Geography students will still get out and about changes are being made to the amount of coursework in a level exams, as part of a review of the qualifications. despite controversy about the extent of cheating, the regulatory authorities are increasing the coursework component in english and in history. It is being axed altogether in geography, although field trips will still be part of the course. In most subjects, the number of study units will be reduced from six to four, two at as level and two at a2. New subject criteria , for the 2008 exams, have been published by the qualifications and curriculum authority qca following a consultation which produced some 3,200 responses. Coursework will be included in a levels only where it is the soundest method of assessment, and provided that it makes clear how reliability and fairness are secured, the qca said. introduction this paper arises from a project the principal aim of which was to explore the potential of gcse coursework to develop skills associated with critical thinking, creativity and independent learning cci.

The paper briefly outlines the background to and overview of the project with the main research questions and foci and then sets out the main findings to date in relation to the research question focusing on assessment. a the research project background to and overview of project over the past fifteen years, the original arguments for coursework as a part of the general certificate of secondary education gcse examination system for 16 year olds in the uk have diminished in influence. Among other things, this trend appears to stem, firstly, from an increasing emphasis on accountability in the education system, with gcse results now used as a measure of school, department and teacher performance as well as pupil performance, and secondly, from perceptions of rigour and fairness in representing the standards which should be engendered by the national examinations at the end of compulsory schooling. At the inception of the gcse, coursework was included as a central component of the examination which would raise the validity of the assessment process and enhance the learning of students. A coursework element to the qualification, it was argued, would promote and give value to less tangible transferable skills such as critical thinking, creativity and independent learning. The advantages of such approaches were thought to include: providing a useful vehicle for communication skills giving pupils credit for initiating tasks and assuming responsibility for their own work increasing the 'reliability' of the assessment by providing wider evidence of pupils' achievement developing an understanding of the part that school subjects play in the everyday world and their relevance to pupils' own lives.

Sec, 1985 the research the aim of this research study was to examine the potential of gcse coursework to develop in 16 year old pupils in mainstream schools the skills associated with critical thinking, creativity and independent learning. The research began by exploring the nature of the three attributes, and in addition, it probed the influence of the assessment of coursework on this type of learning. The study used a qualitative approach to investigate teachers', parents' and students' conceptions of the skills of critical thinking, creativity and independent learning and to explore the values, organisation and practice related to gcse coursework which might develop such qualities in young people. Within six case study schools, university researchers worked with teacher researchers in english and geography departments to appraise past and current practice in gcse coursework, to examine its potential to contribute to critical thinking, creativity and independent learning and to set out any extending and limiting factors of assessment. The six case study schools were identified through the working relationships already established between the university and local schools in the five contiguous counties. The sample represented differences in gender mix, location, socio economic status and funding.

The teacher representatives in each school were drawn equally from geography and english backgrounds and all were keen to be involved in the research. Data collecting techniques comprised focussed group meetings, semi structured interviews and a scrutiny of coursework in english and geography the first task was to develop a common understanding of the three constructs, critical thinking, creativity and independent learning. These used synopses of current papers in the field, brainstorming techniques and priority exercises to explore perceptions and identifiers of the three constructs.

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From the workshops semi structured interview schedules were constructed by the university researchers and returned to the teacher researchers for validation and comment. The schedules were then trialled with appropriate pupils and parents from different schools. A systematic sample was obtained with respondents from particular categories identified by the teacher researchers as follows: the following explains what you must include in your coursework and how you must structure your report. remember this is your own work and you must show evidence to back up your arguments.

Is longshore drift responsible for coastal erosion on the north norfolk coast? aim/hypothesis you will have to come up with your own and prove or disprove the hypothesis and dont forget to answer the question at the end of the study. location of study here you must first of all set the scene, describe the location of the sites and north norfolk in relation to the rest of the country. you must include maps showing each site visited. you could do this by downloading a base map from the school intranet shared area or using live local to annotate your map with push pins and then print it out and import it into your document. background to norfolk coast here you need to explain how the coastline formed and what it is made of in terms of its geology. dont forget to include diagrams and link them to your text it is no good putting in diagrams and then not mentioning them in the text you need to mention rates of erosion and compare them with other rates around the country. possible processes that could operate on the sites visited here you need to go through the possible processes that could cause coastal erosion remember you are trying to prove or disprove your hypothesis so you need to analyse all the possible influences on the coast mention s.u.s.t, geology, l.s.d, anthropogenic people and how they manage the coast the sea and sub aerial processes.

methodology here you explain what techniques you will use in order to prove or disprove the hypothesis. you need to explain how you measure beach profiles and why you need to measure them, also groyne and lsd measurements, coastal eqi to show human intervention. do not explain your results here it is just setting out why you did what you did and how you did what you did. The sites were as follows cley sheringham west runton cromer overstrand clifton way this is not the order we did the study in but it is geographically a better order. You need to be able to show what the most important processes are at each site. so you need to show beach profiles, diagrams, annotated photos, groyne measurements, eqi, lsd experiments. you need to explain what is happening and how humans have influenced the coast e.g. Explain any management techniques dont forget to link your graphs and diagrams to your analysis conclusion here you need to again go through each site and explain your results, in the previous section you were just showing your results and analysing them now you have to make a statement about the type of process operating on the coast line is it lsd? you need to state your findings. At the end of concluding on each site you need to give an overall answer to your question. is longshore drift responsible for coastal erosion on the north norfolk coast? you are bringing together all your conclusion for each site evaluation here you must write about limitations to your study i.e. We went there to collect the data for our gcse geography coursework and complete it in five days. Our first task from him was to find out anything we wanted to know about the centre.

Much to my delight, breakfast was a full english but no cheerios and for lunch we could make as many sandwiches as we wanted. We also found the common room, which had a little kitchen where we could make as much hot chocolate and coffee as we wanted. After supper pasta and meatballs we went back to our classroom and were each given a laptop and memory pen.

We then began our introduction to the investigation ldquo how and why does width, depth and velocity change with distance downstream at carding mill valley? rdquo tuesday turned out to be a very wet but enjoyable day. Fuelled up with a full english, we set out to carding mill valley to collect our data for the investigation. Owned by the national trust, carding mill valley is very picturesque with the small stream winding down the slopes forming interlocking spurs. We walked for about 15minutes before stopping to make a field sketch, and due to the frequent gusts of wind, handing round the paper was not too easy! when finished, we headed for our lunch spot, which was above a small waterfall at the head of the valley. Even though it was work, collecting the data was really fun and by measuring the changing features downstream i began to understand more clearly why they were happening. Supper was again delicious and the evening was spent writing up our methodology and then relaxing.

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It was our first day of high control exam conditions , but with sufficient breaks including a cake break the day went by quickly enough, and after all the fuss mrs willcox said i was making, the work wasn rsquo t completely terrifying! the evenings of the trip were great. We played football or other games outside, watched films or just hung out in each other rsquo s rooms. However, we sometimes lost track of time, and mrs willcox could be seen threatening some of the boys with shoes! she said it was a bit like playing lsquo whack a mole rsquo the way they kept popping out of their doors! thursday was a day off coursework, but not a day off geography, as there is never a day without geography, as the teachers kept reminding us.