Geography Essay Writing Guidelines - The University of Adelaide
- Thesis statement: H2 geography essays are challenging but rewarding assignments that test students' knowledge, skills and critical thinking in various aspects of human and physical geography. H2: How to prepare for h2 geography essays? - Subheading 1: Understand the syllabus and the assessment objectives. - Subheading 2: Review the key concepts and case studies from each theme. - Subheading 3: Practice answering past year questions and sample essays. - Subheading 4: Seek feedback and improve your writing skills. H2: How to structure h2 geography essays? - Subheading 1: Follow the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) format for each paragraph. - Subheading 2: Use appropriate headings and subheadings to organize your essay. - Subheading 3: Include an introduction, a conclusion and a bibliography. - Subheading 4: Use tables, diagrams, maps and graphs to support your arguments. H2: How to write h2 geography essays on different themes? - Subheading 1: Theme 1 - Physical Geography (Landforms, Weather and Climate) - Subheading 2: Theme 2 - Human Geography (Population, Settlements and Development) - Subheading 3: Theme 3 - Global Interactions (Globalization, Tourism and Geopolitics) - Subheading 4: Theme 4 - Environment and Society (Resources, Hazards and Sustainability) H1: Conclusion - Summary: Recap the main points and arguments of the essay. - Evaluation: Assess the strengths and limitations of h2 geography essays as a form of assessment. - Recommendation: Suggest some tips and resources for students who want to excel in h2 geography essays. H1: FAQs - Q1: What is the difference between h1 and h2 geography? - Q2: How long should an h2 geography essay be? - Q3: How many marks are allocated for h2 geography essays? - Q4: How can I avoid plagiarism in h2 geography essays? - Q5: Where can I find more examples of h2 geography essays? Article with HTML formatting What are h2 geography essays and why are they important?
If you are a student taking the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (A-Level) examination, you might have encountered h2 geography essays as part of your assessment. But what exactly are h2 geography essays and why are they important?
h2 geography essays
H2 geography essays are written assignments that require students to answer a question or a statement on a specific topic related to human or physical geography. They are usually worth 12 or 20 marks depending on the level of difficulty and complexity of the question. H2 geography essays are important because they test students' knowledge, skills and critical thinking in various aspects of geography, such as:
The spatial patterns and processes of natural phenomena and human activities.
The interactions and interrelationships between people and the environment.
The causes and consequences of global issues and challenges.
The perspectives and values of different stakeholders and groups.
The policies and strategies for managing geographical issues and problems.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of preparing, structuring and writing h2 geography essays on different themes. We will also provide some tips and resources for you to improve your writing skills and achieve better grades.
Thesis statement: H2 geography essays are challenging but rewarding assignments that test students' knowledge, skills and critical thinking in various aspects of human and physical geography.
How to prepare for h2 geography essays?
Understand the syllabus and the assessment objectives
The first step to prepare for h2 geography essays is to understand the syllabus and the assessment objectives. The syllabus outlines the topics and themes that you need to study and the skills that you need to develop. The assessment objectives describe the abilities that you need to demonstrate in your essays, such as:
Knowledge and understanding of geographical concepts, theories and facts.
Application and analysis of geographical information, data and evidence.
Synthesis and evaluation of geographical arguments, perspectives and judgments.
Communication and presentation of geographical ideas, opinions and conclusions.
You can find the syllabus and the assessment objectives on the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) website or from your teacher. You should familiarize yourself with them and use them as a guide for your revision and practice.
Review the key concepts and case studies from each theme
The next step to prepare for h2 geography essays is to review the key concepts and case studies from each theme. The syllabus covers four themes: Physical Geography, Human Geography, Global Interactions and Environment and Society. Each theme has several topics that explore different aspects of geography. For example, Physical Geography includes topics such as Landforms, Weather and Climate, while Human Geography includes topics such as Population, Settlements and Development.
You should review the key concepts and theories from each topic and understand how they explain the spatial patterns and processes of geographical phenomena. You should also review the case studies from each topic and understand how they illustrate the real-world examples of geographical issues and challenges. You should be able to compare and contrast different case studies and explain their similarities and differences.
Practice answering past year questions and sample essays
The third step to prepare for h2 geography essays is to practice answering past year questions and sample essays. Past year questions are questions that have been asked in previous A-Level examinations. Sample essays are essays that have been written by students or teachers as examples of good answers. You can find past year questions and sample essays on the SEAB website, online platforms such as Thinkswap or from your teacher.
