Specification Map & Revision Checklist
This lesson provides a complete map of the AQA GCSE Geography specification (8035), showing exactly which topics appear on which paper, the case studies you must have prepared, high-frequency topics from past papers, key statistics to memorise, cross-topic connections, and a full revision checklist you can use to track your preparation.
Full AQA GCSE Geography Specification Map
Paper 1: Living with the Physical Environment (35%)
| Section | Topic | Spec Reference | Key Content |
|---|
| A | The Challenge of Natural Hazards | 3.1.1 | Natural hazards, tectonic hazards (plate theory, earthquakes, volcanoes, management), weather hazards (global atmospheric circulation, tropical storms, UK extreme weather), climate change (evidence, causes, effects, mitigation, adaptation) |
| B | The Living World | 3.1.2 | Ecosystems (components, nutrient cycling), tropical rainforests (characteristics, deforestation, sustainable management), hot deserts OR cold environments (characteristics, opportunities, challenges, desertification/protection) |
| C | Physical Landscapes in the UK | 3.1.3 | UK physical landscape overview, then ONE of: coastal landscapes (wave processes, erosion landforms, deposition landforms, management) OR river landscapes (long profile, erosion/transportation/deposition, landforms, flooding, management) OR glacial landscapes |
Paper 2: Challenges in the Human Environment (35%)
| Section | Topic | Spec Reference | Key Content |
|---|
| A | Urban Issues and Challenges | 3.2.1 | Global urbanisation, urban growth in LICs/NEEs (opportunities, challenges, squatter settlements), urban change in the UK (social, economic, environmental change), sustainable urban living |
| B | The Changing Economic World | 3.2.2 | Development gap (measures, causes, strategies to reduce), economic development in LICs/NEEs, economic change in the UK (post-industrial economy, north-south divide, transport, rural/urban change) |
| C | The Challenge of Resource Management | 3.2.3 | Resource management overview (food, water, energy in the UK), then ONE option in depth: food (supply, insecurity, strategies, sustainability) OR water (supply, insecurity, strategies, sustainability) OR energy (supply, insecurity, strategies, sustainability) |
Paper 3: Geographical Applications (30%)
| Section | Topic | Spec Reference | Key Content |
|---|
| A | Issue Evaluation | 3.3.1 | Pre-release resource booklet, data interpretation, evaluation of a geographical issue |
| B | Fieldwork | 3.3.2 | Two fieldwork investigations (one physical, one human), unfamiliar fieldwork, geographical skills |
Required Case Studies
AQA specifies exactly which case studies you must prepare. Your school will have taught specific examples — you MUST know these for the exam.
Paper 1 Required Case Studies
| Topic | Required Case Study | What You Must Know |
|---|
| Tectonic hazards | Two contrasting examples of tectonic events: one from an HIC and one from an LIC/NEE | Causes, primary and secondary effects (social, economic, environmental), immediate and long-term responses, reasons for differences in impact |
| Tropical storms | One named tropical storm in an LIC/NEE | Causes, effects (social, economic, environmental), immediate and long-term responses |
| UK extreme weather | One named UK extreme weather event | Causes, effects on people and the environment, responses |
| Tropical rainforest | One named tropical rainforest | Location, characteristics, biodiversity, causes of deforestation, impacts, sustainable management strategies |
| Hot desert OR cold environment | One named hot desert OR one named cold environment | Location, characteristics, opportunities for development, challenges, causes of desertification/threats, management strategies |
| Coastal OR river landscape | One named example of a coastal management scheme OR a river flood management scheme | Location, reasons for management, strategies used, effectiveness, conflicts |
Paper 2 Required Case Studies
| Topic | Required Case Study | What You Must Know |
|---|
| Urban growth LIC/NEE | One named LIC/NEE city experiencing rapid growth | Location, causes of growth, opportunities (social, economic), challenges (social, economic, environmental), strategies to improve quality of life |
| Urban change UK | One named UK city | Location, causes of change, social/economic/environmental opportunities and challenges, regeneration projects, sustainability strategies |
| Sustainable urban living | One named example of sustainable urban living | Features, successes, limitations |
| Economic development LIC/NEE | One named LIC/NEE country | Location, economic context, political context, causes of uneven development, impacts of globalisation/trade/aid/investment, environmental impacts of development |
| Resource management option | Relevant case studies for your chosen option (food, water, or energy) | Large-scale and local-scale strategies, advantages, disadvantages, sustainability |
Common Case Study Choices Used by Schools
| Topic | Commonly Taught Examples |
|---|
| HIC earthquake | L'Aquila, Italy (2009) OR Christchurch, New Zealand (2011) OR Japan (2011) |
| LIC/NEE earthquake | Nepal (2015) OR Haiti (2010) |
| Tropical storm | Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines (2013) OR Cyclone Idai, Mozambique (2019) |
| UK extreme weather | Storm Desmond (2015) OR Beast from the East (2018) OR 2019 flooding |
| Tropical rainforest | Amazon (Brazil/Peru) OR Malaysian Borneo |
| Hot desert | Thar Desert (India) OR Sahara (various countries) |
| Cold environment | Svalbard (Norway) OR Alaska (USA) |
| LIC/NEE city | Lagos (Nigeria) OR Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) OR Mumbai (India) |
| UK city | London OR Bristol OR Manchester OR Birmingham |
| LIC/NEE country | Nigeria OR India OR China |
Exam Tip: You do NOT need to memorise every possible case study. You need ONE detailed, well-evidenced example for each requirement. Knowing one case study thoroughly (with 5–8 specific statistics) is far more valuable than knowing three superficially.
