Generic Fieldwork Enquiry Tasks
For award in 2017
The Controlled Fieldwork Enquiry Assessment tasks are for 2017 award
only. Centres must choose from these 8 tasks and not those for 2016.
Centres should complete the Submission of Controlled Assessment form
once they have decided on their task and read the accompanying
supporting notes.
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The following generic fieldwork enquiry tasks are available for candidates who receive their
award in 2017.
Theme
Generic task for the
fieldwork Enquiry
The tasks are linked to the
following enquiry questions from
the specification
Page in
specification
1
An investigation into the
effects of river processes
on the lives of people.
1.3 How do these landforms and
processes affect the lives of
people living along rivers?
14
4
An investigation of pushpull factors that produce
rural to urban migration in
a specified area.
1.2 What are the push / pull factors
that produce rural – urban
migration and urban – rural
migration?
16
6
An investigation into
patterns of quality of life in
one urban region.
1.2 What are the regional patterns
of economic and/or social
development in one country?
17
7
An investigation into the
processes associated with
the sea along a defined
stretch of coast which has
depositional landforms.
1.1 What processes are associated
with the sea?
18
8
An investigation into factors
that create variations in
weather/climate in a local
area.
1.1 What factors create the variations
in weather and climate
experienced within and around
the British Isles?
19
9
An investigation of a sand
dune ecosystem.
1.1 How does the physical
environment interact with living
things to produce different large
scale ecosystems?
19
or
2.1 In what ways do people use
ecosystems?
2.2 How can ecosystems be
managed sustainably?
10
An investigation of the
impacts of tourism on an
urban environment.
1.2 In what ways and why is tourism
changing?
20
11
An investigation into the
quality of the retail
environment in the UK high
street.
2.2 How is retailing changing, and
what effects does this have
upon people and the
environment?
20
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Rivers (Theme 1)
Theme Generic task for the
fieldwork Enquiry
1
An investigation into the
effects of river processes on
the lives of people.
The tasks are linked to the
following enquiry questions from
the specification
1.3 How do these landforms and
processes affect the lives of
people living along rivers?
Page in
specification
14
Contextualised title
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as
How does the River Alyn affect landowners / residents of Buckley?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
Bewdly is more vulnerable to flooding than Shrewsbury.
Unpacking the title
Areas of consideration for river processes could be: deposition, transportation, erosional,
weathering or mass movement processes.
Areas of consideration for the lives of people could be:
 Economic e.g. increase in house prices
 Environmental e.g. loss of environment, farmland, pollution levels, change of
biodiversity / wetlands
 Social e.g. re-location due to flooding, improvement in social wellbeing / quality of life
due to flood defences and gentrification
Primary and Secondary Data
First Hand Data
 Resident / stakeholder perception / questionnaires surveys: e.g. flood management –
does it work? pollution incidents – does it happen often? has it affected the
biodiversity of the river?
 Visual / environmental impact assessment: e.g. approaches to flood management,
areas of industrial activity, river erosion / deposition effecting people
 Biodiversity surveys: e.g. Water species count – abundance and diversity such as
Trent Biotic
 Channel measurements e.g. velocity, depth, wetted perimeter, gradient etc.
 Bed load measurement e.g. shape and size
 Field sketches and photos that can be labelled and annotated e.g. sketches of river
management schemes, river features e.g. waterfalls
 Bank full measurements e.g. bank full width, bank full depth
 Infiltration data
 Land use transects / surveys
 Environmental surveys e.g. to look at the attractiveness of river features as local
income generators
 Risk / vulnerability indices
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Secondary Data
 Abstraction licences from the local water authority or the Environment Agency
 Discharge figures from local industries or processing plants
 Use of old photographs / maps to compare past and present landforms or river locations
 Use of local authority of wildlife groups to locate protected ecosystems / SSSIs
 Use of Geology maps
 Visitors numbers, income from tourists in relation to river features e.g. waterfall
 Past years data from same site
For example:
Some of the areas in which rivers effect people: Flooding, water supply, tourism, recreation,
industry, transportation. There are some examples in the table underneath, with one or two
possible examples of data collection – there are many more!
Example of
contextuali
sed title
How has
River X
affected the
angling /
kayaking /
recreational
opportunities
at X?
Possible wider
geographical
issues
Lower discharge
levels in rivers,
lower river
capacity, and
higher pollution
levels.
Ecosystem
threats because
of low flows,
loss of
biodiversity.
How has the
River X
affected the
land use /
land value
along the
river
corridor?
Upper and lower
courses of rivers
have different
characteristics
which will affect
the ways
humans have
interacted with
the river.
Examples of
primary data
Examples of
secondary data
Possible useful
resources for teachers.
Velocity, width
and depth (for
discharge).
Bedload size.
Questionnaires
from local
angling club,
inc. catch data
over the years.
(Kayak club, inc.
how many days
the river is ‘up’
for kayaking on)
Mapping of
rivers angling
sites /
recreational
sites
Land use survey
i.e. mapping of
land use,
estimated
economic value,
height above
river etc.
Bankfull
velocity, width
and depth for
bankfull
discharge
levels. Mapping
of significant
river land forms
Discharge data
from
environment
agency. Local
rainfall data.
Catchment
Abstraction
Management
Strategy.
Catchment abstraction
management strategies
(CAMS)
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/business/
topics/water/119927.asp
x
British Canoe Union
http://www.bcu.org.uk/clu
bs-i-centres/
Business rates
information.
Industry and
business
locations along
river. Locations
of any flood
management,
water supply
management.
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/homeandl
eisure/floods/riverlevels/
default.aspx
Current river levels.
2
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Example of
contextuali
sed title
To
investigate
to what
extent does
river X
provide a
sustainable
ecosystem
service to
people
Possible wider
geographical
issues
Ecosystem
provide
‘services’ to
people living in
and around the
ecosystem in a
sustainable way.
The river
provides a water
supply for
industry /
farming and an
ecosystem
service relating
to discharge
consents e.g.
reed bed
sewage systems
Examples of
primary data
Town x is
more
vulnerable to
flooding than
town y
Different rivers
have different
characteristics
and different
flood events
have different
causes linked
not only to
precipitation but
also catchment
management
and catchment
characteristics.
Land use data.
Risk and
vulnerability
mapping. Cost
benefit of any
existing flood
defences.
Bankfull data for
discharge.
Perception
questionnaires
of local
residents
looking at how
ready they are
for a flood, how
vulnerable they
might be.
Geology.
Catchment
management
plans.
Biodiversity
survey to look at
current water
quality, above
and below areas
with water
discharge
consents / farms
/ industry.
Questionnaire to
locals living
within the river
corridor / local
industries
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Examples of
secondary
data
Mapping of
any discharge
consents
along the river
corridor.
Website,
newspaper
articles about
industry /
farming
Possible useful
resources for teachers.
Flood maps
from the
environment
agency. Text
analysis of
newspaper
articles of past
flooding and
responses to
the flood
event.
Interactive website
showing the effects of
rising sea levels on rivers.
http://flood.firetree.net/
Explanations of measuring
flood likelihood and
severity.
http://www.geographyfieldwork.org/riverfieldwork
/flooding/stage2.htm
Environment Agency River
Catchment plans
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/research/pl
anning/33586.aspx
Environment Agency Flood
Risk maps
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/homeandlei
sure/floods/default.aspx
http://www.rgs.org/OurWor
k/Schools/Fieldwork+and+l
ocal+learning/Fieldwork+te
chniques/Ecosystems.htm
Royal Geographical
Society Schools fieldwork
advice on Ecosystems
http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/research/lib
rary/consultations/122108.
aspx
email link to online public
registers of the discharge
consents approved by the
Environment Agency
http://www.fba.org.uk/recor
ders/publications_resource
s/samplingprotocols/contentParagrap
h/01/document/CourseInve
rtSamplingProtocol.pdf
Collecting freshwater
invertebrate samples from
the Freshwater Biological
Association
Additional Useful weblinks
Displaying and presenting data in rivers fieldwork:
http://www.geography.org.uk/projects/ks4ict/idea17/#top
RGS section on rivers fieldwork – has links to an activities document showing how to
complete some of the measurements and what to think about when choosing a rivers site for
fieldwork:
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Resources/Learning+locally+through+fieldwork/River+b
asins.htm
Past weather data from a range of stations using Google Maps
http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/
Valuation Agency Site. Council tax and business rates for properties in England and Wales.
http://www.voa.gov.uk/
Postcode code data including, house prices, social grades, crime rates etc.
http://www.checkmyfile.com/postcode-check/SY5-9PR.htm
Maps and air photos using a postcode search.
http://www.bing.com/maps/
Developing a fieldwork enquiry on flood risk
The generic 2017 Fieldwork Enquiry task for Theme 1 investigates the impact of river
processes on people. One way to contextualise this task is by investigating the impacts of
river floods on a community. Figure 1 suggests four possible approaches.
Figure 1 Four potential approaches to a river flood investigation
1.
The links between weather, soil/rock types, land use and river
discharge i.e. the links between movement of water through the
drainage basin and the response of a river (its hydrograph).
2.
Flood risk / vulnerability. Students could be asked to identify locations
that are at highest flood risk within a community.
3.
The effectiveness of flood prevention strategies such as flood
warnings, preparedness, and hard/soft engineering strategies.
4.
Flood perceptions in a community i.e. do different stakeholders have
different views on the potential likelihood or impacts of flood events?
Physical
Human
Clearly, this task encourages an investigation of the interaction between physical and human
environments and, as such, is quite different to the traditional ‘physical geography’
investigation of the characteristics of a river. However, for those centres who wish to
maintain a ‘traditional’ approach to the investigation, there is plenty of scope for the
collection of primary data of a physical geography nature. The investigations outlined in
Figure 1 are arranged in order, with the first investigation representing the most ‘physical’,
those in the middle offering balance of physical and human, and the fourth investigation
providing a more ‘human’ context.
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Primary data collection
Whichever investigation is chosen, students must be involved in primary data collection.
Some suggestions are given below. Clearly, you will want to select a range of data collection
techniques that provide opportunities for your students to meet the criteria of the mark
scheme. Some of the following techniques would be appropriate for all four of the
approaches outlined in Figure 1, whilst others would be more suited to approach 1 or
approach 4.
1.
Infiltration rate experiments. Students could compare infiltration rates on a variety of
soils and land uses within the catchment area of their chosen river to gain an insight
into water movement in the drainage basin. For example, they could compare
infiltration rates (on the same day) on the school playing field, in a ploughed field and
in woodland. If the school has a weather station, then your students could collect
weather data over a period of time. They could repeat infiltration rate tests in the
same land use (e.g. the school playing field) at regular intervals to see the effect of
long periods of rain or drought on infiltration.
2.
Measurements of cross section and discharge in the river, as long as it is safe to do
so, or in a tributary if that offers a more acceptable risk assessment. Students should
measure the cross section right across the channel and include the slopes of the
river channel, river cliff or slip off slope right onto the flood plain. In that way they will
be able to calculate the cross sectional area of water at both low flow conditions and
when the river is at bankful stage in the safety of the classroom!
3.
Measurements of the height of the river when it was last in flood. Students can
measure the height of debris (such as plastics) that has been caught in trees/shrubs
along the river bank. This evidence can be added to their cross section diagrams and
can be used to show the height of the river (when last in flood) and, therefore, a
calculation of cross sectional area of the river (and wetted perimeter) can be made
for that flood event.
4.
A land use survey of a community close to the river. Students should classify and plot
different land uses on to a base map. They can also annotate field sketches or
photos showing land uses and locations they consider being vulnerable to flooding.
Land use data can be analysed further, after the fieldtrip, with the use of an OS map.
Students can assign each location they have visited with a flood risk index.
This can be calculated by:
(a)
Scoring each land use. For example, score 1 for land uses that are
relatively unaffected by flooding (such as recreational land) through to
a score of 5 for high value land uses such as a High Street chain
store. Your students can be involved in deciding on an appropriate
scoring system.
(b)
Calculating the height of the location above the river (using spot
heights / contours on the OS map).
(c)
Multiplying (a) by (b) to give a flood risk index. These index scores
can then be mapped to identify locations at greatest risk, as shown in
Figure 2.
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Figure 2 Screenshot of hazard risk map of Taunton produced by students working with FSC
A choropleth map showing presenting similar evidence could be hand drawn.
5.
A survey of flood defences such as embankments, gabions, willow planting, flood walls or
demountable defences. Local residents sometimes complain that flood defences are ugly
and spoil their view of the river. Students could be asked to conduct a bi-polar survey of
the flood defences they see. They could also plot flood defences on to a base map and
annotate photos or sketches of the defences. A simple bi-polar is suggested below:
The flood defence at location (insert OS grid reference ………) is:
1
2
attractive
well maintained
natural
Blends into the urban environment
6.
3
4
5
ugly
badly maintained
unnatural
Stands out in the urban environment
Students who are conducting a perception survey as part of their investigation will need
to either ask questionnaires (with a mixture of closed and open questions) or conduct
longer interviews with local residents, planners, businesses, emergency services etc.
They could use their interviews to investigate a hypothesis such as Newcomers have a
higher perception of flood risk than residents who have lived in the community for longer.
Useful websites for primary data idea
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/Rivers
.htm The Royal Geographical Society website, describing river fieldwork techniques
http://www.geography-fieldwork.org/riverfieldwork/flooding/stage1.htm Field Studies Council
Sources of secondary data
Secondary data can be useful in supporting the student’s work. At a simple level it can be used
to support the idea that flooding is a problem in the community under investigation. Newspaper
articles and photos of the river in flood can be used by students in their introduction when setting
out their aims. However, a range of processed and raw secondary data can also be given to the
students for them to select and then process, present and analyse. In doing so, they can add to
their evidence for AO3.
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Useful secondary sources of data include:
 The Environment Agency, which can be used to find flood risk maps and discharge data;
 Websites (such as Geograph or Flickr) showing photos of rivers in flood;
 Newspaper articles on the impacts of a recent flood event
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/ Environment Agency home page
http://www.geograph.org.uk/ Photographs of every grid square
The following pages include screen shots to show how secondary data from the
Environment Agency could support a study of flood risk near Port Talbot.
Figure 3 Screen shot from Environment Agency locating gauging stations.
Click on the green circle to access
information for that station.
http://www.environment-
agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/120756.aspx
Figure 4 Screen shot from Environment Agency showing ‘live’ discharge data
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http://www.environmentagency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/120756.aspx?stationId=4226
Figure 5 Screen shot from Environment Agency showing flood risk near Baglan
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Changing Populations (Theme 4)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
4
An investigation of push-pull
factors that produce rural to
urban migration in a
specified area.
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
1.2 What are the push-pull
factors that produced rural-urban
migration and urban-rural
migration?
Page in
specification
16
Contextualising the task
This study could look at the aspects of the places, which result from the rural-urban
migration, as well as the how the push-pull factors exert an influence over time. Students
should be assessing the relative importance of the factors.
This could be contextualised through either a hypothesis or an overarching question such
as: The pull factors of jobs & recreational opportunities are important for people moving
from Cornwall to Plymouth.
Which push-pull factors have the most importance in the Cynon Valley, Rhondda?
Areas of investigation could include different stakeholder opinions of urban areas, such as
‘bright lights’, job opportunities, recreational opportunities and access to services such as
schools and hospitals. Also, rural areas might lack job opportunities and rising house prices
for certain groups of people.
Collecting primary and secondary data
The types of primary data that students might collect could be:
 Observer Survey: A variation on a pedestrian count – at public-space locations
through-out both the rural area, perhaps taking a couple of village sites and locations
in the urban area, students could log the numbers and ‘type’ of people in the areas,
perhaps also logging what the people are doing. Combined with a land-use map this
may provide evidence of the results of rural-urban migration.
 Land-use mapping: This could be used to map the recreational opportunities e.g.
investigating the cafe culture of a town which may be a pull factor.
 Questionnaires: These could be done in both rural and urban areas and could
include some of the attitude survey techniques to elicit deeper information.
 Attitude Survey: This collects people attitude e.g. if they have moved why, why they
think someone would want to move to or from an area or what might be the services
on offer in that area. This could be done by a Likert Scale, which assesses the
strength and direction of someone’s opinion of a series of statements E.g.
There are lots of varied recreational opportunities in Plymouth.
1
2
3
4
Agree
Slightly Agree
Slightly Disagree
Disagree
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Bi-polar scales are another way to achieve this. It would also be possible to provide
different stakeholders with a set of statements which are linked to the different push-pull
factors and ask them to rank these.
 Services Audit: This could be a combination of the range, diversity and types of
services available, the catchment area of the services, how frequently they are
available, if they offer specific services for particular user groups e.g. disability
access, schooling for special needs, youth discounts at sports centres etc.
Types of secondary data that students might collect could be:
 House-prices: This data could be combined with a mapping exercise looking at the
number of derelict and / or empty houses. It might also be possible to obtain data on
second homes in the area.
 Census data: for information relating to the population structure, ages, migration,
levels of unemployment etc.
 Schools data: Information on quality of the results from schools as well as the
location of the schools.
 Location specific regeneration projects: Secondary information from development
areas in terms of jobs, or improved infrastructure may provide some location specific
information as to the relative importance of the pull factors.
Encouraging independence during the planning and data collection phase
It is important to allow candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their independence
in one or more of the following areas:
 Planning the enquiry / posing enquiry questions
 Selecting and implementing data collection techniques or technologies.
This could be achieved if students were to focus on one or two specific stakeholder groups,
e.g. different age groups of people. This could be achieved through using a class-wide
resource to collect data and then students could modify aspects of it for their own study e.g.
closed or open question additions to a questionnaire. Students could also use a Perception
type survey to assess the rural and urban environments through the eyes of one of the
stakeholder groups e.g. young student. It may also be possible for students to compare
factors such as socio-economic or employment data in detail for the area.
AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. For
example, candidates could apply their knowledge of a case study and contrast it with the
fieldwork region. At the highest levels this could involve the candidate comparing secondary
data provided for a different region within Wales or England.
Students could apply their understanding of a number of concepts to their findings in the
study area such as:
 quality of life;
 perception of 'bright lights';
 rural depopulation.
Students could apply their understanding of migration patterns on a national or European
level to compare and contrast with the study area.
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Useful weblinks
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc25/Index.html#00PF,loc,from
Neighbour Statistics site of migration statistics; this page is an example from Rhondda
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/ House prices information for the whole of the UK
www.statistics.gov.uk This is the official website of the UK National Census. You can search
by postcode to find all sorts of data about each ward (an enumeration district) in your chosen
city.
http://www.caci.co.uk/acorn-classification.aspx
ACORN is a geodemographic segmentation of the UK’s population which segments small
neighbourhoods, postcodes, or consumer households into 5 categories, 17 groups and 56
types
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/index.jsp A vision of Britain – historical land-use maps of
Britain
http://www.geography-fieldwork.org/urbanfieldwork/inequality/stage1.htm
Field Studies Council information on urban fieldwork techniques
http://www.schoolsnet.com/uk-schools/schoolHome.jsp
Schoolsnet provides data on location, quality and sizes of schools.
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Development (Theme 6)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
6
An investigation into patterns
of quality of life in one urban
area.
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
1.2 What are the regional
patterns of economic and/or
social development in one
country?
Page in
specification
17
How the task may be contextualised
The theme 6 fieldwork enquiry for award in 2017 must investigate patterns of quality of life in
an urban context. Quality of life is a measure of the general well-being of people or groups
of people. Aspects of quality of life include built environment, access to service provision,
crime and safety, physical and mental health, traffic noise and safety, recreation, social
belonging and community cohesion as well as standards of income. These aspects will be
different for different groups of people.
Centres may provide students with an overarching enquiry question such as:
How and why does quality of life change with distance from the centre of
Shrewsbury?
Alternatively, centres may present the tasks to their students as a hypothesis such as:
In Cardiff the quality of life for young families is higher in inner urban areas than in
suburban wards.
One area that students might explore is the notion that aspects of quality of life will be
different for different groups of people. This nuance may be an aspect where individuality,
across the student cohort, could be promoted. Individual students could be encouraged to
devise a sub-hypothesis or an additional organising question.
Remember that the focus of the enquiry in this cycle is quality of life in an urban context. An
investigation of quality of life in a rural area is not appropriate in this cycle.
Collecting primary and secondary data
Gathering primary data through fieldwork should be at the heart of the investigation. Using a
range of primary techniques the students should explore differences in quality of life such as
the general well-being of people who live in the different residential areas selected for study;
how quality of life is influenced by the quality of built environment; how access to services
and recreation facilities can play an important part in quality of life.
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The types of primary data that students might collect could be:









