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AQA Geography

Doing past papers?

Exam boards like to change things subtly year on year without changing the whole spec, so the more recent past papers will usually be more accurate to what your real A-Level paper would look like.

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Specification

Below is a brief summary of the AQA Geography specification. If you would like to, you can read the whole thing.

Component Content Assessment Questions
Component 1 [3.1]
Physical geography
(page 11-19)
  • Section A: Topic 3.1.1
  • Section B: either Topic 3.1.2 or Topic 3.1.3 or Topic 3.1.4
  • Section C: either Topic 3.1.5 or Topic 3.1.6
    		•
  • written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • 120 marks
  • 40% of A-Level
    		•
  • Section A: answer all questions (36 marks)
  • Section B: answer either question 2 or question 3 or question 4 (36 marks)
  • Section C: answer either question 5 or question 6 (48 marks)
  • Question types: short answer, levels of response and extended prose
    		•
    Component 2 [3.2]
    Human geography
    (page 20-29)
  • Section A: Topic 3.2.1
  • Section B: Topic 3.2.2
  • Section C: either Topic 3.2.3 or Topic 3.2.4 or Topic 3.2.5
    		•
  • written exam: 2 hours 30 minutes
  • 120 marks
  • 40% of A-Level
    		•
  • Section A: answer all questions (36 marks)
  • Section B: answer all questions (36 marks)
  • Section C: answer either question 3 or question 4 or question 5 (48 marks)
  • Question types: short answer, levels of response and extended prose
    		•
    Component 3 [3.3]
    Geography fieldwork investigation
    (page 29-39)    		 Students complete an individual investigation which must include data collected in the field.
    The individual investigation must be based on a question or issue defined and developed by the student relating to any part of the specification content.
  • 3,000-4,000 words
  • 60 marks
  • 20% of A-Level
  • marked by teachers
  • moderated by AQA
    		•
    Component Maximum raw mark Scaling factor Maximum scaled mark
    Component 1: Physical geography 120 x1 120
    Component 2: Human geography 120 x1 120
    Component 3: Geographical investigation 60 x1 60
    Total scaled mark 300
    Assessment objective Component 1 Component 2 Component 3 Overall weighting
    AO1 15-20% 15-20% 0% 30-40%
    AO2 14-19% 14-19% 2% 30-40%
    AO3 1-6% 1-6% 18% 20-30%
    Overall weighting of components 40% 40% 20% 100%

    You can get more information on all these spec points by reading the specification!

    Resources

    Series Paper 1 Insert Mark Scheme Paper 2 Insert Mark Scheme Examiners' Reports
    2024 Click Click Click Click Click Click Click
    2023 Click Click Click Click Click Click Click
    2022 Click Click Click Click Click Click Click
    2021 Click Click Click Click Click Click
    2020 Click Click Click Click Click Click Click
    Sample Set 1 (2016) Click Click Click Click Click

    Warning

    Be warned that AS papers may have a different structure to A-Level papers (and therefore the info above doesn't apply to AS papers).

    Series Paper 1 Mark Scheme Paper 2 Mark Scheme Examiners' Reports
    2024 Click Click Click Click Click
    2023 Click Click Click Click Click
    2022 Click Click Click Click Click
    2020 Click Click Click Click
    Sample Set 1 (2017) Click Click Click Click Click
    Cover Title ISBN Author(s) Link Extras
    AQA A-level Geography Fifth Edition 9781398312548 Hachette
    Paul Abbiss
    Philip Banks
    Helen Fyfe
    Malcolm Skinner
    Ian Whittaker    		 Click!
    Aiming for an A in A-level Geography 9781510424081 Hachette
    Simon Oakes    		 Click!
    Need to Know: AQA A-level Geography 9781510428485 Hachette
    David Redfern    		 Click! Answers
    A-Level and AS Geography: AQA Complete Revision & Practice 9781782946489 CGP Click!