The Individual Enquiry - How to write it up! | Back |
  The specification says students should be able to ...
  • Demonstrate they know how to gather information from primary and secondary sources
  • know the potential sources of data to investigate the topic
  • make maps and observations in the 'field'
  • know the advantages and disadvantages of methods of depicting and analysing data
  • understand what the collected data shows and be able to interpret and draw valid conclusions from the results
  • realise that conclusions may require further research and be able to suggest further questions to be investigated.

 

  
Pages A4 ...    
About 2 The structure of the written study should be as follows ....

1. Title Page - Title, your name etc.

2. Abstract - two paragraphs summarising i) what you investigated and ii) your main findings

3. Table of contents - what sections begin on what page (remember page numbers.)
 

  
0ne/ two
4. Introduction - the aim of the enquiry and any sub-aims, justification of the choice of topic and of the choices made in the development of your study, description of the field area and its outer limits. Reference to the wider geographical context of this study.
 Students should
  • structure studies to answer a geographical question
  • use maps of different scales and different types of image
  • use the internet and search literature
one / two 5. Methods - what data was collected - how and why? How was the data recorded and then refined. What choices were made as to how to represent the data? The methods of data collection and the choices they involved, including the choices of sampling sites and/or sampling schemes, are described accurately and properly justified.
Students should
  • be able to use graphs (choropleth, dot, isoline, flow, statistical, histograms, scattergraphs, line graphs, frequency curves, long and cross sections and pie graphs)
  • be able to read data in tables
  • understand measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode)
  • understand Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient including statistical significance
four/five/six 6. Results - There should be a good balance between the description, analysis and interpretation of the evidence. The description and analysis of the evidence includes a range of textual and visual approaches, including cartographic (mapping), diagrammatic, photographic, and statistical means as are appropriate to the data and to the purposes for which it is being used. These techniques have been carried out accurately, with neat maps and/or diagrams and/or good use of ICT. The interpretation is clear and sensible, and soundly based on the analysis of the evidence.
   
half 7. Conclusion The conclusion is clearly based on the analysis and interpretation of the evidence that has gone before (e.g. part 1 showed ,,,; part 2 showed ... etc.) It summarises the main outcomes of the study, and by referring back to the original aim it indicates the extent to which that aim has been met. Unresolved questions prompted by the research, or a revision to the original aim might usefully be referred to.
   
half 8. Evaluation This section clearly shows that the candidate is aware of the main limitations of the work and how they might be dealt with by further work, and/or by a re-run of (parts of) the enquiry process, and/or by changes in the way the enquiry was set up.
   
  9 References - any book used or any website used should be referenced where it is inserted  e.g. any diagram copied  or e.g, any 'cut and pasted' text. The exact web address should be given ....
e.g. http://www.geogonline.org.uk/images/controls.gif (and GeogOnline should have given the source it was originally copied from!)
   
  10. Word limit - 2000 words max.  Geographical terminology used properly, quality of written communication including spellings.