I would like to support Ian's comments about the Geography school
curriculum. I was an A level Geography examiner (with ULEAC, later
Edexcel) for 23 years, including being Assistant Chief Examiner for 5
years). In the end, I gave up - trying to effect change was like banging
my head against a brick wall. Chief examiners were so rooted in 1960s/70s
Geography that they just couldn't think outside the blinkers. Every year I
was invited to write exam questions, which were then 'archived' - not one
was ever used in an actual paper. It never surprised me that so many A
level Geographers gave up the subject and didn't progress to University
-level study, as they had been completely turned off by that time. In my
experience GCSE Geography was much more relevant and interesting than A
level.
Jacky Tivers
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