Edexcel GCSE Geography B
Practical support to help you deliver this Edexcel specification
Course planner
This course planner has been produced to help you implement this Edexcel specification. It is offered as an example of one possible model that you should feel free to adapt to meet your needs and is not intended to be in any way prescriptive. It is in editable Word format to make adaptation as easy as possible.
The new GCSE Geography B specification has been designed so that teachers can deliver the content in 120 hours of guided learning. Alternatively, many centres have moved to a three-year Key Stage 4, with students starting their GCSE courses in Year 9. Editable three-year course planners can be downloaded from the Edexcel Geography qualifications page of the website.
This course planner provides two models for delivering the content over 2 years:
● Model A: An integrated approach that combines content and skills across topics.
● Model B: A linear approach that alternates between Components 1: Global Geographical Issues and Component 2: UK Geographical Issues in Year 10, then focuses on Component 3: People and Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions in Year 11.
Each model covers the content of the whole specification and is based on 2 hours a week.
The 2016 Edexcel Geography B specification is split into three content components.
Component 1: Global Geographical Issues, 37.5% of the qualification
● Topic 1: Hazardous Earth
● Topic 2: Development dynamics
● Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes, 94 marks.
Component 2: UK Geographical Issues, 37.5% of the qualification
● Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape
● Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape
● Topic 6: Geographical investigations
Written examination: 1 hour and 30 minutes, 94 marks.
Component 3: People and Environment Issues – Making Geographical Decisions, 25% of the qualification
● Topic 7: People and the biosphere
● Topic 8: Forests under threat
● Topic 9: Consuming energy resources
Written examination, 1 hour and 30 minutes, 64 marks.
Our free support includes:
● a dedicated Geography Advisor, Jon Wolton
● additional GCSE Geography B specimen papers
● student exemplars with assessment commentary
● mock marking training
● Getting Started Guide and course planners for a two-year and three-year GCSE
● schemes of work and topic packs for every topic
● support with embedding high-quality fieldwork into teaching
● Thinking Geographically: Maths and statistics – based on the proven approach of Pearson Maths
● Thinking Geographically: Literacy – based on the proven approach of Pearson English: Grammar for Writing
● Getting Ready to Teach training events.
A two-year GCSE 2016 Geography B course
Model A: An integrated approach
Date (w/b)2016 / Term/
week / Content / Notes
Autumn term, Year 10
5 Sept / Week 1 / Topic 1: Hazardous Earth
EQ3: Why do the causes and impacts of tectonic activity and management of tectonic hazards vary with location? / Roughly 5 lessons.
This is a familiar and accessible start to GCSE, and sets a global context for physical geography.
12 Sept / Week 2
19 Sept / Week 3 / 1.7–1.9
26 Sept / Week 4 / Topic 2: Development dynamics
EQ1: What is the scale of global inequality and how can it be reduced?
2.1–2.3 / Roughly 9 lessons.
Similarly, this sets a global context for human geography.
3 Oct / Week 5
10 Oct / Week 6
17 Oct / Week 7
24 Oct / Week 8
Half term
7 Nov / Week 9 / Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape
EQ1: Why does the physical landscape of the UK vary from place to place?
4.1, 4.2 / Roughly 7 lessons.
Key ideas 4.1 and 4.2 must be taught before the rest of this topic as these provide an overview of the characteristics and distribution of the UK’s changing landscapes.
14 Nov / Week 10
21 Nov / Week 11
28 Nov / Week 12 / Coastal change and conflict and River processes and pressures
EQ2: processes and human modification
EQ3: management
Key ideas 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5 (Coasts)
Followed by 4.6, 4.7 and 4.8 (Rivers) / Roughly 11 lessons.
Teach both Coastal change and conflict and River processes and pressures.
Assume some basic knowledge of processes and landforms taught under new KS3 content.
This should be taught before the fieldwork tasks.
5 Dec / Week 13
12 Dec / Week 14
19 Dec / Week 15
2017 / Christmas break followed by Spring term
9 Jan / Week 1 / î Complete EQ3
16 Jan / Week 2 / Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape
EQ1: Why are places and people changing in the UK?