High-Frequency Topics on Past Papers
Analysis of past AQA GCSE Geography papers reveals that certain topics are tested more frequently or carry more marks than others. These are your highest-priority revision topics.
Paper 1 High-Frequency Topics
| Topic | Frequency | Why It Matters |
|---|
| Plate tectonics and tectonic hazards | Every paper | Foundation topic — always tested with case study questions |
| Climate change causes and effects | Every paper | Often tested as a 6-mark or 9-mark question |
| Tropical storm formation and effects | Most papers | Case study knowledge essential |
| Deforestation causes and impacts | Most papers | Frequently linked to sustainability and climate change |
| Coastal/river erosion processes and landforms | Every paper | Diagrams and explanation questions are common |
| Flood/coastal management strategies | Most papers | Often tested as an evaluate/assess question |
| Global atmospheric circulation | Frequent | Diagrams commonly required |
Paper 2 High-Frequency Topics
| Topic | Frequency | Why It Matters |
|---|
| Causes and effects of urbanisation | Every paper | Foundation topic for Section A |
| Squatter settlements / informal housing | Most papers | Case study evidence critical |
| Measuring development (HDI, GNI) | Every paper | Data interpretation and comparison questions |
| Strategies to reduce the development gap | Most papers | Often tested as a 6-mark or 9-mark question |
| UK economic change and the north-south divide | Frequent | Data and map skills questions |
| Sustainable urban living | Most papers | Case study evidence required |
| Resource management challenges | Every paper | Both overview and in-depth option tested |
Paper 3 High-Frequency Topics
| Topic | Frequency | Why It Matters |
|---|
| Fieldwork methodology | Every paper | Always tested — aims, methods, sampling, presentation, evaluation |
| OS map skills | Every paper | Grid references, scale, contours, symbols |
| Statistical skills | Most papers | Mean, median, range, IQR calculations |
| Graph interpretation | Every paper | Climate graphs, scatter graphs, line graphs, choropleth maps |
| Data evaluation | Every paper | Reliability, accuracy, sources of error |
Key Statistics and Facts to Memorise
Having specific statistics at your fingertips transforms your exam answers from vague to specific. Here are the essential facts organised by topic.
Natural Hazards
| Fact | Statistic |
|---|
| Haiti earthquake (2010) | Magnitude 7.0; ~316,000 deaths; 1.5 million homeless |
| Nepal earthquake (2015) | Magnitude 7.8; ~9,000 deaths; 600,000+ homes destroyed |
| L'Aquila earthquake (2009) | Magnitude 6.3; 309 deaths; 67,000 homeless |
| Japan earthquake/tsunami (2011) | Magnitude 9.0; ~18,500 deaths; Fukushima nuclear disaster |
| Typhoon Haiyan (2013) | Category 5; wind speeds 315 km/h; 6,300+ deaths; 4 million displaced |
| Storm Desmond (2015) | 341.4 mm of rain in 24 hours at Honister Pass (UK record); ~5,000 homes flooded |
| Global temperature rise | ~1.1°C above pre-industrial levels (as of 2023) |
| Sea level rise | ~3.6 mm per year (accelerating) |
Living World
| Fact | Statistic |
|---|
| Amazon rainforest area | ~5.5 million km² |
| Amazon deforestation | ~17% of the Amazon has been lost since 1970 |
| Rainforest biodiversity | Contains approximately 10% of all known species on Earth |
| Thar Desert temperature | Summer temperatures can exceed 50°C |
| Thar Desert rainfall | Less than 250 mm per year in most areas |
Urban Issues
| Fact | Statistic |
|---|
| Global urban population | Over 56% of the world's population lives in urban areas (2023) |
| Lagos population | ~16 million (2023); one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa |
| Lagos informal settlements | ~60% of the population lives in informal housing |
| London population | ~9 million (2023) |
| London Docklands regeneration | LDDC 1981–1998; £1.86 billion public investment; leveraged £7.7 billion private investment |
Economic Development
| Fact | Statistic |
|---|
| Nigeria population | ~220 million (largest in Africa) |
| Nigeria oil revenue | Oil accounts for ~90% of export earnings |
| UK service sector | ~80% of UK GDP comes from the service sector |
| World's largest economy | USA (~$25 trillion GDP) |
| Lowest HDI countries | Central African Republic, South Sudan, Chad (~0.4 HDI) |
| Highest HDI countries | Norway, Switzerland, Iceland (~0.96 HDI) |
Resource Management
| Fact | Statistic |
|---|
| Global water stress | 2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water |
| UK water usage | Average person uses ~150 litres per day |
| Food waste UK | ~9.5 million tonnes of food waste per year |
| UK energy mix | Renewables generated ~42% of UK electricity in 2023 |
| Global fossil fuel use | Fossil fuels still provide ~80% of global primary energy |
Exam Tip: You do not need to memorise every statistic here. Choose the ones that relate to YOUR case studies and learn those thoroughly. Five well-chosen statistics used in the right places will score more marks than twenty statistics you cannot connect to the question.
Cross-Topic Links
AQA examiners frequently ask questions that require you to make connections BETWEEN topics. The best answers show awareness of how different parts of the specification relate to each other.
Key Cross-Topic Connections