A-Level Geography - Coursework NEA Guide (OK for all exam boards)

The Geography Tutor

Oct 12

9 min read

Structure of your coursework (subheadings you need) + tips + examples:

Title page – main title + a relevant image (optional). Start your title either with ‘To what extent…’ or ‘Investigating…’. It is always a good idea to compare two places if possible.

Examples:

To what extent do inequalities exist between Richmond Green and The Woodlands

To what extent has coastal management protected the coast in Whitstable?

To what extent has the regeneration of White City impacted the area?

Contents page

Tip – finalise page numbers at the very end as these are very likely to keep changing throughout you writing your coursework!

Introduction

Aim – rephrase your title into a more detailed aim statement – some decide to split into primary and secondary aims, but you don’t have to

Purpose – outline the importance and purpose of investigating your chosen title

Why is it important to investigate your chosen title? What is the wider Geographical purpose? Why did you choose your chosen location(s)?

Link to specs – what part of your Geography syllabus/specification does your coursework title link to? Explain the links in your own words

Background and contextual information – brief background, context, history about your location(s) – a bit like the opening paragraph on Wikipedia when you search a certain place, but in your own words!

Location maps

Each map needs to have:1. Title/figure label

2. Scale

3. North arrow

4. Key if applicable

5. Needs to be clear and big enough and in colour ideally

6. You need more than one map to show your locations at varying scale

Example:

Relevant theory and models

Start off by defining (in detail) key terms from your title and terms linking/relating to your title

Add theory – similar to what you would find in your A-Level textbook or what you would have covered in class. The stuff on those boring PowerPoints basically…

Add any models that are appropriate, for example if your title is about tourism then you may want to include the Butler’s model of tourism development, or if your title is about hazard response or management then you should probably include the Park’s model or hazard management cycle. Then explain/discuss briefly below the model or annotate around it.

Literature review

Pick 1 or 2 sources, something as closely related to your title as possible, try to keep in within the same country as you are doing your investigation (e.g. within UK) and ideally something with primary data collection methods (but don’t worry if you can’t find anything with primary methods). Keep it brief (example is more detailed than what you need), address the questions in the table below and then turn into paragraphs.

Article reference:
What was the research trying to achieve?
When and where was the research undertaken?
Who/what was being researched? (e.g. number of people, their ages, gender, types of businesses/land use etc)
What methods of data collection were used in the research ? (e.g. interviews, questionnaires etc) Any issues with these?
What methods of data analysis were used in the research? (e.g. statistical analysis or thematic analysis)
What are the main conclusions that the report draws? Are the levels of generalisation appropriate from the evidence generated?

Example:

Literature review

A 2019 study titled ‘The coastal management techniques along the Cleveleys promenade are effective’ was conducted by Mr R Sharratt (Geography teacher of Haydock High School, St Helens, England). The research was trying to determine the effectiveness of the coastal management techniques along the Cleveleys promenade. The research was recorded on the 5th of February 2019 and the study area was Cleveleys, which is located along the Fylde coast, north-western England.

The investigation collected data with three different methods. The first method was measuring the height of the sand on top of the groyne on both sides. This was done at 5-metre intervals at 3 different types of groynes, in order to determine if the groynes were preventing longshore drift. The second method was a bi-polar survey which is a personal analysis of the effectiveness and success of the sea defences scored on eight different criteria with scores of -2 to +2. The third method was a land-use transect. This is when you walk along a beach to see how the land use behind the sea defence changes. This is to determine if sea defences change for different types of land use. Whilst all three methods are arguably easy to carry out, relatively simple and are cost-effective, there are some general issues. These include bias (method 2) and difficulty in determining certain types of land use (for method 3). Furthermore, there is a clarity issue with the description of method 1 in the written study, as ‘top of the groyne’ could suggest the point furthest away from the ocean, which would not be measurable in intervals.

Data presentation graphs were not present in the written study, however, a detailed description of these was given. A mix of quantitative (groyne height data) and qualitative (bipolar survey and land use survey) data were analysed. Reasons for the results and trends were given, split into each of the 3 methods separately. Whilst the data analysis and interpretation was adequate, the written study would have benefitted from having visible data presentation graphs, etc. included.

The main conclusions that the report draws are that longshore drift is evident in the area and that the groynes are effective in reducing the longshore drift and therefore also coastal flood risk. This is because the built-up beach will act as a natural barrier to coastal erosion and therefore protect the land behind it. The report also mentions that the beach will have a secondary impact on the local area as it could act as a possible tourist destination and boost the local economy. Furthermore, the investigation noted that higher value properties were protected by a new sea wall and the lower value and green space was protected mainly by wooden groynes, therefore the sea wall must be effective at providing protection. Overall, whilst both groynes and the sea wall are shown to be effective coastal defences for Cleveleys, it is concluded that the sea wall is the most effective coastal management strategy. It can be argued that the conclusions the report draws are justified and appropriate based on the results and evidence gathered. This is because the study is arguably credible due to the range of methods and relatively detailed write up of these methods as well as data analysis and interpretation, with good use of subheadings throughout. However, the data recorded could be more accurate by recording multiple different times throughout the day/over several days to create an average and make sure there are no anomalies. Furthermore, even more, different methods, such as questionnaires and interviews with various members of the public, or a cost-benefit analysis, could be used in order to get an even greater understanding of the effectiveness of the coastal defences.

