Fieldwork & Geographical Skills

Fieldwork and geographical skills together account for a substantial proportion of your GCSE Geography marks. AO3 (geographical skills) is worth 30% across all papers, and AO4 (fieldwork investigation) makes up 30% of Paper 3 alone. This lesson covers everything you need to know about the fieldwork requirements, the geographical skills tested across all three papers, and the specific techniques examiners expect you to use.

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AQA Fieldwork Requirements

AQA requires you to complete two pieces of fieldwork during your GCSE course:

1. One physical geography investigation (e.g. river study, coastal investigation, weather data collection)
2. One human geography investigation (e.g. urban land use survey, quality of life assessment, retail investigation)

You must have actually carried out this fieldwork. You will be asked specific questions about YOUR investigations in the exam — not about hypothetical ones.

Exam Tip: Revise your fieldwork notes thoroughly. If you cannot remember where you went, what you measured, or what your results showed, you will struggle with Paper 3 Section B. Make a detailed revision sheet for each investigation.

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What Examiners Ask About Your Fieldwork

The exam questions about your own fieldwork follow a predictable structure. You should be prepared to answer questions on every stage of the investigation.

Stage 1: Aims and Hypotheses

• What was the aim of your investigation?
• What hypothesis were you testing?
• What geographical theory or concept underpinned your investigation?

Example aim: "To investigate how channel characteristics change downstream along the River Holford."

Example hypothesis: "Channel width and depth will increase downstream as more tributaries join the river."

Stage 2: Location Justification

• Where did you carry out your fieldwork?
• Why did you choose this location?
• Was the location appropriate for testing your hypothesis?
• What were the advantages and limitations of this location?

What examiners look for:

• Named location with grid reference or postcode
• Specific reasons why this location was suitable (e.g. accessibility, safety, range of data available)
• Awareness of any limitations of the chosen location

Stage 3: Data Collection Methods

• What primary data did you collect?
• What secondary data did you use?
• What equipment did you use?
• How did you ensure your data was accurate and reliable?

Data Type	Definition	Examples
Primary data	Data you collected yourself in the field	River width measurements, pedestrian counts, land use surveys, questionnaires, soil samples
Secondary data	Data collected by someone else that you used in your investigation	Census data, OS maps, Environment Agency flood data, climate records, newspaper articles
Qualitative data	Descriptive, non-numerical data	Photographs, field sketches, interview responses, environmental quality descriptions
Quantitative data	Numerical data that can be measured	River velocity (m/s), temperature (°C), pedestrian counts, land values (£)

Stage 4: Sampling Strategies

You must understand three types of sampling and be able to justify which one you used.

Sampling Type	How It Works	Advantages	Disadvantages
Random sampling	Data collection points chosen using random number tables or generators	Eliminates bias; statistically valid	May miss important features; could cluster in one area
Systematic sampling	Data collected at regular intervals (e.g. every 50 metres, every 5th house)	Even coverage of study area; easy to replicate	Could miss features between sample points; may align with a pattern and create bias
Stratified sampling	Study area divided into sub-groups, then samples taken from each group in proportion	Ensures representation of all sub-groups; reduces bias	Requires prior knowledge of the area; more complex to set up

Example: "We used systematic sampling, measuring river channel characteristics at 10 sites spaced 200 metres apart along the river, starting from the source. This ensured even coverage of the entire river course and made the investigation replicable."

Exam Tip: You must be able to justify your sampling choice. Don't just say "we used systematic sampling" — explain WHY systematic sampling was appropriate for your investigation.

Stage 5: Data Presentation

• How did you present your data? (tables, graphs, maps, charts)
• Why did you choose these methods?
• What are the advantages and limitations of your chosen presentation methods?

Presentation Method	Best Used For	Advantages	Limitations
Bar chart	Comparing categories	Easy to read; clear comparison	Cannot show continuous data
Line graph	Showing change over time or distance	Shows trends clearly; easy to interpolate	Implies continuous change between points
Scatter graph	Showing relationship between two variables	Reveals correlation; allows trend line	Does not prove causation
Pie chart	Showing proportions of a whole	Clear visual of proportions	Hard to compare exact values; only works with one data set
Choropleth map	Showing spatial variation in data	Clear spatial patterns	Can hide variation within areas; boundary effects
Isoline map	Showing continuous data across an area (e.g. temperature, height)	Shows gradual change; useful for interpolation	Requires many data points; subjective line placement
Proportional symbols	Showing quantity at specific locations	Shows both location and amount	Can overlap; harder to read exact values
Flow line map	Showing movement or direction	Shows volume and direction	Can become cluttered
Field sketch	Recording a landscape at a specific moment	Quick to produce; captures key features	Subjective; lacks precision
Photograph	Recording evidence	Accurate record; can be annotated	Single viewpoint; weather-dependent

Stage 6: Data Analysis

• What patterns or trends did your data show?
• Did your data support or contradict your hypothesis?
• Were there any anomalies? How might you explain them?
• Did you use any statistical techniques? (mean, median, mode, range, interquartile range, Spearman's rank)

Stage 7: Conclusions

• What did you conclude from your investigation?
• How did your conclusions relate to your original hypothesis?
• How did your findings link to the geographical theory you were studying?

Stage 8: Evaluation

• What were the strengths of your investigation?
• What were the weaknesses or limitations?
• How could you improve the investigation if you repeated it?
• Were there any sources of error or bias?

Evaluation Question	Example Answer
Accuracy	"We only measured river velocity at each site once. Taking three readings and calculating a mean would have improved accuracy."
Reliability	"Our sample size of 10 sites may not be large enough to draw firm conclusions. Increasing to 20 sites would improve reliability."
Bias	"Our questionnaire sample may have been biased because we only surveyed people on a weekday afternoon, missing workers and students."
Improvements	"We could use a digital flow meter instead of the float method, which was affected by wind and surface irregularities."

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Unfamiliar Fieldwork Questions

Paper 3 also tests you on unfamiliar fieldwork — scenarios you have NOT investigated yourself. These questions test whether you can apply your understanding of fieldwork methodology to new situations.

Common Unfamiliar Fieldwork Question Types

• "Suggest a suitable method for collecting data about [topic]."
• "Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of [sampling method] in this context."
• "How would you present the data collected? Justify your choice."
• "Evaluate the reliability of the data collected using this method."
• "Suggest how you could improve this investigation."