Crime perception: surveys, questionnaires or indices e.g. a questionnaire for
residents or observations in different urban areas of the burglar alarms, anti-crime
features. This could be combined with some secondary crime data into an index for
each output area.
Environmental Quality: Indices or bi-polar scores to collect data about the general
landscape and upkeep of the area. Students could combine this with photos that they
take of the worst and the best images in each category
Questionnaires: could collect data about different aspects of quality of life or from
different stakeholder groups e.g. views on community cohesion, do people eat 5-a
day, safety perception crime / traffic / pollution etc.
Services surveys: e.g. libraries, post-offices, pub, doctors surgeries etc.
Transport index: create an index which combines the frequency, length and cost of
public transport to main service provision.
Car Age Survey: for each of the cars parked in a survey area record its age – by
taking a mean, the average age of the cars in an area can be worked out.
Extended interviews: for example with groups who might have set-up renewal
projects, youth projects, sports facilities etc.
Communities’ activities mapping: data could be collected from web-sites, village
notice boards or newsletters on the number of community or recreational activities.
This could be combined on a map of the community infrastructure e.g. playing fields,
libraries, drop-in centres etc.
Photographic evidence: Photos could be taken of the various areas within the
region and annotated to take note of the building / environment / traffic / people /
services / renewal schemes / upkeep etc. Or perhaps a photo that students think
sums up the area – socially or economically.
Secondary data, such as National Census data, should be used to support the task. This will
allow the students to explore important aspects of quality of life, not possible to observe
through fieldwork. This might include education provision, crime and safety issues, access to
work opportunities and levels of income. If National Census data is used, appropriate data
will be accessed through a representative ‘post code’ for the ‘wards’ being investigated.
Types of secondary data that students might collect could be:




