Generic Fieldwork Enquiry Tasks
For award in 2014
The Controlled Assessment Fieldwork Enquiry tasks are for 2014 award
only. Centres must choose from these 8 tasks and not those for 2013.
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 Enquiry Tasks are available for candidates who receive their
award in 2014.
Theme Generic task for the
fieldwork Enquiry
The tasks are linked to the
following enquiry questions
from the specification
Page in
specification
Page
No.
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
1-8
4
An investigation of pushpull factors that produce
rural-urban migration in a
specified area.
1.2 What are the push / pull
factors that produce rural –
urban migration and urban –
rural migration?
16
9-11
5
An investigation into the
benefits of globalisation
in a specified area.
1.2 What are the benefits of
globalisation and why do
some see it as a threat?
17
13-14
6
An investigation into
patterns of quality of life
in one rural region.
1.2 What are the regional
patterns of economic and/or
social development in one
country?
17
15-17
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
19-20
9
An investigation of a sand 1.1 How does the physical
dune ecosystem.
environment interact with
living things to produce
different large scale
ecosystems?
19
21-23
or
2.1 In what ways do people use
ecosystems?
10
An investigation of
changing patterns of
tourism in a specified
area.
1.2 In what ways and why is
tourism changing?
20
25-26
11
An investigation of high
street retail change in a
specified town/city.
2.2 How is retailing changing
and what effects does this
have upon people and the
environment?
20
27-29
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2014 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.
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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 2014 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 2014 Changing Populations (Theme 4)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
4
An investigation of push-pull
factors that produce ruralurban 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 2014 Globilisation (Theme 5)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
5
An investigation into the
benefits of globalisation in a
specified area.
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
1.2 What are the benefits of
globalisation and why do some
see it as a threat?
Page in
specification
17
Contextualising the task
This task must investigate the effects of one or more TNC’s on an area.
This could be contextualised through either a hypothesis or an overarching question such
as: Tata Steel has provided benefits to the area of Shotton in North East Wales.
To what extent has Fakenham in Norfolk benefited from the Linda McCartney factory?
Independent retailers are threatened by the growth of trans-national companies in
Shrewsbury town centre.
Areas of investigation could include any areas that would be considered a benefit to a
particular stakeholder group, for example, job opportunities for locals, improved sales of
local resources, products and services, sharing of ideas and lifestyles, earning potential and
training opportunities, spending opportunities, infrastructure improvements and image of the
area.
Collecting primary and secondary data
The types of primary data that students might collect could be:
 Environmental Quality / Impact: e.g. landscaping of the factory/industry site and /
or surrounding area. Visual assessments could be made from various locations
through-out the area. Contrasts could be made between existing landscape and the
impact of the development.
 Land-use mapping: Mapping of the local business to investigate the multiplier effect
and / or categorisation of the type of business TNC, local etc. Mapping of the local
recreational services e.g. pubs, cafes, restaurants could also be used.
 Questionnaires: could collect data about different benefits from different stakeholder
groups’ e.g. spending opportunities, job opportunities, image of the area changed
etc.
 Transport improvements: This could involve public transport and private transport
opportunities and mapping these onto a base map. Frequency / density of public
services could be mapped and over-laid onto a base map containing the TNCs. This
could be annotated to explore if TNC location had provided improved transport
opportunities in the area.
 Architectural / Urban Survey: Photo / video / descriptive data to assess the
richness, up-keep, diversity and design of new infrastructure / buildings / urban
landscapes.
 Photographic evidence: Photos could be taken of the development and annotated
to look at the development of the area and how it has affected the image and / or
landscape of the area.

Interviews: Interviews could be conducted to gain extra information e.g. local
newspaper reporters for information that they have been collecting, information from
the press office of any local TNCs, local business owners on their impressions of
spending etc.
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Types of secondary data that students might collect could be:
 Infrastructure Mapping: Using maps and / or internet research to look at any
additions to the transport infrastructure, new schools, hospitals etc.
 Newspaper reports: Annotated and analysed for employment figures, training
opportunities, stakeholder views.
 Census data: for employment data
 TNC web-site: perhaps looking at information as to numbers of jobs created,
increases in training opportunities etc.
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. local residents, local business etc, or if they were to focus on a particular area of benefit,
such as service/infrastructure improvements. This could be achieved through using a classwide 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.
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 contrast the fieldwork region with a case-study, or knowledge
about benefits of globalisation at a global scale or use their understanding of the multiplier
effect to interpret their results.
Useful weblinks
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business-news/business-news/2012/04/18/shotton-says-hello-to800m-tata-cash-boost-55578-30782086/ Newspaper articles can be used to collect
secondary evidence of development and also stakeholder views. This is an example from
2012 about Tata Steel in North Wales.
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://wales.gov.uk/topics/?lang=en
Welsh Government Site: information can be found showing new developments in
infrastructure.
http://local.direct.gov.uk/LDGRedirect/Start.do?mode=1
Site to search for your local authority in the UK. They will provide information on
infrastructure, new business, development zones 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.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
Neighbourhood Statistics
http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/
National Portal for all major infrastructure planning applications.
