Standing at the River's Edge
🏞️ Standing at the River's Edge
That is the fundamental question behind physical geography fieldwork. You are not just measuring a river — you are testing a theory. The Bradshaw Model predicts exactly how a river channel should change as you move from source to mouth. Your job is to find out whether it does. Armed with a tape measure, an orange, a metre ruler, and a handful of pebbles, you are about to become a geographer doing what geographers actually do: collecting evidence in the field to test a model against reality.
This topic covers everything you need to know to design, carry out, present, and evaluate a physical geography fieldwork investigation. In the exam, questions on fieldwork carry up to 9 marks and reward students who can explain not just what they measured, but why they measured it that way, what the results showed, and how the investigation could have been improved. Every section below is designed to get you to that level.
Geography glossary
- What is a transect?
- A line along which observations or measurements are taken.
Before you go anywhere near a river, you need to understand the theory you are testing. The Bradshaw Model is a predictive model that describes how a river's characteristics change systematically as you move downstream — from the source (where the river begins, usually in upland areas) towards the mouth (where it meets
Earn the mark scheme marks
🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids
HARDER — for designing fieldwork
H — A — R — D — E — R
| Letter | Stands for | What You Need to Include |
|---|---|---|
| H | Hypothesis | A specific, testable prediction with geographical reasoning |
| A | Aim | The broader enquiry question your hypothesis fits inside |
| R | Risk assessment | At least 3 hazards, their risks, and control measures |
| D | Data collection method | Which instrument, how used, why chosen |
| E | Equipment | Specific tools: tape measure, metre ruler, flow meter, clinometer, stopwatch, Powers Scale |
| R | Results presentation planned | Which graph type for each variable, with axes labelled |
TACT — for describing data patterns
T — A — C — T
| Letter | Stands for | Example in a river context |
|---|---|---|
| T | Trend | "Velocity generally increased from Site 1 to Site 7" |
| A | Anomaly | "Site 4 was anomalously slow at 0.12 m/s" |
| C | Comparison | "Site 7 velocity was 3.7× that at Site 1" |
| T | Terminology with figures | "Velocity rose from 0.18 m/s to 0.67 m/s across 700 m" |
The Bradshaw Model — DVWLGLG
To remember which variables increase downstream: "Drivers Velocity While Large Gorges Lose Gradient"
- D — Discharge increases
- V — Velocity increases
- W — Width increases
- L — Load roundness increases
- G — Gradient decreases (the exception — use this to remember the odd one out)
- And: load size decreases; depth increases
Remember the float method formula
V = D ÷ T (Velocity = Distance ÷ Time)
Same as speed in Physics — distance over time. 10 metres in 20 seconds = 0.5 m/s.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 13
A student drops an orange into a river and times how long it takes to travel 10 metres. Which variable are they measuring?
Tap an answer to check it
This topic in real past papers
Every real exam question we've found on physical geography fieldwork, with a full worked answer.
AQA Paper 3
Explain not just WHAT technique you used in your own coursework-style enquiry but WHY it was the right choice for that specific enquiry's aim.
AQA Paper 3
Go beyond describing your method and actually judge how well it worked: did it collect accurate, appropriate data efficiently, and where did it fall short.