Mapping: for example, crime statistics, creation of micro-enterprise and businesses,
support for tourism schemes, conservation and upgrading of heritage, training
schemes for groups, services e.g. schools, doctors, transport links etc.
Services Index: using GoogleEarth estimate distances to major supermarkets,
schools, free cash points, computers etc.
Newspaper reports: reports detailing any of the quality of life indicators, schemes or
groups views. These could be annotated and analysed to provide supporting
evidence.
Census data: quality of life indicators and multiple deprivation indices e.g. socioeconomic class, health data, education levels
Encouraging independence during the planning and data collection phase
It is important to allow candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their independence
in one or more of the following areas:
 Planning the enquiry / posing enquiry questions
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
Selecting and implementing data collection techniques or technologies.
One simple way that this could be achieved if the contextualized question is looking at the
variability of quality of life across an area would be to allow students to add a closed and
open question to a questionnaire to investigate different groups of people quality of life
within a region. If the contextualised question is looking at the quality of life for different
groups of people, students might be encouraged to filter some of the census data for
different aspects of quality of life such as percentage long-term illness, educational ability,
unemployment etc.
AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. For
example, some discussion as to whether the quality of life patterns observed are typical or
atypical is one productive line of analysis for AO2. Candidates could apply their
understanding of externalities to the patterns observed on their fieldtrip ie they might
conclude that some urban land uses seen on their visit (whether they be dual carriageways,
parks or take-away shops) have a bigger sphere of influence on determining quality of life
than others. Care should be taken not to associate patterns of quality of life with outmoded
urban models of land-use. More able students should be encouraged to ask pertinent
questions relating to their enquiry such as ‘What factors / events might change current
quality of life patterns in the future?’
Useful weblinks
http://local.live.com/ This website has excellent aerial photos and satellite images. You can
use it to describe housing type and housing density. You can also use it to describe
externalities: the features of the neighbourhood such as parks and busy roads that add
positive or negative value to quality of life.
www.statistics.gov.uk This is the official website of the UK National Census. Like the sites
above, you can search by postcode to find all sorts of data about each ward (an enumeration
district) in your chosen city.
http://www.checkmyfile.com/postcode-check/SY5-9PR.htm
Postcode code data including, house prices, social grades, crime rates etc.
http://www.caci.co.uk/acorn-classification.aspx
ACORN is a geodemographic segmentation of the UK’s population which segments small
neighbourhoods, postcodes, or consumer households into 5 categories, 17 groups and 56
types
http://www.apho.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=116449
Health Profiles for Local Authorities
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
Neighbourhood Statistics
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http://www.police.uk/
Crime Coverage
http://www.wordle.net/
Wordle – a site for anaysing text
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Coasts (Theme 7)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
7
An investigation into the
processes associated with the
sea along a defined stretch of
coast which has depositional
landforms
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
1.1 What processes are
associated with the sea?
Page in
specification
18
Contextualising the title
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as:
How and why do the characteristics of the beach at Walton-on-the-Naze vary?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
Longshore drift is the main process in operation on Borth beach.
Or
Sediment size increases with distance from the sea.
Unpacking the title
The focus of the 2017 task is the processes of transport and deposition and the associated
with landforms such as beaches, tombolas and spits.
Primary and Secondary Data
First Hand Data
 Beach sediment measurement e.g. size and shape using a meter rule or callipers,
Cailleux Roundness Index and Powers’ scale of roundness.
 Beach profile e.g. a transect along the beach from sea level to the coastline
(backshore/ berm/ sea wall/ dunes) to show the changing gradient and/ or transects
at intervals along the beach.
 Measurement of thickness of beach sediment along the profile.
 Quadrat analysis of beach material along a transect(s) or line/ systematic sampling.
 Wave types i.e. constructive or destructive.
 Wave approach information using a compass or Google earth/ aerial photos which
will show the predominant wave direction.
 Longshore drift evidence e.g. surface load information using painted corks.
 Groyne measurements e.g. vertical height to the top of the groyne from the
sand/pebbles on both the updrift and downdrift sides of the groyne.
 Field sketches and photos that can be labelled and annotated e.g. coastal features
e.g. beaches, pictures of differing pebble sizes and shapes from different locations
on the beach, the effect of groynes.
 Geological identification of pebbles to show source area.
 Prevailing wind direction.
Secondary data
 Use of old maps/photographs to compare past and present landforms and profiles
 Use of geology maps
 O.S. maps and aerial photographs
 Websites
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Encouraging independence during the planning and data collection phase
It is important to allow candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their independence
in one or more of the following area:
 Planning the enquiry / posing enquiry questions.
 Selecting and implementing data collection techniques and technologies.
For health and safety or logistical reasons the data collection could be common to the group
of students as long as there are opportunities to demonstrate individuality. The individuality
could be incorporated by students suggesting improvements to data collection, evaluating
the nature and accuracy of sampling, choosing individual methods of data presentation and
suggesting extensions to the study.
Presentation of data
There is a wide range of techniques in which data can be presented such as:
 Annotated beach gradient profiles.
 Tables and bar graphs to show the depth of sand/rocks on the updrift and downdrift
sides of a groyne. These could be overlayed onto beach profiles to produce more
complex techniques.
 Pie charts to show the size/ shape of material in the quadrats along a transect.
 Compass rose to show the direction of wave approach.
 Annotated sketches and photographs.
These are some of the methods that could be used to present data/ information but there are
many more.
AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. For
example, candidates could:
 Apply their understanding of theories such as longshore drift to the formation of
depositional landforms.
 Apply their understanding of the link between coastal erosion, transportation and
deposition to the formation of depositional landforms.
 Compare their findings to other coastal locations with different depositional landforms
e.g. sand dunes, spits.
 Show their understanding of coastal environments as being dynamic and susceptible
to change with, in storm conditions, even depositional coastlines can become eroded
by high tides and destructive waves.
Useful weblinks




