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Fieldwork Skills » Planning a Geographical Enquiry

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Edexcel spec: 1.4 (and 2.1 Section B)

What a geographical enquiry is and how it is assessed in Section B
How to plan one: question or hypothesis, site, risk assessment and data
The primary and secondary data your enquiry must include
Familiar and unfamiliar fieldwork questions in the exam

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What is a geographical enquiry?

Fieldwork means learning geography by going outside and collecting evidence yourself. In Edexcel International GCSE Geography you do not just visit a place. You complete a geographical enquiry: a planned investigation that starts with a question and ends with a conclusion backed by evidence.

You complete one enquiry for each paper. In Paper 1 (Physical geography) it is about one natural environment: river environments, coastal environments or hazardous environments. In Paper 2 (Human geography) it is about one human environment: economic activity and energy, rural environments or urban environments.

Key terms:

Geographical enquiry: a planned investigation involving fieldwork and research, which answers a question using evidence.
Hypothesis: a statement that you can test with data, for example "The river gets wider downstream".
Primary data: data you collect yourself in the field.
Secondary data: data collected by someone else, such as a map, a weather station feed or a newspaper report.
Risk assessment: a check of what could go wrong on a fieldwork trip and how to reduce the danger.

Step 1: Start with a question or hypothesis

Every enquiry begins with a clear question or hypothesis. It must be something you can measure or observe at your site. It also needs to be about the environment you are studying.

✅ Good, testable

"How does the width of the river channel change downstream?" You can measure width at several points.

❌ Too vague

"Is the river interesting?" Nobody can measure this, so you cannot reach a clear conclusion.

Step 2: Choose a site

Your sites must let you answer your question. For a river investigation you need several places along the river so that you can compare them. A good site is also safe, easy to reach and allowed to be visited. You cannot compare changes along a river if you only visit one spot.

Step 3: Carry out a risk assessment

Before any fieldwork you must think about the dangers. A risk assessment lists each hazard, how likely it is, and what you will do to reduce the risk.

⚠️ Hazard

What could cause harm, such as fast-flowing water or slippery rocks.

🔍 Risk

How likely it is, and how serious the harm could be.

✅ Action

What you do about it, such as wearing wellies, staying in groups and following your teacher's rules.

Step 4: Plan your data collection

The spec sets out what your enquiry must include.

Primary data must include both quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative data is measured as numbers. Qualitative data is descriptive, such as sketches and photographs.
Secondary data must use at least two different sources for your chosen environment.

The spec gives suggested methods for the Paper 1 environments. These are suggestions, so your school may use others.

Suggested methods for Paper 1 (from the spec)

River environments: quantitative channel measurements (velocity, width, depth, gradient) and sediment size and shape; qualitative annotated field sketches and photographs; secondary a GIS topographic map and local data on river flows.
Coastal environments: quantitative sediment size and shape, beach profile, and measurement of a cliff or intertidal zone; qualitative annotated sketches and photographs; secondary a local geology map and local data on coastal change such as historic maps.
Hazardous environments: quantitative weather diary, local risk and hazard maps, or a structured questionnaire about hazard perception; qualitative annotated sketches and photographs or video of an extreme weather event; secondary an online feed from a local weather station and local data such as newspapers.

How to carry out each method is taught later in the course, so here you only need to know that the plan must cover them.

The exam: familiar and unfamiliar fieldwork

In both papers, Section B is worth 20 marks. You choose one out of three fieldwork-related questions, one for each environment. In Paper 1 they are river, coastal and hazardous environments. In Paper 2 they are economic activity and energy, rural and urban environments. You answer on the environment where you did your fieldwork.

📝 Familiar context

The question is about your own fieldwork. You interpret, analyse, evaluate and make judgements (AO3), and communicate your findings (AO4).

🌎 Unfamiliar context

The question is set in the environment you studied but uses new fieldwork data you have not seen. You apply your fieldwork understanding and skills to interpret and analyse it.

Common mistakes

Writing a question that cannot be measured. Fix: make sure your data can answer it.
Collecting only numbers or only sketches. Fix: you need both quantitative and qualitative primary data.
Using one secondary source. Fix: use at least two different ones.
Skipping the risk assessment. Fix: plan the hazards and your actions before you go.
Thinking you answer all three Section B questions. Fix: you choose only one.

Exam-style question

A student plans a river enquiry with the hypothesis "The river channel gets wider downstream".

(a) Give one quantitative primary data method the student could use. [1 mark]

(b) Give two sources of secondary data the student could use. [2 marks]

Model answer

(a) Measuring the width of the channel with a tape measure at each site (1).

(b) A GIS topographic map (1) and local secondary data on river flows (1).

(c) It identifies the hazards, such as fast water or slippery banks (1), so that actions can be planned to reduce the risk of harm (1).

Exam tip

In (b), name two different sources. Repeating the same source twice only earns one mark.

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