Top Tips for Year 13 - Geog 3 Essays

Here are some top tips to help your preparation and final few days of revision for the essay element of the Geog 3 examination.

1) You MUST have good case study knowledge. This means your essay should contain nuggets of case study facts.  By using case studies to support your essay argument/point of view, you can then develop critical understanding from the case study knowledge.

2) Aim for 3 different points of view in your essay.  Consider governmental agency points of view (FEMA/USGS/Met Office/UN), local/civilian points of view, NGO/charity points of view or scientist/theorists points of view. This will cover the Values & Attitudes in your essay.

3) Make synoptic links obvious!  You can even write 'this case study is truly synoptic in nature because....'  or  'the slow, gentle basaltic lava flows of Mt Etna allows reactions to be proactive, and well-considered.  This highlights the nature and speed of the volcanic activity to offer crucial time to prepare and respond - time here is synoptic'.

4) Link each point/paragraph back to the question.  This stops you from rambling.

5) Answer the essay first.  Do a rough 5 min plan and leave it for the examiner to see.