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2014 Development (Theme 6)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
6
An investigation into patterns
of quality of life in one rural
region.
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
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Contextualising the task
This task must investigate spatial changes (change through-out the region) rather than
temporal changes in one village. This could be contextualised through either a hypothesis (i),
or an overarching question (ii), such as:
(i)
(ii)
In Waveney Suffolk, younger people have a better Quality of Life than older
people.
How and why does the Quality of Life vary in Caerphilly Borough?
The fieldwork enquiry must be focussed on patterns of Quality of Life in a rural area, not
how Quality of Life varies in a town or city.
Quality of life would look at 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.
Collecting primary and secondary data
The types of primary data that students might collect could be:
 Crime perception: surveys, questionnaires or indices e.g. a questionnaire for village
residents or observations in different villages of the burglar alarms, rural watch
stickers, 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 catergory
 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: in villages e.g. visiting libraries, post-offices, pub etc.
 Transport index: create an index which combines the frequency, length and cost of
public transport to main service provision.
 Buildings survey / Index of decay: create an index to look at the up keep or
conservation and upgrading of local heritage buildings or an index to look at the
upkeep of the housing stock in the villages within a region.
 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, rural watch schemes, IT schemes, farm diversification etc.
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

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. village halls,
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.
Types of secondary data that students might collect could be:
 Mapping: for example, broadband coverage, crime statistics, diversification
schemes, creation of micro-enterprise and businesses, support for tourism schemes,
village renewal schemes, conservation and upgrading of heritage, training schemes
for groups, services e.g. schools, doctors 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
 Witness accounts / Blogs / YouTube: Villages and rural areas may have a blog
and / or web-site which may provide evidence of the quality of life in different areas
and suggestions of why this may be different for different people or for the different
areas. For example, the text in blogs could be analysed by using websites such as
Wordle.
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 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, candidates could contrast the fieldwork region with a case-study rural area that has
undergone a significant improvement in technological communications, diversification, rural
employment scheme etc.
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Useful weblinks
http://www.defra.gov.uk/crc/
Commission for Rural Communities – good for inital research and background data for
teachers.
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.walesruralobservatory.org.uk/eng/main-e.html
Wales Rural Observatory has many reports on the social and economic conditions of rural
Wales.
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
http://www.broadband-notspot.org.uk/coverage-map.html#5,55.354,-4.8,all,2
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/index.php
Broadband Coverage
http://www.police.uk/
Crime Coverage
http://www.wordle.net/
Wordle – a site for anaysing text
http://www.cpre.org.uk/
Campaign for Rural England – good for initial research for England
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Fieldwork Enquiry Task 2014 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?
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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 2014 task is the transportational and depositional process associated with
depositional landforms such as could be 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
 Newspaper articles
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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 are a wide range of ways 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 2014 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?
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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
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 2014 Tourism (Theme 10)
Theme
10
Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
The task is linked to the
following enquiry question
from the specification
An investigation of changing patterns 1.2 In what ways and why is
of tourism in a specified area
tourism changing?
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Contextualising the task
This task must investigate temporal changes (change over time) rather than spatial changes
in the tourism sector. Note that, in order to comply with the enquiry question in the
specification, the candidates should investigate both how and why tourism is changing. This
could be contextualised through either a hypothesis (i), or an overarching question (ii), such
as:
(i)
Attempts to rebrand Blackpool have been successful.
(ii)
How and why are tourist facilities in Barry Island changing?
When developing a contextualised task for this theme centres are urged to focus on recent
or current changes. A historical approach would not be appropriate. For example, an
investigation of the development of a new visitor attraction, such as the new visitor centre at
the summit of Snowdon, would be appropriate. A historical study of post war tourism to
holiday camps, such as Butlins, would not be appropriate.
The fieldwork enquiry must be focussed on how and why tourism is changing. A task that
focuses on spatial patterns (such as the distribution of tourist accommodation or other tourist
services) would not be appropriate. A task that focuses on the negative and positive impacts
of tourism or its sustainability would not be appropriate either.
Do you have base data so candidates can reach a conclusion about change over
time?
This task requires candidates to make a judgement about how and why tourism is changing
over time. You will, therefore, need some base data against which those judgements can be
made. This base data could be gathered from:
 A questionnaire of local residents / businesses on how they perceive tourism is
changing (primary data in this cycle).
 Published data, such as visitor numbers, researched from the local tourist information
office or the internet (secondary data).
 Raw data on visitor profiles collected by students in a previous year (which would be
regarded as secondary data for this cycle)
If you do not have access to this type of base data, the task should not be attempted.