You should practice answering past year questions and sample essays regularly to familiarize yourself with the types of questions and the expectations of the examiners. You should also use them as a source of feedback and improvement for your writing skills. You should check your answers against the sample essays or the marking schemes and identify your strengths and weaknesses. You should also learn from the sample essays and see how they structure, develop and support their arguments.
Seek feedback and improve your writing skills
The fourth step to prepare for h2 geography essays is to seek feedback and improve your writing skills. Feedback is the information that you receive from others about your performance or progress. Feedback can help you to identify your areas of improvement and to make changes accordingly. You can seek feedback from your teacher, your peers or online platforms such as Grammarly or Hemingway.
You should seek feedback on your content, organization, language and presentation of your essays. You should ask for specific, constructive and actionable feedback that can help you to improve your writing skills. You should also act on the feedback that you receive and make changes to your essays accordingly. You should also monitor your own progress and see if you have improved over time.
How to structure h2 geography essays?
Follow the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) format for each paragraph
The first step to structure h2 geography essays is to follow the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) format for each paragraph. The PEEL format is a useful way to organize your ideas and arguments in a clear and logical manner. It consists of four elements:
Point: The main idea or argument that you want to make in the paragraph.
Evidence: The information, data or evidence that you use to support your point.
Explanation: The analysis or interpretation of the evidence that you use to explain how it supports your point.
Link: The connection or transition that you use to link your point to the next paragraph or to the question.
You should follow the PEEL format for each paragraph in your essay to ensure that you have a clear structure, a coherent argument and a sufficient support for your points.
Use appropriate headings and subheadings to organize your essay
Include an introduction, a conclusion and a bibliography
The third step to structure h2 geography essays is to include an introduction, a conclusion and a bibliography. These are the essential components of any academic essay that help you to introduce your topic, summarize your argument and acknowledge your sources.
An introduction is the first paragraph of your essay that sets the context and the scope of your essay. It should include a brief background to the topic, a clear thesis statement that outlines your main argument and an outline of the structure of your essay.
A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay that wraps up your argument and provides a final evaluation of your essay. It should include a summary of the main points and arguments of your essay, an assessment of the strengths and limitations of your essay and a recommendation or a suggestion for further research or action.
A bibliography is a list of sources that you have used or referred to in your essay. It should follow a consistent and recognized citation style, such as APA, MLA or Chicago. It should include all the relevant information about each source, such as the author, the title, the year, the publisher and the URL.
Use tables, diagrams, maps and graphs to support your arguments
The fourth step to structure h2 geography essays is to use tables, diagrams, maps and graphs to support your arguments. These are visual aids that can help you to present and explain complex or large amounts of data or information in a clear and concise way. They can also help you to illustrate spatial patterns or processes, compare and contrast different cases or scenarios or show trends or relationships.
You should use tables, diagrams, maps and graphs appropriately and effectively in your essay. You should only use them when they are relevant and necessary to support your arguments. You should also label them clearly and provide captions or titles that explain their purpose and content. You should also refer to them in your text and explain how they relate to your arguments.
How to write h2 geography essays on different themes?
Theme 1 - Physical Geography (Landforms, Weather and Climate)
If you are writing an h2 geography essay on Theme 1 - Physical Geography (Landforms, Weather and Climate), you should focus on the following aspects:
The formation and evolution of landforms due to tectonic, fluvial, glacial and coastal processes.
The distribution and characteristics of weather systems and climate zones due to atmospheric circulation and ocean currents.
The impacts of landforms, weather and climate on human activities and the environment.
The management of landforms, weather and climate issues and challenges.
For example, if you are writing an essay on the question: "To what extent do landforms influence weather and climate?" You could structure your essay as follows:
Introduction- Define landforms, weather and climate.- Explain how landforms can influence weather and climate through factors such as altitude, relief, aspect and distance from the sea.- State your thesis: Landforms have a significant influence on weather and climate at local and regional scales but other factors such as latitude, ocean currents and human activities also play important roles at global scales.- Outline your structure: You will discuss how landforms influence temperature, precipitation, wind and atmospheric pressure at different scales using examples from different regions.
Body paragraph 1- Point: Landforms influence temperature by affecting the amount of solar radiation received by the earth's surface.- Evidence: Use a table or a graph to show how temperature varies with altitude (lapse rate), relief (rain shadow effect) or aspect (orientation towards the sun).- Explanation: Explain how landforms affect the absorption or reflection of solar radiation by changing the surface albedo or creating microclimates.- Link: Landforms can create significant variations in temperature within a region but latitude is still the main factor that determines the global distribution of temperature zones.