RGS section on coastal fieldwork techniques, limitations and data presentation
techniques
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techni
ques/Coasts.htm
Background information to coasts, fieldwork techniques and analysis
http://www.geography-fieldwork.org/coastfieldwork/lowenergy/stage2.htm
Maps and air photos using a postcode search
http://www.bing.com/maps/
Photos of every OS grid square
http://www.geograph.org.uk/
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Weather and climate (Theme 8)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
8
An investigation into factors
that create variations in
weather/climate in a local
area.
The task is linked to the following
fieldwork enquiry question from
the specification
Page in
specification
1.1 What factors create the
variations in weather and climate
experienced within and around
the British Isles?
19
How the task may be contextualised
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as:
Which would be the best sites, within the school grounds, to locate a small wind
turbine and install photo-voltaic cells?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
The school buildings have no impact on the micro-climate of the school grounds.
In the first example, students could determine what "best" might mean in terms of locating a
wind turbine / PV's. This would include criteria such as the site with the “best” aspect or
average wind speeds. It might also include criteria like space for ancillary infrastructure,
effects on wildlife, creating a disturbance during construction & operation, open space or
nearness to large buildings, trees or power lines, south facing slopes etc. This would then
suggest what types of data they might choose to collect.
In the second example, if there is an impact, students might need to consider the spatial &
temporal aspects of that impact, as well as thinking about the extent of the impact. e.g. is
there more of an impact in the summer or for different parts of the site or different variables.
Primary & Secondary Data
The types of Primary Data that students might collect could be:

