AQA A-Level Geography Past Papers & Mark Schemes

AQA A-Level Geography (specification code 7037) spans the physical and human worlds through two compulsory papers and an independent fieldwork investigation. The subject's distinctive strength is that it requires both scientific data literacy and social-scientific analytical writing — students must interpret graphs and maps in the same exam that asks them to evaluate globalisation policy or analyse urban inequality. Paper 1: Physical Geography (2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks, 40%) has one compulsory topic and two optional topics chosen by your school. The mandatory core topic is Water and Carbon Cycles, covering the hydrological cycle at drainage basin scale, global water balance, carbon stores and flows (terrestrial, oceanic, atmospheric), and the ways human activity disrupts both cycles. The optional physical topics are chosen from: Hot Desert Systems and Landscapes, Coastal Systems and Landscapes, Glacial Systems and Landscapes, or Dryland Landscapes. Each explores a physical environment as a system — inputs, processes, stores, and outputs — and examines how human management affects that system. Paper 2: Human Geography (2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks, 40%) pairs one compulsory core topic with two optional human topics. The mandatory core topic is Global Systems and Global Governance — examining globalisation, international trade flows, interdependence, and the governance frameworks (UN, WTO, international agreements) that attempt to manage global challenges. Optional human topics are chosen from: Changing Places, Contemporary Urban Environments, Population and the Environment, or Resource Security. Both papers include data-stimulus questions (requiring quantitative description and analysis), short qualitative analysis questions, and 20-mark extended essays that must sustain a clear geographical argument with case study evidence. The NEA (20%) requires an independent geographical fieldwork investigation of 3,000–4,000 words, gathering primary data in at least two contrasting locations. Students must frame a clear geographical enquiry question, justify their methodology, analyse data using appropriate statistical techniques, and critically evaluate their approach and findings.