GCSE Geography

How do I write up my
coursework?
 Your coursework at a glance

Your coursework will comprise a total of five chapters. The following pages will help you to complete each section but an overview
of these chapters can be seen below.

Chapter 1 – Introduction
This will not be the first page of your coursework as you will have lists of contents and illustrations plus a title page, but it is
the first part of the written text and it is here that the examiners are looking for evidence of a well planned and well ordered
investigation. You need to demonstrate that you have a clear understanding of WHY you are carrying out this investigation by
using key geographical terms and ideas on which the study is based and that your choice of method is appropriate.

Chapter 2 – Data Collection/ Method

Similar to the investigations that you carry out in Science, you will need to write a method for this investigation. This method is
effectively your Data Collection chapter. You will need to explain exactly HOW and WHY the methods were used.

Chapter 3A – Data Presentation/ Results

Now that you have explained what you are going investigate and how you are going to do it, you must now process the data that
you collected. Your data should be sorted out and then turned into tables and graphical displays. There are over 30 different
ways you can use to show your results in your coursework booklet.

Chapter 3B – Description of Results

Now that you have processed your data into a variety of appropriate forms you must now describe what your maps, graphs,
sketches, photos, tables and diagrams show. Combine chapters 3A and 3B so that you will have the description next to the
relevant graph/map/diagram/sketch.

Chapter 4 – Interpretation of Data (Conclusions)

This chapter will give reasons and conclusions for the differences you have found in Chapter 3, relating them back to the original
hypothesis that was stated at the start of this investigation.

Chapter 5 – Evaluation
This is the last chapter and could be called ‘How the enquiry process can be improved’. You will be critically looking at the enquiry
and suggesting improvements.
Chapter 1
4
4th paragraph
Define your key terms and
ideas
Possible terms: location, land
use, CBD, pedestrian count,
questionnaire, sphere of
influence, mode of travel,
order of goods, frequency,
accessibility, comparison,
environment, pollution
Draw a diagram to show
settlement hierarchy
1.
1ST paragraph
State your hypothesis
Say WHY you are investigating this topic
2
2nd paragraph
PREDICT some outcomes that
you expect to find from this
investigation i.e. the
differences that you expect to
INTRODUCTION find between Ramsbottom and
Bury
3
3rd paragraph
You need to describe where Bury and Ramsbottom are located in a written
description, making specific reference to your maps
2/3 maps e.g. UK, North West, Bury/Ramsbottom
Maps must be labelled
www.multimap.com
www.upmystreet.com
Chapter 2

Method Location Sampling Technique Day Date Times Conditions

Questionnaire Bury – The Rock Random Thursday 24/06/03 11.30am Sunny – but cold wind
Land Use Map CBD of Ramsbottom Biased Thursday 24/06/03 2.15pm Sunny – but cold wind

Start off with a summary table of all your methods like Land Use Map 2
1 the one above Explain the meaning of the key and why
Random –choosing sites/people by chane categories were chosen
Biased – choosing specific sites/people for a definite Explain HOW you carried it out
reason Describe WHY this would help you in
Systematic – choosing every 10th shop/person proving/disproving the hypothesis
You also need to include a separate table for the data
that you collected on your own and explain what you did
3
Questionnaire
7 Own study Include a copy of the
State what you did, how you did it, questionnaire
when you did it and why Explain HOW you carried it out
Describe WHY each question was
used and how each would help you
Environmental Quality
Survey
6 DATA COLLECTION to prove/disprove the hypothesis

State the categories you

scored and why you chose
them
Explain HOW you carried
it out
Describe WHY this would
help you in
proving/disproving the
hypothesis
5 4
Fieldsketch
Pedestrian Count
Explain HOW you carried it out – chose one in
Explain HOW you carried it out: the group
Bury and one in Ramsbottom
exercise; times; tally chart; locations
Draw their location on a map
Describe WHY this would help you in
Describe WHY this would help you in
proving/disproving the hypothesis
proving/disproving the hypothesis
Chapter 3A and 3B

1 2
Process the data that you
collected in Bury and
Ramsbottom
Look in the coursework booklet
for examples of different
techniques
All graphs, maps, tables, charts, sketches,
photographs and diagrams must be accurate,
clearly titled and labelled
Try to use higher order skills in addition to
lower order skills e.g. bar graphs in order to
earn more marks

DATA PRESENTATION
AND
DESCRIPTION OF RESULTS

4 Describe what your maps, graphs, 3

sketches, photos, tables and diagrams
There must be at least two ICT
show.
techniques: tables graphs maps pictures
Try to have the description next to the
(scanner, digital camera) internet website
relevant graph
evidence
Try to state the obvious, say what the
result shows and quote figures
Chapter 4

2
1
Summarise the key findings that you have discovered
Try writing them out in rough to try and find a logical order
START OFF THIS SECTION BY
Make sure you mention the evidence from your results that
RESTATING YOUR HYPOTHESIS!
backs up each conclusion
Use the keywords that you listed in the Introduction
when explaining as this will help you to gain extra marks

FINISH OFF THIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA

SECTION BY
STATING WHETHER
(CONCLUSIONS)
YOU HAVE PROVED OR 3
DISPROVED YOUR
ORIGINAL Example of how to write up each conclusion:
HYPOTHESIS AND State the difference you have found out between Bury and Ramsbottom (e.g. Bury
WHY! has a larger % of clothes shops than Ramsbottom)
Quote the evidence that supports this particular conclusion (e.g. the pie charts Fig
3.4 show that …….)
Explain why this is the case (e.g. the reasons for this are……)
Try to make links between the sets of data that you have collected
Repeat this process for ALL the conclusions you have come to.
Chapter 5

1 2 Results
Methods
How accurate are they?
Try to find a problem for each method
Did you make any errors when collecting the
Suggest ways that it could be improved
date that could affect the results?
Think about the quality of each method, sample
Would you get the same results if you
sizes, impact of the day/date/time or weather
repeated it now?
on the method
What if you repeated the study in a different
season?

EVALUATION

4 3
Finally, aim to link the three elements
together by showing how the limitation in the
data collection techniques has affected the
accuracy of the results and, therefore, the
validity of the conclusions.
Conclusions
Question the accuracy of your conclusions if your
results are not entirely accurate
Would you get the same conclusions if you
repeated the study at a different time?