AQA A-Level Geography guide FAQ (7037)
Guide overview All 11 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA A-Level Geography: questions and answers
Specification 7037. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
I only do some of these topics. Is the rest wasted?
No. Component 1 is Water and Carbon Cycles plus one landscape system of three plus one of Hazards or Ecosystems under Stress. Component 2 is Global Systems, Changing Places and one of three.
Every option is in the guide because schools choose differently. Work yours and skip the rest.
Which parts are compulsory?
Water and Carbon Cycles on Component 1, and Global Systems and Global Governance plus Changing Places on Component 2. Everything else on both papers is chosen.
Is the individual investigation covered?
No. Component 3 is your own fieldwork question, written up over 3,000 to 4,000 words and marked by your teachers. It is 20 per cent and it is entirely your own.
The geography it draws on is in the guide, and so are the skills and processes you will apply.
Do I need my own case studies?
Yes, and your school will have taught specific ones. The guide covers the processes and concepts they illustrate, and the standard examples. Use your own named examples where you have them.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 199 to 407 questions, so work by subtopic.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Geography marks turn on named places and specific figures, and step 2 is where a vague version gets replaced. The method page sets out the evidence.
When should I start?
7037 is linear, so both papers are sat at the end of Year 13. Start with whichever options your school has already taught.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. Past papers train the resource response, the twenty mark evaluations and the clock on a two and a half hour paper. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 3,320 exam-style questions covering the whole of AQA A-Level Geography including every optional topic, with the answers printed after each topic.
My child only studies some of these.
That is correct. Both papers carry choices made by the school, so all the options are in the guide and the unused ones are skipped. In practice a student works about two thirds of it.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA A-Level Geography is 7037.
My child knows the case studies but cannot recall the detail.
That is the exact gap this closes. A case study recalled as a general story scores little. The marks are in the place, the date, the figure and the outcome.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for the whole specification including every option. An endorsed A-Level Geography textbook is usually £30 to £40.
How much time does the whole course take?
251 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 84 hours for everything, and closer to 55 once the unused options are skipped.
AQA A-Level Geography Active Recall Guide
3,320 questions with their answers, 251 subtopics, one file.