Circular
S/IF/98/06 November 2006
TO: The Principals of Post-primary Schools and Director of Institutes of Further and Higher Education
FOR CIRCULATION TO: The Head of the Geography Department
GCSE Summer 2007
Geography
Internally Assessed Fieldwork Investigation
Following another successful examination series, CCEA would like to update the Further Notes for Guidance for Teachers (Internally Assessed Fieldwork Investigation) first issued in October 2002.
These guidance notes are intended to provide advice for teachers and candidates on the coursework element of the GCSE Geography examination. They should be read in conjunction with the current GCSE Geography specification as well as the guidance booklet Further Notes for Guidance for Teachers (issued October 2002); both documents are available online at www.ccea.org.uk
It is important that the coursework topic be an integral part of the Geography course. Many possibilities for fieldwork study, both physical and human, may be identified from the six themes of the GCSE specification. The internally assessed component takes the form of an investigative study which should be based on a decision making task, problem solving task or a hypothesis testing task. The degree of complexity should be dictated by the ability of the candidates; generally two or three objectives will be sufficient for an investigation at GCSE level.
- Certain aspects of the investigation may be undertaken as a group exercise but each individual must complete a separate report.
- The coursework element accounts for 20% of the total marks available in the examination.
- It should be possible to complete the report in less than 2500 words (excluding appendices).
- Candidates should not use ring binders to submit their work, instead fieldwork reports should be presented in report files; poly pockets must not be used either for individual pages or for sections of the report.
- Candidates should be encouraged to use a title page as this can help to identify the work should the Candidate Record Sheet become detached.
Stage 1: Planning
- Evidence of planning should be included as an appendix to the report
- Candidates must be involved in the planning stage and must also be individually assessed.
Stage 2: Data Collection
- Candidates have to collect primary data and be assessed individually while doing it.
- As with the planning stage, evidence of Primary data collection has to be submitted as an appendix.
Stage 3: Report Development
- Introduction (9 marks)
This section should include a clear, concise statement of aims, description of methodology and a description of the spatial context including a relevant location map. Brief reference may be made to the theoretical context for the study. - Presentation (9 marks)
A good report will include a wide and appropriate variety of illustrative techniques with a high standard of presentation.- The use of ICT generated materials is acceptable and indeed welcomed but this must involve individual candidate input.
- All maps, diagrams, etc. should be well finished with title, key, scale, North point, annotation and axes labelled as appropriate.
- Illustrative material should not be left to 'stand alone' but should support and complement the text, preferably as an integral part of it.
- Analysis (12 marks)
Candidates should examine the presented information and describe what it shows in relation to the original objectives. Candidates need to have a clear understanding of the distinction between analysis and interpretation and should present two discreet sections in their report.
Stage 4: Report
- Interpretation (15 marks)
Candidates are expected to try to find and express valid reasons for trends as well as deviations from trends. The interpretation should be clear, concise and geographically sound. Candidates should be encouraged to refer in this section to relevant geographical theory which may help explain their trends. - Conclusions (15 marks)
This section should relate back to the original objectives, drawing them together with regard to the overall problem, question or hypothesis being investigated and reference to theory should be made. - Evaluation (10 marks)
This should be an objective overview of the completed investigation and should look critically at the methods used as well as suggesting improvements.
ASSESSMENT OF THE COURSEWORK
Advice to Markers
The assessment of an investigation is covered in clear, logical steps in the Guidance for Teachers, see pp 36-44 of the specification. Teachers should be conscious of the GCSE principle of marking positively and awarding marks to candidates for work they have done rather than only penalising what is missing.
- Planning and Data Collection: markers should be realistic and accurate with marks for these two stages. It would be unusual for a large discrepancy to exist between these and the written report marks for a candidate. It must be stressed that samples of evidence of individual work in Planning and Data Collection must be submitted as short appendices to each report to support the marks awarded.
- It is necessary to bear in mind the amount of teacher help given in the Planning/Data Collection/Report stages; this should be reflected in the marks awarded to candidates.
- Quality of Written Communication (QWC): the final task in assessment is to award a mark (5 maximum) for the quality of written communication. Guidelines for this task are on p 45 of the GCSE specification.
- Candidate Record Sheets should be completed with care. The addition of brief, meaningful annotation to amplify marks will help Moderators and benefit candidates. Annotation is now a requirement and, rather than general comments about the candidate, it should consist of concise remarks specific to the criteria on the Record Sheet. Candidate Record Sheets must not be completed in pencil.
- Authentication: teachers are required to sign a declaration to certify that to the best of their knowledge, all the work submitted for assessment is the candidate's own and ensure that a sufficient amount of work has been completed under direct supervision.
Internal Standardisation
Where there is more than one teaching group in the subject the centre must carry out internal standardisation before submitting coursework to CCEA. This is to ensure consistency of marking across all teaching groups. Guidelines for the completion of internal standardisation may be found on page 13 of the Further Notes for Guidance for Teachers (issued October 2002)
Agreement Trials
Centres are advised to send one teacher from the centre to the Agreement Trial where teachers will be briefed on the application of the assessment criteria and will engage in trial marking.
Health and Safety Considerations in Fieldwork
Candidates should have opportunities to develop awareness of Health and Safety considerations in fieldwork. Such considerations should be the focus of class discussion before fieldwork takes place and should include risk assessment, consideration of the precautions to be taken before and during the fieldwork and the procedures to be followed in the event that an accident or emergency occurs.
When planning field work, teachers may find it useful to refer to the document 'Educational Visits Policy, Practice and Procedures'. This may be downloaded from the following link
Support
The following support is available to centres:
- Exemplar coursework with commentaries for use as benchmarks.
- Agreement Trials organised on an annual basis, which allow clarification of standards set with Principal Moderators.
- Arrangements for support Moderators to advise centres with particular difficulties.
- Written feedback to centres on TAC6 sheets.
- Principal Moderator's Report.
The guidance booklet Further Notes for Guidance for Teachers includes appendices which you may find useful for both teachers and students
- Appendix 1. Pupil Checklist.
- Appendix 2. Questions that Moderators ask when moderating coursework.
Teachers are advised to read the Principal Moderator's Report which is available on an annual basis. This report outlines examples of good practice and areas where improvement is needed. The Principal Moderator's report is published as part of the Chief Examiner's report and is available online.
If you have any queries about the content of this circular please contact Margaret McMullan at CCEA on (028) 9026 1404 |
