How to Revise for A-Level Geography

Every year, around 30,000 students sit down to take A-Level Geography, making this one of the top 12 most popular subjects at A-Level. As a humanity, geography students are expected to be able to answer short and to the point questions, as well as extended essays where they give copious amounts of detail about a specific subject.

If you’re worried about your upcoming exams and aren’t sure how to revise for A-Level Geography, then this article is for you. We’ve selected three of the very best revision tips that will help you thrive in this subject.

Without further hesitation, let’s dive right into this A-Level Geography revision guide.

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How To Learn Case Studies for Geography A-Level

Case studies are one of the most important aspects of both Geography A-Level and GCSE, being the primary information that you’ll rely on to give further context to your answers in the exam. Typically, you’ll have to prepare a range of case studies for each topic that you cover.

While being sure that you learn the case studies is a fairly obvious tip, many students don’t realise that they have complete control over the specific example that they choose. While there will always be one or two case studies taught to you in each topic by your teachers, you don’t have to use those ones if you simply don’t find them interesting.

There is no set case study in Geography A-Level, nor at GCSE, that you absolutely must follow. Due to this, you’re able to find any supporting evidence about any event that you would like. If you are particularly drawn to a certain example that you read about, either in additional research, in the news, or in a different subject like History or English, then there is nothing stopping you from using that as your primary evidence.

Just be sure to have enough facts about the case study. Within A-Level Geography, examiners reward marks for specificity, dates, figures, and names, all become incredibly important. When reading through a potential case study, be sure to note down all of these facts, then use your preferred study method to memorise them.

For case studies, while is typically a lot of smaller facts, flashcards tend to work well. Alternatively, the blurt method has become popular over recent years, which we’ll now cover.

The Blurt Method

The blurt method is where you actively read through a section of a textbook and then try to reproduce the content on a separate sheet of paper. After you’ve finished, you should compare what you wrote to the textbook, then filling in the areas that you missed. Over you, you’re then able to continuously go back and forth between your paper and the textbook, retrying until you have effectively recalled everything mentioned.

Remember, this is about summarising in your own words, not copying exactly. Within Geography A-Level, this tactic can help you on the human and physical papers when you need to learn about a specific problem, process, or situation. This strategy builds up your knowledge, ensuring that whenever you open that exam paper, you’ll be able to recall absolutely everything to do with that topic.

While this method of studying may seem slow to begin with, the effects are rather astounding, drastically reducing the amount of time it would take you to learn content when reading and taking notes.

To keep content you’ve learned fresh in your head, you can pick a random topic from the textbook down the line and see how much you can still recall. Going over these topics as you get closer to the exam dates will ensure that you can remember absolutely everything on exam day.

Past Papers for A-Level Geography

Geography is actually quite a formulaic subject at the end of the day. While this isn’t true to the same extent as something like Maths, the Geography A-Level does have a great deal of content repetition. Due to this, you’re able to take a look at past paper questions and get a very good idea about what sort of knowledge you’re going to have to display.

By searching for your exam board’s past papers, you’re able to access a bank of all of the previous years’ exams. Often, this will give you around 5 years of past papers to use. The first thing you should do is get familiar with the exam structure, making sure you know what comes up where and the sort of answers that you’re expected to produce.

Secondly, after having a go at some of the papers, you’re able to take a look through the mark scheme and see where you would be missing points. On the longer essay questions, this is slightly harder, as there is less guidance. However, on the shorter answer questions, you’re able to see exactly what an examiner is looking for.

From there, you can make notes about what you should include in your exam questions. As geography does tend to follow similar question structures, you can also look to see which topics have come up in recent years. While you should still study as much as you can, it’s less likely that the exam board will write a very similar question two years in a row.

No matter what subject you’re focusing on, past papers really are a treasure trove to get stuck into.

Final Thoughts

An additional way that you can revise for Geography A-Level and secure a top mark is to work with a tutor. With modern technology, you’re able to find online tutors that will work to your schedule, meaning you always have someone when you need them.

At TutorChase, our tutors have gone through a rigorous hiring process, with only the best students being brought onto the team. If you’re looking for a Geography A-Level tutor that can help you through your studies, be sure to reach out today. We’re sure to have someone that suits your learning style and can guide you to surpassing your target grade. Plus, our tutors provide comprehensive A-Level Geography Q&A Revision Notes to reinforce your learning and ensure you’re fully prepared for your exams.