Collecting primary and secondary data
Assuming that your candidates have access to the type of base data described above, they
could be involved in any of the following forms of data collection themselves:
 Land use survey / classification of services available to tourists
 Pedestrian flows in locations visited by tourists
 Questionnaires of visitors / local residents / tourist related businesses
 Bi-polar surveys to analyse quality of the attraction / resort
 Photographs / micro-field sketches of tourist facilities / signage / interpretation
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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. In order to
do this, candidates could be encouraged to compare the patterns they have seen to a model
of tourism change such as the Butler Model. Alternatively, they could attempt to explain the
changes they have observed in relation to the process of rebranding a tourist resort or
evaluate possible future changes in terms of the legacy of a new visitor attraction / sporting
venue.
Useful weblinks
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
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 2014 Urban & Retail change (Theme 11)
Theme Generic task for the fieldwork
enquiry
11
An investigation of high street
retail change in a specified
town/city
The task is linked to the following
enquiry question from the
specification
2.2 How is retailing changing and
what effects does this have upon
people and the environment?
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Contextualising the task
This task must investigate temporal changes (change over time) rather than spatial changes
in retailing. This could be contextualised through either a hypothesis (i), or an overarching
question (ii), such as:
(i)
(ii)
Shrewsbury town centre is becoming a clone town.
How has the opening of the St David’s shopping centre changed shopping patterns in
Cardiff’s city centre?
When developing a contextualised task for this theme centres are urged to focus on recent
or current changes. A historical approach would not be appropriate. For example, an
investigation of the recent impact of internet retailing on high street shops would be
appropriate. A study of the development of supermarkets in 1960s and 1970s would not be
appropriate.
The fieldwork enquiry must be focussed on how and why retailing is changing in the town
centre (not an out-of-town retail park). A task that focuses solely on spatial patterns (such as
the distribution of clothes shops in a town) would not be appropriate unless the pattern was
compared/contrasted in two different years. The task may investigate the effects of retail
change on people (shoppers and/or businesses) and the environment (eg improving the
urban environment with signage, street furniture, CCTV etc associated with pedestrianisation
schemes). However, a task that focuses entirely on negative and / or positive impacts of
retailing without considering change over time would not be appropriate.
Do you have base data so candidates can reach a conclusion about change over
time?
This task requires candidates to make a judgement about how retailing is changing over
time. You will, therefore, need some base data against which those judgements can be
made.
This base data could be gathered from:
 Raw data (eg number of shoppers, pedestrian flows, classification of high street
shops) collected by students in a previous year (which would be regarded as
secondary data for this cycle)
 A questionnaire of local residents / businesses on how they perceive retailing is
changing (primary data in this cycle).
 Published data, such as a GOAD plan showing the land use in a specific year
(secondary data).
 Dated photographs of high street shops.
If you do not have access to this type of base data, the task should not be attempted.
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Collecting primary and secondary data
Assuming that your candidates have access to the type of base data described above, they
could be involved in any of the following forms of data collection themselves:
 Land use survey / shop-type classification
 Pedestrian flows to determine core / periphery locations
 Questionnaires of shoppers / retailers
 Bi-polar surveys to analyse quality of the urban/retail environment
 Surveys of traffic / car parks / bus services to the town centre
 Photographs / micro-field sketches of high street environments
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 to design 3 different bi-polar surveys
that are conducted by all candidates and asking candidates to design another bi-polar
survey of their own. For example:
1
Bus services currently provide shoppers with access to High Street shops that is
best described as:
convenient
inconvenient
frequent
infrequent
Good value for money
Poor value for money
2
Shopping arcades in the High Street currently provide shoppers with an
experience that is best described as:
varied
monotonous
welcoming
threatening
Accessible to all
Inaccessible for many
3
The pedestrian facilities (signs, street crossings, park benches) in the High Street
currently provide shoppers with an experience that is best described as:
Safe
Dangerous
Spacious
Crowded
Adequate
Inadequate
Now design a bi-polar survey that summarises your feelings about one of the following:
 Car parking facilities for shoppers
 Signage for pedestrians who are visiting the city centre for the first time
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:
 Investigate the extent to which retail change is affecting both independent retailers
and chain stores ie applying the concept of ‘clone town’
 Apply understanding of theories of CBD morphology such as core and periphery, and
of processes of CBD change which involve the interaction between core and
periphery, and the changes that occur within zones of assimilation and discard.
 Apply their understanding of planning issues that face many UK town centres and the
measures that have been introduced to make town centres better, safer places in
which to shop when faced with increased competition from neighbouring retail parks
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Useful weblinks
The following link is to a description of a ‘clone town survey’ developed by a school in
Guildford, Surrey and posted on the Teaching Today website
http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/fieldwork/info/local-learning/local-areastudies/clone-towns-a-fieldwork-investigation/
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) coined the phrase ‘clone town’. Follow this link to
read their report on the state of Britain’s High Street.
http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/clone-town-britain
The results of the survey can also be downloaded and students could use this as secondary
data:
http://www.neweconomics.org/sites/neweconomics.org/files/Clone_Town_Britain_1.pdf
A simple description of how to conduct your own survey can be found at
http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/images/text/FW_clone_survey.pdf
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/
Photos of every OS grid square:
http://www.geograph.org.uk/
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© WJEC CBAC Ltd
SJ/JF-W38 (12)