How to Prepare for A Level Geography Fieldwork Questions: Not Tested by Cambridge, but Edexcel Unit 2 Parts B and C Assess Your Investigation
Cambridge 9696 does not test fieldwork, while Edexcel IAL requires at least two days of geographical investigation, assessed in Unit 2 Parts B and C. Based on the 3rd edition of the Pearson syllabus, this article outlines the investigation requirements, recommended topics, Unit 2 question structure, the seven stages of investigation, and risk assessment requirements, and provides preparation methods.
First, let's clarify the differences between the two exam boards: Cambridge International A Level Geography (9696) does not test fieldwork; the syllabus only encourages it in teaching. Edexcel IAL Geography, however, includes fieldwork in the exams: in the first year, students must complete a geographical investigation of at least two days, which is assessed in Sections B and C of Unit 2. We briefly mentioned this in our article on geography data questions. This article will elaborate on Edexcel's investigation requirements, how fieldwork is tested in Unit 2, what to master in each of the seven stages of the investigation, and how to prepare. This is based on the 3rd edition of the Pearson IAL Geography specification (September 2025, which updated the fieldwork requirements).
1. Edexcel's Investigation Requirements
- At least two days: IAS students must complete a geographical investigation, including at least two days of fieldwork and secondary research;
- Choose one of two topics: Focus on Topic 1 "Crowded Coasts" (physical geography processes) or Topic 2 "Urban Challenges, Planning and Regeneration" (human geography). The location can be chosen entirely by the school;
- Both primary and secondary data: This includes secondary research and primary data collection;
- Can be completed independently: The specification states that the investigation can be carried out independently to allow students from online schools and private candidates to participate;
- Special circumstances: If students cannot collect data in person due to geographical location, cultural or religious reasons, illness, physical disability, or safety issues, they may use data collected by other organizations, publications, or other students (including past students). However, the other stages of the investigation remain unchanged; students must graph, analyze, conclude, and evaluate the data as if it were their own, and the school must provide a justification to Pearson.
Schools must ensure that: the investigation is linked to at least one enquiry question from Topic 1 or Topic 2; a variety of primary data is collected using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods; relevant secondary data is available to help answer key questions or hypotheses and provide context; and the data obtained through the methods used can be presented and analyzed numerically and statistically.
2. Four Recommended Investigation Topics in the Specification
| Topic | Enquiry Question | Recommended Investigation |
|---|---|---|
| Crowded Coasts | How do coastal ecosystems develop, what is their value, and what threats do they face? | The development and structure of dune, salt marsh, or mangrove ecosystems, and the types and impacts of human activities threatening them |
| How can coastlines be managed sustainably? | The flood and/or erosion risks facing a stretch of coast, and the effectiveness of management strategies and defense schemes | |
| Urban Challenges, Planning and Regeneration | Why is transport a key issue in many cities, and how can it be best managed? | The impacts of transport issues in urban areas, and the effectiveness of strategies to address them |
| How does urban regeneration improve the social, economic, and environmental aspects of a city? | The impacts of an urban regeneration project, and its social and/or economic success |
Each recommended investigation combines "secondary research + primary data collection" and ultimately focuses on evaluation: the impacts of threats, the effectiveness of management, and the success of strategies.
3. How Unit 2 is Tested
- Unit 2 Geographical Investigations: 1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks, taken in January and June each year. Calculators are allowed; Sections A and C include a resource booklet;
- Section A: Data analysis and short-answer questions on both topics;
- Section B: Compulsory short-answer questions on research and fieldwork in a familiar context—asking directly about the fieldwork you conducted at a specific location or environment;
- Section C: Choose one fieldwork question from the two topics, broken down into several short-answer sub-questions, in an unfamiliar context—based on unseen resources in the paper (data tables, photos, maps, etc.), but the context is related to the specification content.
According to the assessment objectives weighting in the specification, AO3 (using quantitative, qualitative, research, and fieldwork skills) accounts for 24% of the total IAS grade, all of which comes from Unit 2 (AO3 is 0% in Unit 1). In other words, all marks for testing investigation skills in the first year are concentrated in this paper.
