Exam Connection

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🎯 Exam Connection

Frequency: Fieldwork questions appear in every sitting of OCR B Paper 3, AQA Paper 3, and Edexcel 1GA0 Paper 3 (Geographical Investigations) — this is one of the most reliably examined topics in the entire specification. OCR B typically devotes 24–30 marks to fieldwork across the paper. AQA Section B of Paper 3 is entirely fieldwork-based. Edexcel Paper 3 assesses both fieldwork enquiry and geographical skills together.

Typical question types:

  • "State an appropriate sampling strategy for this investigation and explain why it would be suitable." (2–4 marks)
  • "Suggest how you could improve the reliability of this investigation." (2–3 marks)
  • "Explain why the data collected in this investigation might not be representative." (3–4 marks)
  • "Assess how effective your fieldwork investigation was at answering the enquiry question." (8 marks)
  • "Complete the risk assessment table for this investigation." (3 marks)
  • "Justify the choice of data presentation method used." (2 marks)

Levels of Response — Moving from L1 to L3

Question: "Suggest one way to improve the reliability of your fieldwork investigation." (2 marks)

Level 1 (1 mark): "You could take more measurements."
Why only 1 mark: vague — does not say what measurements, how many, or why this improves reliability.
Level 2 (2 marks): "You could take three repeat velocity measurements at each site and calculate the mean. This would reduce the effect of random error caused by turbulence and inconsistent technique, making the data more reliable because individual readings are less likely to skew the result."
Why full marks: names a specific improvement, explains the mechanism, links it explicitly to reliability.

Question: "Assess the effectiveness of your fieldwork investigation at answering the enquiry question." (8 marks)

Level 1 (1–3 marks): "The investigation was mostly effective. We collected data from 5 sites which showed the pattern we expected. There were some problems with the weather."
Why only Level 1: describes what happened rather than evaluating quality; no reference to reliability, validity, or representativeness; no specific data values cited.
Level 2 (4–6 marks): "The investigation provided evidence to support the hypothesis — velocity generally increased downstream in line with the Bradshaw Model. However, Site 3 was an anomaly, possibly due to a waterfall increasing turbulence. The sample size of 5 sites was small and limits the reliability of conclusions. Repeating measurements would improve this."
Why Level 2: identifies pattern and anomaly with some explanation; notes a limitation with a basic improvement; but does not use quantitative evidence or address multiple evaluation dimensions.
Level 3 (7–8 marks): "The investigation largely supported the hypothesis: a Spearman's rank coefficient of rs = +0.81 indicates a strong positive correlation between distance downstream and velocity, which is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level for n = 8 data pairs. Three limitations reduce the overall reliability and validity: first, the float method measures surface velocity only, which overestimates mean channel velocity by approximately 20% compared to a flow meter at 0.6 × depth — affecting validity. Second, all data was collected on one afternoon in November; discharge on that day may not represent typical conditions, reducing representativeness. Third, the sample of 8 sites, while sufficient for basic pattern identification, is at the minimum for reliable Spearman's rank — 12+ sites would increase statistical confidence. The anomaly at Site 4 (lower than expected velocity) is likely explained by the tributary junction at that point, which temporarily increases turbulence. To improve the investigation, I would use a flow meter rather than the float method, and extend the transect to 12 sites with data collected across three visits in different seasons."
Why Level 3: uses specific statistical evidence (rs value, significance level, sample size); addresses all three evaluation dimensions; explains the anomaly geographically; proposes specific, justified improvements.

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