Form 10 students carried out fieldwork in Gerês in order to practise fundamental skills and key frameworks regarding scientific research in Geography. This is extremely important since a primary feature of questions in IGCSE Paper 4 is that they will involve an appreciation from a theoretical standpoint of a range of techniques used in a variety of fieldwork studies. Questions will test the methodology of the following data collection enquiry skills: questionnaires, observation, counts and measurement techniques.
As a means to properly prepare students for this paper, they followed the scientific method by asking initial questions, advancing hypotheses, carrying out experimentation, analysing data and reaching conclusions. Work was done on ecosystems, demography, hydrology, farming, settlement and commerce. They did this amidst rain, wind, overgrown underbrush, thorns and freezing mountain streams.
They should all be proud of themselves as the work completed and results achieved were of an excellent standard. |