Y10 GCSE Geography Fieldwork 2023 Overview

Fieldwork will be assessed on Component 3 in Sections A and B. Section C is a decision-making

exercise based on resources. The context will always be UK based.

Themes for your examination in 2024

You are assessed specifically on one methodological approach. In 2024 this is change over time.

You are also assessed on one concept. In 2024 this is mitigating risk.

There is information on both of these in this booklet.

Assessment

Questions will be largely resource based and you will be able to apply what you have learned during
fieldwork to these questions.

You will be undertaking one day of fieldwork covering the method and concepts required in St
Albans.

The concept of mitigating risk and change over time in

an urban environment - St Albans
Enquiry question

How has safety for pedestrians in St Albans City centre changed over time?

Hypotheses

1. The grounds of the Abbey are the safest place in the city centre.
2. The changes over time have reduced hazards for pedestrians.
Primary Data Collection

You will collect data on the day at 12 locations across St Albans using your data collection booklets.

When you get back to school you will collate your traffic and pedestrian count data.

For follow up work at home, you will upload your photos to this document for re-photography and
evidence use.

Presentation and Analysis

You will practice producing / completing a range of relevant presentation techniques. In the exam,
you may be asked to complete, describe, explain, interpret, analyse or evaluate data presentation
techniques in the exam.

Suggested techniques for your investigation:

 Bipolar charts
 Word clouds
 Isoline maps
 Pie / bar graphs
 Located graphs

Conclusions

You will have to a make a decision as to whether your hypotheses can be accepted or rejected based
on data collected and answer your original enquiry question. In the exam, you may have a question
which requires you to reach/ suggest a conclusion based on resources provided.

Evaluation

You should begin to think about this on the field trip. This is where you suggest justified limitations
and improvements to make your enquiry more successful and conclusions more reliable. In the exam
you may be asked to suggest these ideas based on resources provided.

Component 3 Question Practice

You will complete some exam question practice in class

You will complete some sample exam question practice for homework

Data Collection
Secondary Data Review
TASK 1

Use the Secondary data slides and links to review data and statistics to answer the questions in the
analysis section below.
Process and Present Data and Apply Wider Understanding

TASK 2

Identify the location with the highest traffic count overall throughout the day. Using Excel, create a
graph of your choice to show how the traffic levels varied over the duration of our study in St Albans.

INSERT YOUR GRAPH HERE

What does your data tell us about traffic moving through St Albans during the day?

What do we still not know? (think about the times of day we were not there to measure traffic)

How does this data relate to the pedestrian numbers counted across the city during our study?

Is this data misleading, due to interference from traffic lights in some locations?

TASK 3

Create ONE of the two graphs below to display the following data:

1) Located bar graph to show the number of CCTV cameras present across the 12 locations
(you will need to use the map available on Teams)
2) Bipolar chart to show the Environmental Quality Survey total scores for each of the 12
locations

Challenge graph

3) Line graph to show the total traffic and pedestrian counts at the 12 locations throughout the
day (two sets of data on one graph)

INSERT YOUR GRAPH HERE

TASK 4

For a homework task after your exams, you will be asked to draw an isoline map using the
accessibility data collected from your 12 locations.

TASK 5 (optional)

Create a word cloud from your personal observations of each location and insert it to this document
or save this with your electronic fieldwork folder.
Data Analysis Questions
Please answer these questions in full sentences below each of the questions. They have been
divided into four themes relating to the fieldwork question.

Crime

What do your questionnaires tell you about perceptions of crime across the city?

What does the secondary data tell you about the risk to pedestrians in St Albans? How has this
changed over time?

Are there any links between criminal activity and the level of deprivation recorded in different areas
of St Albans? (see the IMD data)

Were there any locations that would be considered a high risk to vulnerable people? How would this
vary at different times of day?

What measures have been taken across the city to reduce the occurrence of crime?

Using re-photography, how long have measures been in place around St Albans?

Traffic Accidents

What strategies have been used and measures taken to mitigate risk and promote safety for
pedestrians?

Using re-photography, how long have measures been in place around St Albans?

What observations were made about pedestrians using the designated crossing areas to cross the
road?

Which locations are more suitable for disabled pedestrians than others? Why?

Is there enough assistance provided for all pedestrians to move around the city centre safely?

Where is there the ability for large crowds of people to walk safely in St Albans city centre?

Pollution

What does the secondary data tell you about the nitrogen dioxide levels measured throughout St
Albans?

Where have the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide been detected?

How does this relate to your traffic counts?

How does this relate to your pedestrian counts and do these results cause concern?

What measures could be taken to mitigate risk from pollution?

Accessibility

Which areas scored high on the accessibility surveys? Which areas scored low? What were the main
reasons?
What measures have been taken across the city to improve accessibility for pedestrians to move on
foot or with mobility aids (wheelchairs etc)?

Using re-photography, how long have measures been in place?

Conclusions
Please consider the questions below whilst concluding your enquiry.

Hypothesis 1

The grounds of the Abbey are the safest place in the city centre.

Have you proved / disproved this hypothesis and how do you know?

Where is the safest place in St Albans, either away from risk/hazards or where they have been
successfully mitigated against.

What factors have you need to take into account to come to this conclusion?

Hypothesis 2

The changes over time have reduced hazards for pedestrians.

Have you proved / disproved this hypothesis and how do you know? Refer to:

 Information on the types of hazards to pedestrians in the past

 How these hazards were mitigated (or not) in the past
 How hazards have changed in the present day
 How these present hazards are being mitigated (or not)

Relating back to the enquiry question

How has safety for pedestrians in St Albans City centre changed over time?

In a paragraph, outline your overall conclusions relating back to this question.

Evaluate the Process

Evaluating the process has two parts. The exam board want you to evaluate your methods
referring to and using the key words in the boxes below:
Before answering the questions below, read through the scanned pages from the fieldwork textbook
(you will find this on Teams)

What were some of the limitations of your primary data collection methods? What were you not
able to measure?

How could you improve the sampling and other methods of data collection? What would you do
differently if you carried out the same investigation again? How would you change the data
collection sheets?

How accurate do you think your results are?

What were some of the limitations of the secondary data provided?

What other useful data could you have collected to help you answer your enquiry question?

How appropriate were the data presentation techniques you used? (refer to the ‘Strengths and
Weaknesses of Data Presentation Techniques’ document in Teams)

How reliable do you think your conclusions are based on the data you have analysed?

What could be improved to increase the reliability of your data?

Are the results what you expected? Were there any surprises? Can these be explained? Could this be
a result of your data collection methods? If so, how was your data affected to have this outcome?

How suitable do you think the data collection methods were for answering the enquiry question and
hypotheses? What changes would you make?

Would you consider changing the hypotheses to answer the enquiry question more effectively?

Would you consider changing the scope of the enquiry question to focus more on a narrower area of
study relating to change over time and mitigating risk?

Sample Exam Fieldwork Questions

Please answer the exam style questions below. Use the marks as a guide for how much to write.

Give one reason for using secondary data in a fieldwork enquiry (2)

Explain two limitations of using secondary data in a fieldwork enquiry (4)

Suggest why a pilot survey might be beneficial before designing a questionnaire (4)
The question is about your own experience of collecting data about change over time. Evaluate how
your results were influenced by the date and time you carried out your fieldwork (6)

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of using secondary data in your investigation on change over
time (6)

Name one sampling technique used in your fieldwork. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
using a this technique to collect your data (6)

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of one method you used to present your data on mitigating
risk? (6)

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of one method you used to present your data on change
over time? (6)

Evaluate the reliability of your conclusions in your investigation on mitigating risk (6)