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Topic title: Coastal Systems and Landscapes

Year group: 12

When taught: September to December

What are we learning?

  • Coasts as natural systems
  • Systems and processes
    • Sources of energy in coastal environments: winds, waves (constructive and destructive), currents and tides. Low energy and high energy coasts.
    • Sediment sources, cells and budgets
    • Geomorphological and coastal processes
  • Coastal landscape development
    • Origin and development of landforms and landscapes of coastal erosion
    • Origin and development of landforms and landscapes of coastal deposition
    • Estuarine mudflat/saltmarsh environments and associated landscapes
    • Eustatic, isostatic and tectonic sea level change
    • Coastlines of emergence and submergence and associated landforms
    • Recent and predicted climatic change and potential impact on coasts
  • Coastal Management
    • Human intervention in coastal landscapes including traditional and sustainable approaches
  • Case Studies
    • Study of the Dorset coastline, a coastal environment at a local scale, to analyse coastal processes, landscapes and challenges in sustainable management.
    • Study of the Odisha coastline, a coastal landscape beyond the UK, to analyse how it presents risks and opportunities for human occupation and development and evaluate human responses of resilience, mitigation and adaptation.

Why is this important to know? 

  • Coasts are dynamic environments in which landscapes develop by the interaction of winds, waves, currents and terrestrial and marine sediments.
  • Fosters an informed appreciation of the beauty and diversity of coasts and their importance as human habitats.
  • Opportunity to exercise and develop observation skills and measurement together with data manipulation, geospatial mapping and statistical skills through conducting fieldwork along the Dorset Coastline.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

  • This topic closely links with the Year 13 Water and Carbon cycles unit, where a similar systems approach to study is specified.
  • The unit links and deepens learning within the other A level modules, encourages the development of synoptic linking – particularly Hazards and Global governance and systems units where global mitigative actions and adaptation strategies are considered.
  • The learning from this unit closely links and develops on learning from the KS4 Physical Landscapes in the UK unit.
  • In terms of future learning, the unit plays a vital role in learning fundamental geomorphological and marine processes with their associated distinctive landscapes.

How will we be assessed on this topic?

  • Assessment and feedback through the use of exam style questions within lessons/homework tasks. End of unit assessment (based on AQA past exam papers) and a full mock exam (based on AQA past exam papers).

What makes a strong piece of work in this topic?  What are teachers hoping to see?  

  • Strong AO1 – Knowledge and understanding of places, environments, concepts, processes, interactions and change, at a variety of scales
  • Strong AO2 – Application of knowledge and understanding in different contexts to interpret, analyse and evaluate geographical information and issues.
  • Strong AO3 – analysis and evaluation of the theory, case studies and resources presented (seen in lesson and unseen (exam paper based))
  • Synoptic linking and thinking – being able to see the connective tissue between (and within) the units we cover.
  • Being able to bring in and demonstrate a relevant wider understanding, developed through wider reading and research, within written and verbal responses.
  • Use detailed case study knowledge in support of points in 9 and 20 mark responses.
  • A knowledge of the different question styles and the ability to tailor your responses to this.

What key words are there in this topic?

Key words, click here

What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?

  • Regularly re-read and review your work. Use the specification to help make revision notes for each section.
  • Complete past exam questions on this unit. Click here

(this platform makes accessing papers and mark schemes more straight forward than the AQA site)

  • Read through the AQA Examiner’s reports giving commentary and advice on how to improve exam responses on paper 1 – click here
  • Watch or read the news – sea level change and management decisions are topical. News stories can be used within your exam responses.

What wider reading can be done on this topic?

A-Level Geography Update magazine by Tutor2U – shared on Satchel.

Girling, R. (2008) Sea Change: Britain’s Coastal Catastrophe – Eden Project Books
Lynas, M. (2004) High Tide News from a Warming World – Flamingo
Lynas, M. (2008) Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet
Thunberg, G. (2019). No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference – Penguin

Supporting document/links:

Found on Satchel – My Drive –A level – Geography

  • Key lesson resources
  • Specification
  • Revision