AQA GCSE Geography Pre-release
Hey, you’re here because you’ve just received a copy of the AQA GCSE Geography pre-release booklet. It’s a special Easter treat from those lovely examiners who like to make life miserable. We bet you’re really happy about it. It’s not the most egg-citing way to spend some of your holidays, but putting in some hard work now will pay off.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together this guide on the pre-release to help you get prepared to smash the paper 3 exam that will ask you questions about the issue in your pre-release booklet.
I’ve got my pre-release; what do I do now?
To begin with, you need to familiarise yourself with the issue in the pre-release. Although you will likely be unfamiliar with the specific issue in the booklet, you will have studied something related to it in class.
We want to help you prepare to be in the best position possible for the paper 3 exam, so follow our tips below for exam success. Putting in the hard work now will pay off later. This is an easy part of the exam, and it helps you pick up lots of marks!
If you were planning just to give the pre-release a read and highlight the important bits, you need to rethink this! Reading and highlighting is not enough to familiarise yourself with the pre-release. The more you know and understand, the better your chances of performing well in the exam. This is why we recommend using active learning strategies when going through the pre-release. Strategies you could use include:
If your school subscribes to Internet Geography Plus, they can provide you with work booklets to use when going through the pre-release.
You could also create flashcards for the key geographical terms in the pre-release. Here’s a list we recommend:
Ok, I’ve been through the pre-release and produced materials. What next?
After going through the pre-release and creating your mind maps, you must check your knowledge and understanding. You could give a friend or family member your copy of the pre-release and get them to quiz you. Alternatively, you could try the pre-release quizzes on Internet Geography.
If you find gaps in your knowledge and understanding after taking the quizzes, spend more time working on your mind map, etc. Then, have another go at the quizzes.
How will I be examined on the pre-release?
Good question! Around half of the marks on paper 3 are questions based on the pre-release. There will be three sections on paper 3 covering the pre-release.
The first set of questions will mainly be based on Figure 1. Most marks for this section will likely be based on geographical skills, e.g. answering questions about the data and completing graphs/calculations. There will also be questions about the written information.
The second set of questions, which will require slightly longer answers, will cover Figure 2.
Finally, in section three, you will make a decision about the issue, which you will have to justify. There is no right or wrong answer. It is the quality of your justification that counts.