Research questions OR hypotheses – each of these should have a justification underneath (one paragraph, not too long). Outline the relevance and importance of the RQ or hypothesis to your title and reasons for choosing it. You can also outline what you expect or predict the likely outcome to be and why (keep it brief).

What is the difference between a research question and a hypothesis? A research question is phrased as a question whilst a hypothesis is a prediction statement. You don’t need both, its either or!

Research questions/hypotheses need to relate to your title (obviously). They should be subsets of your title going into more detail in terms of what you are investigating. Try to cover social, economic, environmental aspects of your title in your research questions or hypotheses if possible. This often works and is an easy way to structure your RQs/hypotheses.

Examples:

How and why do economic disparities differ between Richmond Green and The Woodlands?

Justification:Talk through the RQ a little - discuss

Why did you chose this RQ?

How is it relevant and how does it link to your title?What do you predict the answer to be?

How and why does the environmental quality differ between Richmond Green and the Woodlands?

How and why does the level of crime differ between Richmond and The Woodlands?

How has the function of the White City area so far been affected by the regeneration project?

To what extent have people/residents' perception of safety in the area changed?

To what extent has regeneration stimulated an increase of income within the area?

To what extent have the sea defences impacted the natural beauty, appeal and accessibility of the coastline?

Methodology

Map showing exact points of data collection (if applicable)

Risk assessment (optional but nice to include – example is more detailed than what you need)

Hazard	What is the risk?	Risk score 0-10	Actions to minimise the risk
Exposure to harsh weather	The weather in Whitstable can become very cold and there is a risk of hypothermia	6	Make sure to wear the right clothing, bring an extra rain jacket
Slipping on wet rock/pebble surfaces	Some areas have smooth rocks which become slippery when wet so there is a risk of slipping.	7	Make sure to wear the correct shoes with a strong grip.
Potential Stranger Violence	It is possible that when approaching strangers to answer some questions for my questionnaire, I may encounter physical danger.	4	I should be careful with who I approach and possibly have an accomplice when asking questions to ensure safety.
May come into contact with COVID-19	When approaching strangers for my questionnaire I may encounter people who are contagious with the virus COVID-19.	6	To help minimise this risk I will follow the latest covid guidelines of maintaining a 2m distance from strangers and wearing a face covering.

Ethical considerations

Example:

Ethics to consider before conducting my research are how I could impact others but also how they could impact me. I will make sure to not take any pictures directly of people as they won’t have given their consent to be in them. When conducting my questionnaire, I will fully explain what the data collected is being used for in order to make any potential respondents aware of the study before they allow me to survey them. I will never outwardly have an opinion about any answers given in response to my questionnaire in order to remain respectful to respondents. I should make sure to not make negative comments about the areas I was surveying so no one is offended.

Primary data – define and say why its useful

Method and description	Justification	General limitations	Step by step process	Sampling strategy, timings and frequency	Problems encountered

Questionnaire		Subjective/bias		Random sampling
Online survey using survey monkey
Annotated photographs		Some photos may not fully showcase the area. Some degree of unintentional bias may also occur when taking certain photos
Land use survey
EQS
Semi-structured interview
Clone town survey

Sample questionnaire/survey justification

For example: Do you prefer independent restaurants or chain restaurants? – this question relates to exploring clone town/home town – this is useful for my research question ‘…’ because…

Secondary data – define and say why its useful, why is it important to also include secondary data

Method and description	Justification	General limitations	Step by step process	Sampling strategy, timings and frequency	Problems encountered

Online journal articles
ArcGIS

Data presentation and analysis

Important to have a range of data presentation techniques with at least one more sophisticated, unique/creative technique. Spatially represented/geolocated data is always a good idea.

Graphs, maps, etc. – then analyse each graph below or annotated around the graph or map etc.

Analysis checklist:

- describe trends/patterns and any links between them – quote evidence from the graph/map

- Suggest reasons for the trends – explain your results

- Mention any anomalies and try to explain them

- Link back to your theory where appropriate

- Link between figures where appropriate. Could you use one figure to support another or are there some clear links between what two or more figures are showing?

- Link to research questions/hypotheses (you can use research questions/hypotheses as subheadings)

Data Presentation Examples:

Land use Survey

GIS Satellite map comparison of the CB1 regeneration area between 2000 and 2017 – to show the differences and changes in land use over time (2000 to 2017)