Landscape and Visual Assessment: What is likely to be viewed & by whom. This is
more likely to be applicable to the wind turbine site. When students have located
several potential areas of the site to locate a wind turbine, could visit areas on & off,
the school site whose views might be affected by the building of the turbine, eg,
residential areas, walkways, sports fields, car parks, offices, classrooms and
complete a similar analysis to the example below.
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Visual & Landscape Assessment for potential Site 1
Viewing
Location
Photo of Site 1 from the
residential area & Annotations
E.g
Residential
area, local
bungalows
Negative Descriptor
Low
Medium
High
Positive Descriptor
Untidy & unkempt
Good condition
Detracting &
unsightly features
Distinctive &
attractive features
Enclosed & hidden
Visually open
Fragmented & could
be changed in part
Worthy of
consideration as a
whole
Long lasting views,
permanent, people
see it all the time
Fleeting views,
people are moving
through the area
This would provide students with information on the potential visual impact of locating a
turbine on a particular site.



Wind Survey: For the turbine question: the power of the wind is proportional to the
wind speed cubed, so a very small increase in wind speed can be very important in
terms of power. The distance from buildings & trees can also affect the wind speed.
The height of the land would also be important to include within this survey. Direct
measurements of the wind could be done, including speed & direction, which could
be combined on a map with building heights, land heights etc. In terms of the school
buildings having an impact on the micro-climate, you may have a wind tunnel affect,
this could be measured by very small scale wind speed & direction measurements.
Noise survey: The noise of a turbine can affect the people in the surrounding area.
There are several free Decibel meters for Smart Phones. It may be possible to set off
an air horn blast at the potential sites & measure the noise level within nearby
classrooms or playing fields.
Shading Audit: PVs will need to be in the sunshine for as long as possible during
the day, through-out the year. To gauge this students could complete an overshading audit, similar to below:
Over-shading
Heavy
Significant
Modest
None


% of sky blocked by trees & buildings
>80%
60 to 79%
20 to 59%
<20%
Roof Angle: A PV array should be mounted at an angle to the sun. This is between
30 & 45 degrees in the UK. Students could measure the angles of the various
potential roofs using a Bubble App (hold the phone at arms length & in-line with the
roof) or Clinometers / Inclinometer.
Temperature, Humidity, Wind, Light, Rainfall Measurements: Students could take
measurements of these over a period of time. Or perhaps, on a micro-grid to look at
the small scale impacts of the buildings.
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