5.1, 5.2
Case Study: Dynamic UK cities
5.3 and 5.4: city functions and structure, influence of population movement, employment and services
5.5: challenges and opportunities of change / Roughly 10 lessons.
Must focus on one major city in the UK and an accessible rural area to deliver key ideas 5.3 to 5.8. Please see Appendix 2 in the specification for definitions.
23 Jan / Week 3
30 Jan / Week 4
6 Feb / Week 5
13 Feb / Week 6
Half term
27 Feb / Week 7 / î Continue Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape
5.6 strategies for improving ways of life
5.7 and 5.8 the city and accessible rural areas are interdependent, challenges of rural change / Roughly 8 lessons.
6 March / Week 8
13 March / Week 9
20 March / Week 10
27 March / Week 11 / Return to Topic 1: Hazardous Earth
EQ2: How are extreme weather events increasingly hazardous for people?
1.4–1.6 / Roughly 5 lessons.
Easter break followed by Summer term
17 Apr / Week 1 / î Continue Topic 1: Hazardous Earth / Roughly 7 lessons. This starts to recap on ideas from the first term, but focuses down on one emerging country, before focusing on one emerging city (Topic 3) later in the course. Please see Appendix 2 in the specification for definitions.
24 Apr / Week 2
1 May / Week 3 / Return to Topic 2: Development dynamics
EQ2: How is ONE of the world’s emerging countries managing to develop?
2.4–2.7
8 May / Week 4
15 May / Week 5
22 May / Week 6 / Return to Topic 1: Hazardous Earth
EQ1: How does the world’s climate system function, why does it change and how can this be hazardous for people?
1.1–1.3
Half term
5 June / Week 7 / î Continue Topic 1: Hazardous Earth / Topic 1 and Topic 7 could be taught together over roughly 9 lessons.
This gives scope for setting out the links between global climate and biome distribution.
12 June / Week 8
19 June / Week 9 / Topic 7: People and the biosphere
EQ: Why is the biosphere so important to human wellbeing and how do humans use and modify it to obtain resources?
26 June / Week 10 / Topic 6: Geographical investigations
Fieldwork and research on either Investigating coastal change and conflict or Investigating river processes and pressures.
See Topic 6 in the specification for fieldwork requirements. / A minimum of one day of urban or rural fieldwork should be carried out. In addition, 3 weeks of lesson time should be spent on fieldwork preparation, processing and presenting data, analysis and explanation and coming to conclusions.
3 July / Week 11
10 July / Week 12
17 July / Week 13 / Review and breathing space
Start of summer break, end of Year 10
2017 / Autumn term, Year 11
4 Sept / Week 1 / Topic 3: Challenges of an urbanising world
EQ1: What are the causes and challenges of rapid urban change?
EQ2: Why does quality of life vary so much within ONE megacity in a developing country OR emerging country?
3.1–3.7 / Roughly 12 lessons.
This helps review work on Topic 1 and Topic 2, and allows the possible development of nested, contextualised understanding of a city of the student’s choice. Please see Appendix 2 in the specification for definitions.
11 Sept / Week 2
18 Sept / Week 3
25 Sept / Week 4
2 Oct / Week 5
9 Oct / Week 6
16 Oct / Week 7 / Topic 6: Geographical investigations
Fieldwork and research on either Investigating dynamic urban areas or Investigating changing rural areas.
See Topic 6 in the specification for fieldwork requirements. / A minimum of one day of coasts or rivers fieldwork should be carried out. In addition, 3 weeks of lesson time should be spent on fieldwork preparation, processing and presenting data, analysis and explanation and coming to conclusions.
23 Oct / Week 8
Half term
6 Nov / Week 9 / î Continue with fieldwork
13 Nov / Week 10 / Topic 8: Forests under threat
EQ: What are the threats to forest biomes and how can they be reduced?
8.1, 8.3, 8.5 – TRF
8.2, 8.4, 8.6 – Taiga / Roughly 12 lessons.
This could be taught by ‘forest type’ or sequentially (8.1–8.6), comparing the forests along the way.
Use this topic to start introduction students to some types of DME questions.