4. The Seven Stages of an Investigation
The "Geographical Investigations" appendix in the specification divides the investigation into three main parts and seven stages, which also serves as the basis for questions in Sections B and C:
| Part | Stage | Specification Requirements (Excerpt) |
|---|---|---|
| Before fieldwork: Planning and research | 1 Identifying the investigation question | Consider possible fieldwork opportunities and issues in the chosen coastal or urban environment, including transport accessibility and whether it can be completed within the available time |
| 2 Context of the investigation | Consult secondary sources (internet, magazines, books, etc.), GIS, and relevant models and theories to identify testable hypotheses and/or key questions | |
| Primary data collection | 3 Methods and design | Fieldwork locations and number of sites; group or individual collection; sampling methods (systematic, random, stratified) and sample size; health and safety and risk assessment; design recording sheets for measurements and observations |
| 4 Data collection, equipment, and recording | Collect sufficient data using appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods; continuously consider how to ensure accuracy and reliability, and identify possible errors | |
| Presentation, analysis, conclusions, and evaluation | 5 Data processing, analysis, and presentation | Organize and analyze using appropriate numerical and statistical methods (including IT such as spreadsheets); present using graphs, diagrams, and maps; may use simple statistics such as measures of central tendency, dispersion, and cumulative frequency |
| 6 Interpretation and conclusions | Combine primary data and secondary research to provide interpretations and conclusions, linking back to the original hypotheses or key questions, supported by evidence and logical reasoning | |
| 7 Critical reflection | Reflect on the data, methods, knowledge gained, and how they can be applied to other fieldwork contexts; consider the accuracy, validity, and reliability of the conclusions |
The geographical skills appendix in the specification also lists statistical methods that may be tested across the entire course, including t-tests, Spearman's rank correlation, chi-squared tests, the Gini coefficient, and Lorenz curves (see Article 204).
5. Risk Assessment is Not Just a Formality
The specification states: All students must complete a risk assessment for the fieldwork they participate in, and students conducting independent fieldwork require additional guidance; schools can allow students to use tools like Google Maps and Street View to assess hazards in advance. Examples of safety issues mentioned in the specification include personal safety near rivers and coasts, as well as safety when conducting questionnaires in urban areas. Risk assessment is part of Stage 3 "Methods and design" and may also appear in exam questions (based on empirical judgment).
6. How to Prepare
Here are some empirical suggestions:
- Create an investigation portfolio following the seven stages: Questions and hypotheses, secondary sources, sites and sampling methods (and why they were chosen), sample size, equipment, recording sheets, data, graphs, statistical results, conclusions, and reflections. Section B asks about your own investigation, so remember these details clearly;
- Be able to justify every choice: Why this location, this sampling method, this sample size, this equipment; exam questions often ask you to explain or evaluate your own methods;
- Prepare answers for "improvements": Stage 7 requires reflection; think about what errors exist in the data, what limitations the methods have, how to improve if doing it again, and how this would affect the reliability of the conclusions;
- Practice unfamiliar contexts: Section C provides unseen resources; use past papers to practice reading graphs and tables, judging whether sampling and methods are appropriate, calculating simple statistics, and evaluating conclusions;
- Include both quantitative and qualitative methods: The specification requires both types of methods, such as profile measurements and tourist questionnaires for coastal investigations, or pedestrian counts and environmental quality surveys for urban investigations;
- Do your own risk assessment: Even if it's a group fieldwork, write your own risk assessment, listing hazards, likelihood, impacts, and control measures.
7. What About Cambridge Candidates?
The Cambridge 9696 papers do not test fieldwork and geographical investigations, but the syllabus encourages them in teaching. Cambridge's data questions test the interpretation of various resources in the resource booklet (see Article 204). Fieldwork experience is also helpful for reading maps and judging data quality (empirical suggestion).
Conclusion
Geography fieldwork questions are only tested in Edexcel: complete an investigation of at least two days in the first year, answer questions about your own investigation in Section B of Unit 2, and apply the same investigation skills to unfamiliar resources in Section C. Carefully complete and record your investigation according to the seven stages in the specification, and think clearly about the reasons and limitations of each choice to secure these marks. If you need A Level Geography tutoring, feel free to chat with our teachers.
Verification note: This article was verified in September 2026: Edexcel IAL Geography investigation requirements (at least two days, topics, locations, primary and secondary data, can be completed independently, use of alternative data in special circumstances), the four items schools must ensure, the four recommended investigation topics and enquiry questions, Unit 2 duration, marks, exam sessions, calculator use, resource booklet, and the setup of Sections A, B, and C, definitions of familiar and unfamiliar contexts, assessment objectives weighting, the seven stages of investigation, list of statistical methods, and risk assessment requirements are from the 3rd edition of Pearson's "International Advanced Subsidiary/Advanced Level in Geography Specification" (September 2025); Cambridge 9696 not testing fieldwork has been verified against the "Geography 9696 syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029" in Article 204 on this site. The content is our excerpted translation. The preparation methods are our empirical suggestions.
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