Heights, Colours & Textures of Buildings: Heights can be measured using a
clinometer, or perhaps counting bricks of a known height, or taking a photo with a
meter rule against the building & measuring on the resulting photo. The colours on
the building & the textures on the facades may have an effect on the micro-climate.
These could be recorded in a qualitative index or audit.
Rainfall & soil measurements. If you have the opportunity to conduct a temporal
study, it might be possible to set-up a number of rain gauges & soil thermometers
around the school buildings.
Questionnaires from local neighbours to the site: what would be their concerns and
opinions in locating a turbine or PV array?
The types of Secondary Data that students might collect could be:






Orientation Map: Ideally PV should be sited so that they face between SE & SW.
Students could work-out which parts of the site would provide the most appropriate
orientation.
Proximity to public areas: It would be important for the site/s chosen to be in safe
areas of the school site. A map highlighting public access areas could be combined
with one highlighting available access points for construction & maintenance.
Visual Pollution: Wind turbine blades can produce 'shadow flicker' which happens
when the sun is behind the blades relative to the viewer. This could be mapped.
Birds migration: A turbine may have an impact on the migration routes of birds, or
create a barrier between feeding & nesting sites. Locating any designated areas
surrounding the site could provide some data.
Aircraft: Does the site have any aviation restrictions? These can be mapped on to
site map. http://aviationtool.planningportal.gov.uk/
Met Data for the area during the study. This could be combined with the students’
data, to see which areas of the site have been affected the most by the buildings.
How to encourage independent thought:
Time should be allowed for students to become involved in the planning process before the
fieldwork is conducted. Students should be encouraged to contribute to discussions about
data collection and sampling techniques. Students can demonstrate independence in a
number of ways, for example:
 Student guidance sheets should be designed with suggestions to prompt
independence, for example, whilst all students are involved in some data collection,
students could also be given the opportunity to select one additional data collection
technique.
 All students could use a bi-polar technique to analyse potential sites (as shown at the
top of page 14) and individually add their own bi-polar descriptors to the bottom of
the form.
 Students could pose an organising question of their own that supplements the
enquiry question investigated by the whole class.
AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. For
example, candidates could:
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

Apply their understanding of micro-climate concepts such as the urban heat island to
their own area of primary data collection.
Compare the similarities and differences of the micro-climate of the school campus to
a case study of an urban micro-climate they have studied in class.
Useful web links
This site provides a tool to assess if the proposed wind turbine is on safeguarded land, in
terms of aviation.
http://aviationtool.planningportal.gov.uk/
GoogleSketchUp is a free 3D modelling programme, that can also provide sun-shadows on
models. A basic model of the site could be created to use in addition to a direct visual
assessment & a way of looking at the shadow flicker.
http://www.sketchup.com/intl/en/product/gsu.html
Wind Speed: Enter a post code and get the estimated wind speed of the location, at various
heights. This maybe useful data to supplement students direct measurements.
http://www.rensmart.com/Weather/BERR
RGS Microclimate Fieldwork
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/M
icroclimate.htm
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017 Ecosystems (Theme 9)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
9
An investigation of a sand
dune ecosystem.
The task is linked to the following
fieldwork enquiry question from
the specification
1.1 How does the physical
environment interact with living
things to produce different largescale ecosystems?
or
2.1 In what ways do people use
ecosystems?
2.2 How can ecosystems be
managed sustainably?
Page in
specification
19
Contextualising the title
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as:
How and why do the characteristics of the sand dune ecosystem at Studland Nature
Reserve vary?
Or
What are the impacts of human activity on the sand dune ecosystem at Ynyslas?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
The diversity of vegetation species increases with distance from the sea at Morfa Harlech.
Or
Human activities have a negative effect on the sand dune ecosystem at Ainsdale.
Unpacking the title
Areas of consideration for interactions between the physical environment and the ecosystem
could be height of dunes, gradient, aspect, soil depth and pH, salt content, moisture content,
vegetation cover and microclimate features such as temperature and wind speed.
Areas for consideration for people and ecosystems could be the impacts of tourism, both
positive and negative, or the management strategies employed in the dunes and their
effectiveness.
For both ideas above, comparisons could be made of intensively managed and relatively unmanaged areas, provided permission and accessibility do not prove to be an issue.
Primary and Secondary Data
First Hand Data
 Dune profiles using tapes, ranging poles and clinometers. E.g. a transect from the
embryo dunes to fixed dunes or woodland, depending on accessibility and the
precise nature of the chosen location.
 Sampling of vegetation cover using quadrats to identify percentage cover (or the
inverse, % bare earth), and the presence of specific species, or total number of
species. Sampling could be systematic at equal distances from the beginning of the
transect, or stratified, e.g. in each dune slack, or on each ridge or slope to allow
coverage of different environments and microclimates.
 At each sampling point the following could also be measured: soil depth, soil colour,
(an indication of organic matter), vegetation height, soil pH, wind speed, and
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temperature. Soil samples could be collected to be analysed later to calculate the
moisture/ salt content. Sieves to see if shell content of the sand changes inland.
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








