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Topic title: Changing Places

Year group: 12

When taught: January to May

What are we learning?

  • The nature and importance of places
    • Insider and outsider perspectives
    • Categories of place
    • Factors contributing to the character of places
    • Insider and outsider perspectives
  • Changing Places – Relationships, connections, meaning and representation
  • How they affect continuity and change in the nature and understanding of places
  • Ways in which students’ own lives and those of others are affected by continuity and change
  • Quantitative and qualitative skills – including the use of geospatial data.
  • A local place study (Bourton on the Water) and a distant place study (Stratford, London) through exploring a range of primary and secondary sources.
  • People’s lived experience of the place in the past and at present
  • Changing demographic and cultural characteristics

Why is this important to know? 

  • Places and people’s engagement, perception and experience of them are of fundamental importance in peoples’ lives. Through developing this knowledge, students will gain an understanding of the way in which their own lives and those of others are affected by continuity and change and their importance.
  • Deepens understanding of students’ local surroundings through a detailed place study on Bourton on the Water. It increases students’ appreciation that not all places are the same as the local surroundings many of them experience on a daily basis, through studying the contrasting place of Stratford in London.
  • Opportunity to exercise and develop qualitative and quantitative investigative techniques and practice-related observation, measurement and various mapping skills, together with data manipulation and statistical skills through conducting fieldwork in the local place; Bourton on the Water.

Where does this link into our past and future learning? 

  • This topic closely links with the Year 13 Population and Environment unit where the factors affecting health in the local area (Bourton on the Water) are studied.
  • The unit links and deepens learning within the other A level modules, as it encourages the development of synoptic linking – particularly with Hazards and how events can affect the perception and experience of a place. In addition, there are links to Global governance and systems where Antarctica, as a global common and place, are investigated in detail.
  • The learning from this unit closely links and develops on learning from the KS4 Changing Economic World unit.
  • In terms of future learning, the unit plays a vital role in underpinning any geographical topics as the concept of place will always be fundamental.

How will we be assessed on this topic?

  • Assessment and feedback through the use of exam style questions within lessons/homework tasks. A full mock exam (based on AQA past exam papers) will be set in March. The unit will be assessed externally by sitting the Paper 2 AS exam in the summer series.

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?

For more information, 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. These can be found 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 2 – click here. 
  • Watch or read the news – changes in places and people’s perceptions and views of place are often covered. 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.

Bennett, J. (2010) Hello Dubai: Skiing, Sand, and Shopping in the World’s Weirdest City – Simon & Schuster
Florida, R. (2017) The new urban crisis gentrification, housing bubbles, growing inequality and what we can do about it – Oneworld

Ali, S. (2010) Dubai: Gilded Cage – Yale University Press
Brugmann, J. (2010) Welcome to the Urban Revolution. How Cities are Changing the World

Haslam, D. (2010) Manchester, England: the story of the pop cult city – Fourth Estate
Tatchell, J. (2010) A Diamond in the Desert: Behind the Scenes in the World’s Richest City – Sceptre

Supporting document/links:

Found on Satchel – My Drive –A level – Geography

  • Key lesson resources
  • Specification
  • Revision