IB Geography

Applications Open - 12 November 2025

Applications Close - 12 April 2026

Entry Requirements - All entry requirements can be found in our course directory here.

How to Apply - To apply for Post-16 at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy, please follow the link to Applicca, our admissions registration form: https://sgla.applicaa.com/inyear

Geography is a dynamic subject, firmly grounded in the real world, and focuses on the interactions between individuals, societies and physical processes in both time and space. It seeks to identify trends and patterns in these interactions. It also investigates the way in which people adapt and respond to change, and evaluates actual and possible management strategies associated with such change. Geography describes and helps to explain the similarities and differences between different places, on a variety of scales and from different perspectives.

Geography as a subject is distinctive in its spatial dimension and occupies a middle ground between social or human sciences and natural sciences. The course integrates physical, environmental and human geography, and students acquire elements of both socio-economic and scientific methodologies. Geography takes advantage of its position to examine relevant concepts and ideas from a wide variety of disciplines, helping students develop life skills and have an appreciation of, and a respect for, alternative approaches, viewpoints and ideas.

Paper 1 - Core Theme - Patterns and Changes (4 compulsory topics)

• Population in Transition
• Disparities in Wealth & Development
• Patterns in Environmental Quality & Sustainability
• Patterns in Resource Consumption

Paper 2 - Optional Themes (3 are studied)

• Freshwater - Issues and conflicts
• Oceans and their Coastal Margins
• Extreme Environments
• Hazards and Disasters - Risk Assessment & Response
• Leisure, Sport and Tourism
• The Geography of Food & Health
• Urban Environment

Paper 3 - Global Interactions

• Measuring Global Interactions
• Changing Space - The Shrinking World
• Economic Interactions and Flows
• Environmental Change
• Socio-cultural Exchanges
• Political Outcomes
• Global Interactions at the Local Level

Three externally assessed examinations and one piece of internally assessed fieldwork

5+ GCSE 9-4 grades

Grade 5 in English Language or Literature

Grade 6 in Geography

Future careers could include:

• Town planner
• Teacher
• Meteorologist
• Surveyor