Plant identification charts can be used to determine which species are present at specific
points along the transect. http://www.field-studies-council.org/publications/pubs/plantscommon-on-sand-dunes.aspx
Photographic evidence or field sketches that can be annotated to show changes along a
transect in vegetation type, evidence of erosion from wind (blowouts for example) or
human activity and management techniques.
Photographic evidence of erosion adjacent to footpaths compared to areas which are out
of bounds to the public, or width and depth of footpath erosion.
Stratified sampling of survey points along a transect or within the public access area,
e.g. number of pieces of litter within a specified radius.
Prevailing wind direction to show direction of windblown sand.
Questionnaires to ascertain the frequency and nature of human use such as tourism,
attitudes towards tourists by local residents, e.g. who gains or loses?
Bi – polar analysis / environmental quality surveys to consider evidence of litter /
damage from tourism.
Vehicle counts in adjacent car parks
Visitor number counts
Secondary data
 Use of aerial photos or Google Earth which can also be annotated for the purpose of the
study.
 Use of old maps/photographs to compare past and present location of sand dunes and
the nature of human activity, e.g. car parking is no longer allowed within the dunes.
 O.S. maps – current and historical
 Websites such as Where’s the Path? http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm
The site shows an OS extract alongside an aerial photo of your search area. There is a
daily limit on map downloads on this website, and later in the day a 1940’s version of the
required area often appears. This could be a useful comparative tool if the nature of
change is an element of the enquiry.
 Newspaper articles / news websites
Encouraging independence during the planning and data collection phase
It is important to allow candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their independence in
one or more of the following area:
 Planning the enquiry / posing enquiry questions
 Selecting and implementing data collection techniques and technologies
For health and safety or logistical reasons the data collection could be common to the group of
students as long as there are opportunities to demonstrate individuality. The individuality could
be incorporated by students designing data logging sheets, suggesting criteria for environmental
quality surveys, suggesting improvements to data collection, evaluating the nature and accuracy
of sampling, choosing individual methods of data presentation and suggesting extensions to the
study.
Presentation of data
There is a wide range of ways in which data can be presented such as:
 Annotated dune transect profiles
 Tables to show slope and vegetation recordings along the transect(s)
 Located bar / pie charts showing vegetation cover or type
 Kite diagrams showing species distribution
 Tables and bar graphs to show the depth soil / soil pH / wind speed / temperature /
moisture / shell / salt content as it changes along the transect.
 Annotated or overlaid sketches and photographs
 Radial diagrams showing opinions / perceptions from questionnaire data
These are some of methods that could be used to present data/ information but there are
many more.
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AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. For
example, candidates could:
 Apply their understanding of theories such as dune formation or expected vegetation
distribution to the situation found in the area of study.
 Apply their understanding of the link between environmental or human factors to the
height of dunes, % vegetation cover, or type of vegetation found.
 Compare their findings to other dune ecosystems with different levels of human
activity or management, accessibility, different microclimates.
 Consider how their findings might differ at different times of the year or if the system
was more or less intensively managed.
 Acknowledge the dynamic and fragile nature of dune ecosystems and the complexity
of the relationships between the ecosystem and human activity – both positive and
negative.
Useful web links
Field studies council section on sand dune fieldwork. Follow the links from the page below
http://www.geography-fieldwork.org/ecologyfieldwork/sand_dunes/stage1.htm
RGS link to sand dune fieldwork
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/E
cosystems.htm
Maps and air photos using a postcode search
http://www.bing.com/maps/
Photos of every OS grid square
http://www.geograph.org.uk/
In addition, Natural England, the National Trust and English Nature all have useful resources
on specific dune systems.
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Tourism (Theme 10)
Theme
10
Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
An investigation into the
impacts of tourism on an
urban environment.
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
2.1 What are the impacts of the
development of tourism on:
 people and the economy?
 the environment?
Page in
specification
20
How the task may be contextualised
The theme 10 fieldwork enquiry for award in 2017 must be focussed on the impacts of
tourism on an urban area or city. Cities such as Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Birmingham
all attract millions of visitors who bring both positive and negative impacts to the city.
Candidates might investigate both positive and negative impacts of tourism on a
locality/community. They might focus on the impacts of tourism on the local economy (direct
and indirect), the environment and on local residents. Candidates might even investigate the
carrying capacity of the locality in terms of its social, psychological and environmental
capacity to absorb visitors. The focus of the 2017 task must be in a city (eg Cardiff) or larger
town (such as Bath).
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as:
Do the benefits of tourism in Cardiff outweigh the disadvantages?
OR
Where is the best location for an urban beach in Birmingham?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
The positive benefits of tourism in Oxford are felt closer to the city centre than the
suburbs.
A task that focuses on the impacts of tourism on the countryside or rural towns (such as
Castleton in the Peak district, or Betws-y-Coed in North Wales) would not be appropriate in
this cycle.
Collecting primary and secondary data
Types of primary data that students might be able to collect could be:
 Activity Participant Survey: Who the visitors are, when they visit & what they do in
the location. This could be based on observation of the visitors in the location, or in
different parts of the location. This could be combined with a survey of the routes that
visitors take through the location e.g. distance & routes from the car park. Students
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
may record things such as how long people spend in particular places, what they are
doing, estimated impact on the environment, do they stick to paths, use bins etc.
Visitor Impact Bi-Polar: See example below, a pilot survey would be appropriate to
see if the categories are relevant to the area. Each location surveyed could be backup by an annotated photograph.
Score




