Students will develop knowledge of globally significant places, and their defining physical and human characteristics and processes. They will develop geographical skills and learn how to collect data, interpret a range of sources of geographical information including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs, and Geographical Information Systems.

The course will cover locating the world’s countries, naming cities, counties, and physical characteristics like hills, mountains, coasts and rivers in the United Kingdom, understanding aspects of physical geography like rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and of human geography- land use, economic activity, and natural resources like energy, food, minerals, and water.


KS3 Geography aims to inspire a curiosity and fascination about the world and its people that will remain with students for the rest of their lives. Students will develop contextual knowledge of globally significant places- terrestrial and marine, and their defining human and physical characteristics, and develop key geographical skills of collecting, analysing, and communicating data, interpreting a range of geographical information including maps, diagrams, globes, aerial photographs, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS).


This course covers four main areas, within which students choose sub topics:

A– The Natural Environment (choose two)

  1. River environments
  2. Coastal environments
  3. Hazardous environments

B– People and their Environments (choose two)

  1. Economic activity and energy
  2. Ecosystems and rural environments
  3. Urban environments

C– Practical Geographical Enquiry

D– Global Issues (choose one)

  1. Fragile environments
  2. Globalisation and migration
  3. Development and human welfare

For physical geography students can study river environments- the hydrological cycle and the need for careful management of water, coastal formations and landforms, distinctive ecosystems along the coastline, and careful coastal management, hazardous environments- including the tropical storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, natural disasters, and short term and long term emergency response. For human geography, humans look at how economic activity sustains people operates across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary sectors, and how rising economic activity increases demand for energy. Ecosystems and farming are closely linked to livelihoods and rural settlement changes. Urban populations are growing, and urban land uses can be characterised by people of different background and economic status. Global issues include fragile environments being damaged by soil erosion, desertification, drought population pressure, fuel supply, overgrazing, and migration. Globalisation and migration considers the rise of the global economy, the global shift in manufacturing, the growth of global tourism, and different types of migration. Development and human welfare looks at the complexity of development, different development and quality of life indicators, the classification of countries according to their level of economic development, rapid population growth and its consequences for quality of life, and managing disparities in development and quality of life.