Edexcel A-Level Geography guide FAQ (9GE0)
Guide overview All 11 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
Edexcel A-Level Geography: questions and answers
Specification 9GE0. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
I only do some of these topics. Is the rest wasted?
No. Paper 1 is tectonic processes and hazards plus one of glaciated or coastal landscapes, then the water cycle and the carbon cycle. Paper 2 is globalisation and superpowers plus one place study of two and one global topic of two.
Every option is in the guide because schools choose differently. Work yours and skip the rest.
What is Paper 3?
A synoptic investigation set against a resource booklet about a geographical issue in a particular place. It draws on the compulsory content only, not the optional topics, which is one reason the compulsory topics are worth the most attention.
Is the independent investigation covered?
No. It is your own question on any aspect of the specification, built on your own fieldwork data and marked by your school. It is 20 per cent and it is your own.
The geography it draws on is in the guide.
Do I need my own case studies?
Yes, and your school will have taught specific ones. The guide covers the processes, the concepts and the standard examples. Use your own named places where you have them.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 267 to 396 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?
9GE0 is linear, so all three 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. Pearson publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 3,433 exam-style questions covering the whole of Edexcel A-Level Geography including every optional topic, with the answers printed after each topic.
My child only studies some of these.
That is correct. Three of the four areas of study carry a choice made by the school, so all the options are in the guide and the unused ones are skipped. In practice a student works about eight of the eleven topics.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. Edexcel A-Level Geography is 9GE0.
My child knows the case studies but cannot recall the detail.
That is the 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 Edexcel A-Level Geography textbook is usually £30 to £40.
How much time does the whole course take?
239 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 80 hours for everything, and closer to 58 once the unused options are skipped.
Edexcel A-Level Geography Active Recall Guide
3,433 questions with their answers, 239 subtopics, one file.