The area has a distinct
natural beauty
Few human built
structures
Not many people
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
No damage to natural
vegetation
No obvious hazards
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
No visible litter or dog
mess
Quiet
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
+3 +2 +1 0 –1 –2 –3
Natural beauty has been
damaged
Intrusive car parking &
management structures
Crowded with people.
Some people have to
walk off the paths
Widespread damage to
vegetation
Volume of traffic high
and annoying
High levels of litter &
dog mess
High levels of noise
(e.g. music, traffic)
Facilities & Services Audit: Map the relative number of services & facilities targeted
at locals & tourists or that are beneficial to the environment or not so beneficial e.g.
car parks, visitor centres, town trails
Counts & Maps: Traffic, pedestrian, car-parking spaces, litter volumes, types of
land-use, one-way traffic, coach parks, information boards, toilets, litter bins, signage
& interpretation boards etc.
Product Survey: Students could select 10 random shops & look at what is being
sold, where it is being sold, is the item being used to sell 'place' & how, who is going
to buy it etc.
Roles Perception Survey: Select a role e.g. local parent with two children, teenage
visitor from UK with parents, local business person. Then walk around the area &
think about the facilities & services you would need during the day, what you would
like to do, things that are too difficult / expensive to access etc. Mark on a map or
record some of the answers, this collects data on the environment & if it is of benefit
to a particular group or not.
Types of secondary data could be:
 Benefits Matrix: If students are looking at the benefits versus the disadvantages,
they might consider if user groups have different impressions of the tourism in the
area as well as the economic, environmental, social impacts. They could use
information from the Roles Perception Survey & combine it with other data, to provide
a matrix to enable analysis of the their data.
 Visitor Statistics: These could be from the local council or national park, e.g.
income generated, visitor numbers, spending on footpath management.
 House Price Survey: By mapping the average house prices within a area, it may be
possible to determine if the location of physical tourist features have an effect on the
house price. This would give information about the benefits or not to the local people.
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Encouraging independence during the planning and data collection phase
It is important to allow candidates to have the opportunity to demonstrate their independence
in one or more of the following areas:
 Planning the enquiry / posing enquiry questions
 Selecting and implementing data collection techniques or technologies.
One simple way that this could be achieved would be designing a questionnaire of closed
questions to be used by all candidates and asking each candidate to add one closed and
one open question of their own to this common survey.
AO2 Application
Candidates need to make a connection between the specific place they are investigating and
the wider concepts, models, theories or processes of their geographical studies. Students
could apply their understanding of a number of wider geographical concepts to their findings
in the study area. For example, they could apply their:
 Understanding of the concept of positive multiplier effects or the concept of carrying
capacity (social, psychological or environmental).
 Understanding of models or theories such as the Butler Model.
Useful weblinks
Butler's Model of Tourism
http://geographyfieldwork.com/ButlerModel.htm
National Park site on the Impacts of Tourism
http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/learningabout/ourchallenges/tourism/impactsoftourism.htm
Video clip from the BBC on managing impacts of tourism in the Peak District
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/managing-the-impact-of-tourism-in-the-peak-districtnational-park/7411.html
Fix the Fells - Footpath erosion in the Lake District
http://www.fixthefells.co.uk/
UK Government Site - Policy Helping the UK tourism industry to grow
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/helping-the-uk-tourism-industry-to-grow
The following link is the publication hub of the UK National Statistics Office for tourist related
publications. It includes a number of very useful hyperlinks (on the right of the screen) to
other organisations such as Visit Britain and Visit England.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/people-places/people/tourism
The following link is to a Tourism hub on the Welsh Government website.
http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/tourism/?lang=en
The Welsh Government site contains links to various research documents, many of which
contain raw data on visitor numbers / attractions in Wales. These research documents are
available from the following page:
http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/tourism/researchl1/tourisminwales/;jsessionid=NwndQsZXTY
NrybZJT868npScD12ldKdGM9LY1jQzpPpmBZHr5Mwf!989377147?lang=en
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Blackpool has indeed considered a rebranding exercise, and there are several references to
this in the press:
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/blackpool_needs_to_rebrand_says_tourism_b
oss_1_380619
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2017
Urban & Retail change (Theme 11)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
11
An investigation into the
quality of the retail
environment in the UK high
street.
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
Page in
specification
2.2 How is retailing changing, and
what effects does this have upon
people and the environment?
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How the task may be contextualised
The last twenty years have seen high streets in UK towns and cities undergoing rapid
change. Town planners and high street retailers have had to adapt to threats from both outof-town retailing and internet sales. The high street has fought back to improve the quality of
the urban environment for shoppers. Schemes to provide safer streets for pedestrians with
better signage and street furniture have been combined with park and ride schemes or the
development of inner urban shopping malls. This task allows students to investigate the
factors that affect the quality of the high street environment and to consider their
strengths and weaknesses.
Centres may provide candidates with an overarching enquiry question, such as:
How successful has Shrewsbury been in providing a safe and interesting environment for
shoppers in its town centre?
Alternatively, centres may present the task to their candidates as a hypothesis, such as:
Shoppers are more attracted to pedestrianized streets than high streets that contain busy
traffic.
Primary and Secondary Data
Whichever investigation is chosen, students must be involved in primary data collection.
Some suggestions are given below. Clearly, you will want to select a range of data collection
techniques that provide opportunities for your students to meet the criteria of the mark
scheme. The types of primary data that students might collect could be:

Crime perception: surveys, questionnaires or indices e.g. a questionnaire for
shoppers or observations in different retail areas of the burglar alarms, anti-crime
features. This could be combined with some secondary crime data into an index for
each output area.

Environmental quality: indices or bi-polar scores to collect data about the general
quality of the urban landscape and upkeep of the area (pedestrianised streets, litter
bins, litter, traffic calming, benches, signage etc.). Students could combine this with
photos that they take of the worst and the best images in each category.
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
Questionnaires: data about different aspects of the quality of the retail environment
e.g. views on parking, public transport, park and ride, pedestrian access, safety
perception crime / traffic / pollution etc.

Town centre service surveys: e.g. libraries, post-offices, parking, health.

Transport index: create an index which combines the frequency, length and cost of
public transport to the town centre.

Extended interviews: for example with groups who might be involved in public
transport, chamber of trade, town centre planning or retailing.

Photographic evidence: photos could be taken of the various areas within the
region and annotated to take note of the building / environment / traffic / people /
services / renewal schemes / upkeep etc. Or perhaps a photo that students think
sums up the area – socially or economically.
It should be remembered that some primary data gathering through surveys and
questionnaires can be considered as “snapshots”, and could be affected by different times of
day, week, year etc.
Secondary data sources which would be helpful for this task would include:
 Blank site maps or land use maps from local planning office of the Local Authority
 Satellite images showing overall layout of the retail area
 Local Urban District Plans can provide insight into decision-making on retail
environments
 There may be local neighbourhood groups, consumer organisations, welfare groups
etc. who produce information or materials advising about retail environment design
How to Encourage Independent Thought:
Time should be allowed for students to become involved in the planning process before the
fieldwork is conducted. Students should be encouraged to contribute to discussions about
data collection and sampling techniques. Student guidance sheets should be designed with
suggestions to prompt independence; for example, whilst all students are involved in some
data collection, students could also be given the opportunity to select one additional data
collection technique. As well as answering the main contextualised title, students could
choose from a suggested selection of guiding questions to investigate the data further:
Example: how might the survey results change according to time of day/week/year? Are
some types/groups of shoppers happier with the retail environment than others? What can
be done to improve the retail experience for the more vulnerable shopper? What role is
played by the design and layout provided by major retailers? Does the area operate a
“shopmobility” or “Dial-a-ride” scheme? How do you suggest this retail environment could be
improved?
AO2 Application
The mark scheme criteria for AO2 should be checked thoroughly when designing the
fieldwork enquiry. Students will be able to access higher marks for AO2 if they link their
observations and investigations to a wider knowledge of other retail environments. For
example, some consideration as to whether the contextualised location is typical or atypical
is a productive line of analysis for AO2. More able students might be expected to consider
theories and concepts related to retail habits, sympathetic landscaping and design,
social/demographic trends in shopper activity, public crime prevention schemes and
transport network innovation (tram links etc.).
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The issue of geographical futures should also be addressed, with higher level candidates
seeking to ask and address a range of questions related to how this retail environment can
be thought of as dynamic and subject to change, and why.
Useful Web-links
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Fieldwork+and+local+learning/Fieldwork+techniques/U
rban+and+settlement.htm The RGS has a useful guide to fieldwork examining retail
distribution. Take care – this webpage also describes how retail change can be investigated,
such a study is not appropriate in 2015.
.
http://www.checkmyfile.com/postcode-check/SY5-9PR.htm
Postcode code data including, house prices, social grades, crime rates etc.
http://www.bing.com/maps/
Maps and air photos using a postcode search.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/
Photos of every OS grid square.
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