in this 30 minutes I will study the formation of Igneous rocks

Useful websites for students