20 Nov / Week 11
27 Nov / Week 12
4 Dec / Week 13
11 Dec / Week 14
18 Dec / Week 15
2018 / Christmas break followed by Spring term
8 Jan / Week 1 / Revision and mocks
15 Jan / Week 2
22 Jan / Week 3
29 Jan / Week 4 / Topic 9: Consuming energy resources
EQ: How can the growing demand for energy be met without serious environmental consequences?
9.1–9.6 / Roughly 12 lessons.
Preparation for the synoptic DME could be done here.
5 Jan / Week 5
12 Feb / Week 6
Half term
26 Feb / Week 7 / î Complete Topic 9: Consuming energy resources
5 Mar / Week 8
12 Mar / Week 9
19 Mar / Week 10 / Revision
26 Mar / Week 11 / Revision
2 Apr / Week 12 / Revision
Easter break followed by Summer term
23 Apr / Week 1 / Revision
30 Apr / Week 2 / Revision
7 May / Week 3 / Revision
14 May / Week 4 / Revision
21 May / Week 5 / Revision
Half term followed by examinations
Model B: A linear approach
Date (w/b)2016 / Term/
week / Content / Notes
Autumn term, Year 10
5 Sept / Week 1 / Topic 2: Development dynamics
EQ1: What is the scale of global inequality and how can it be reduced?
2.1–2.3
EQ2: How is ONE of the world’s emerging countries managing to develop?
2.4–2.7 / Roughly 15 lessons over 8 weeks of teaching.
This is a familiar and accessible start to GCSE, and sets a global context for human geography.
Please see Appendix 2 in the specification for definitions.
12 Sept / Week 2
19 Sept / Week 3
26 Sept / Week 4
3 Oct / Week 5
10 Oct / Week 6
17 Oct / Week 7
24 Oct / Week 8
Half term
7 Nov / Week 9 / Topic 4: The UK’s evolving physical landscape
EQ1: Why does the physical landscape of the UK vary from place to place?
4.1, 4.2 / Roughly 4 lessons over 2 weeks of teaching.
Provides an overview of the characteristics and distribution of the UK’s changing landscapes.
14 Nov / Week 10
21 Nov / Week 11 / Topic 4: Coastal change and conflict
EQ2: Why is there a variety of distinctive coastal landscapes in the UK and what are the processes that shape them?
4.3, 4.4
EQ3: What are the challenges for coastal landscapes and communities and why is there conflict about how to manage them?
4.5
Topic 4: River processes and pressures
EQ4: Why is there a variety of river landscapes in the UK and what are the processes that shape them?
4.6, 4.7 / Roughly 11 lessons.
Teach both Coastal change and conflict and River processes and pressures.
Assume some basic knowledge of processes and landforms taught under new KS3 content.
This should be taught before the fieldwork tasks.
28 Nov / Week 12
5 Dec / Week 13
12 Dec / Week 14
19 Dec / Week 15
2017 / Christmas break followed by Spring term
9 Jan / Week 1 / î Complete Topic 4: River processes and pressures
EQ5: What are the challenges for river landscapes, people and property and how can they be managed?
4.8
16 Jan / Week 2 / Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape
EQ1: Why are places and people changing in the UK?
5.1, 5.2
Case Study: Dynamic UK cities
EQ2: How is ONE major UK city changing?
5.3–5.8 / Roughly 15 lessons over 8 weeks.
Must focus on one major city in the UK and an accessible rural area to deliver Topic 5. Please see Appendix 2 in the specification for definitions.
23 Jan / Week 3
30 Jan / Week 4
6 Feb / Week 5
13 Feb / Week 6
Half term
27 Feb / Week 7 / î Continue Topic 5: The UK’s evolving human landscape
6 March / Week 8
13 March / Week 9
20 March / Week 10 / Topic 6: Geographical investigations
Fieldwork and research on either Investigating coastal change and conflict or Investigating river processes and pressures.
See Topic 6 in the specification for fieldwork requirements. / A minimum of one day of river or coast fieldwork should be carried out. In addition, 3 weeks of lesson time should be spent on fieldwork preparation, processing and presenting data, analysis and explanation and coming to conclusions.
27 March / Week 11
Easter break followed by Summer term
17 Apr / Week 1 / î Continue fieldwork
24 Apr / Week 2 / Topic 6: Geographical investigations
Fieldwork and research on either Investigating dynamic urban areas or Investigating changing rural areas.