IB Geography

Applications Open: Now

Applications Close: 27 February 2026

Entry Requirements: - 5 GCSE's 4 or above including English and Maths

How to Apply

Internal students - Please apply via Applicaa using this link - https://skinnerskentacademy.applicaa.com/year12

External students - Please apply via KentChoices using this link - https://www.kentprospectus.co.uk/login. Please note - after sending your application, you'll receive a welcome email from Applicaa asking for further information.

The Diploma Programme Geography course integrates both physical and human geography, and ensures that students acquire elements of both scientific and socio-economic methodologies.

Geography takes advantage of its position to examine relevant concepts and ideas from a wide variety of disciplines. This helps students develop an appreciation of, and a respect for, alternative approaches, viewpoints, and ideas.

The geography course embodies global and international awareness in several distinct ways. It examines key global issues, such as sustainability, globalisation, geo-political interconnectivity, resource availability, and climate change. It considers examples and detailed case studies at a variety of scales, from local to regional, national, and international.

Throughout the course there is a focus on four key elements: the place, where the power lies, what the processes are, and the possibilities that the future presents.

The geography course is examined over three papers, the content is broken down into topics and units:

1. Three of seven option topics (highlighted in bold are those that we currently undertake the study of at SKA)

• Freshwater • Oceans and coastal margins • Extreme environments • Geophysical hazards • Leisure, tourism and sport • Food and health • Urban environments

2. Three core units based on Geographic perspectives—global change:

• Population distribution—changing population • Global climate—vulnerability and resilience • Global resource consumption and security

3. Three Higher Level extension units based on Geographic perspectives—global interactions:

• Power, places, and networks • Human development and diversity • Global risks and resilience

There is also an Internal Assessment, a written report based on a fieldwork question.

Our fieldtrip to facilitate our IA write up is a residential trip to the beautiful Southwold in Suffolk.

This course is available to take at both Standard Level and Higher Level

For more information: https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/5895a05412144fe890312bad52b17044/geography-sl-hl-2017-en.pdf

General Entry Requirement for The Skinners’ Kent Academy Sixth Form

Minimum of GCSE grade 4 (G4) in English and Mathematics plus 3 other GCSEs at grades 9-4

Subject specific minimum entry requirements are:

G5 in Geography GCSE if it was studied, at least G6 in Sciences if Geography was not taken

As subject to study at IB level, geography interlinks with a variety of other academic subjects that you might want to study in the future as well as geography itself, e.g. economics, sciences, sociology, politics, environmental subjects, geology etc. Geography is also considered a facilitating subject, which means that studying it will be useful for a large range of university courses and will help you keep your options open. Compared to other university courses Geography has one of the highest rates of graduate employment, high student satisfaction rates, and low dropout rates.

Geography can open many doors for careers, as it develops a lot of skills that employers value which other subjects may not include. Numerical, spatial, evaluative, assessment, comparative, teamwork, and independent study skills are all important within geographically linked study.