Body paragraph 2- Point: Landforms influence precipitation by affecting the movement and condensation of air masses.- Evidence: Use a diagram or a map to show how landforms cause orographic, frontal or convectional rainfall.- Explanation: Explain how landforms affect the lifting, cooling and condensing of air masses by creating barriers, slopes or uneven surfaces.- Link: Landforms can create significant variations in precipitation within a region but ocean currents and atmospheric circulation are still the main factors that determine the global distribution of precipitation zones.
Body paragraph 3- Point: Landforms influence wind by affecting the pressure gradient and the Coriolis effect.- Evidence: Use a diagram or a map to show how landforms cause windward and leeward sides, valley and mountain breezes or monsoon winds.- Explanation: Explain how landforms affect the pressure gradient by creating differences in temperature and density of air masses and how they affect the Coriolis effect by creating friction or deflection of air masses.- Link: Landforms can create significant variations in wind within a region but atmospheric circulation and latitude are still the main factors that determine the global distribution of wind systems.
Body paragraph 4- Point: Landforms influence atmospheric pressure by affecting the stability and instability of air masses.- Evidence: Use a diagram or a map to show how landforms cause high and low pressure systems, anticyclones and cyclones or El Nino and La Nina events.- Explanation: Explain how landforms affect the stability and instability of air masses by creating differences in temperature, moisture and density of air masses.- Link: Landforms can create significant variations in atmospheric pressure within a region but ocean currents and atmospheric circulation are still the main factors that determine the global distribution of pressure systems.
Conclusion- Summary: Recap the main points and arguments of your essay.- Evaluation: Assess the extent to which landforms influence weather and climate at different scales using evidence from your examples.- Recommendation: Suggest some ways to monitor and manage the impacts of landforms on weather and climate issues and challenges.
Theme 2 - Human Geography (Population, Settlements and Development)
If you are writing an h2 geography essay on Theme 2 - Human Geography (Population, Settlements and Development), you should focus on the following aspects:
The distribution and dynamics of population and settlements due to demographic, social and economic factors.
The patterns and processes of development and underdevelopment due to historical, political and cultural factors.
The impacts of population, settlements and development on human well-being and the environment.
The management of population, settlements and development issues and challenges.
For example, if you are writing an essay on the question: "How far do you agree that population growth is the main obstacle to development?" You could structure your essay as follows:
Introduction- Define population growth, development and obstacle.- Explain how population growth can be seen as an obstacle to development by creating pressures on resources, services and environment.- State your thesis: Population growth is a significant obstacle to development but not the main one as there are other factors such as governance, trade and culture that also affect development.- Outline your structure: You will discuss how population growth affects development in terms of economic, social and environmental dimensions using examples from different regions.
Body paragraph 1- Point: Population growth can hinder economic development by reducing per capita income, savings and investment.- Evidence: Use a table or a graph to show how population growth affects GDP per capita, dependency ratio or human capital.- Explanation: Explain how population growth reduces the availability and quality of resources, labour and capital that are essential for economic growth and productivity.- Link: Population growth can create significant challenges for economic development but not insurmountable ones as there are examples of countries that have achieved high economic growth despite high population growth such as China and India.
Body paragraph 2- Point: Population growth can hinder social development by increasing poverty, inequality and insecurity.- Evidence: Use a diagram or a map to show how population growth affects poverty rate, Gini coefficient or human development index.- Explanation: Explain how population growth exacerbates the problems of inadequate food, health, education and housing that affect human well-being and dignity.- Link: Population growth can create significant challenges for social development but not insurmountable ones as there are examples of countries that have improved their social indicators despite high population growth such as Bangladesh and Costa Rica.
Body paragraph 3- Point: Population growth can hinder environmental development by degrading natural resources, ecosystems and climate.- Evidence: Use a diagram or a map to show how population growth affects land use, biodiversity or carbon emissions.- Explanation: Explain how population growth increases the demand and consumption of natural resources, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution and loss of wildlife.- Link: Population growth can create significant challenges for environmental development but not insurmountable ones as there are examples of countries that have adopted sustainable practices despite high population growth such as Rwanda and Bhutan.
Conclusion- Summary: Recap the main points and arguments of your essay.- Evaluation: Assess the extent to which population growth is an obstacle to development using evidence from your examples.- Recommendation: Suggest some ways to manage the impacts of population growth on development issues and challenges.
Tips for writing h2 geography essays - Plan your essay before you start writing. You should have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it. You should also have a clear structure and outline of your essay that follows the question and the assessment objectives. - Use relevant and specific examples and case studies to support your arguments. You should use examples and case studies from differ