A level independent fieldwork investigation

‘The new geography A level specifications raise exciting challenges for students, one of which is the introduction of the Independent Investigation. Its place in the A level course prepares you more thoroughly for research-based learning at university level, as well as providing opportunities to develop key investigative skills for the workplace.’

Royal Geographical Society

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Fieldwork in the A level specifications

The non-examined assessment (NEA) was a new introduction into the A level geography examination in the 2016 revision. This page sets out sources of advice and guidance about the NEA. There is plenty of advice from teachers for teachers on how to support students in approaching the NEA.

The independent investigation report should be around 3-4000 words and include both primary data through fieldwork and secondary research data. The focus can be on any aspect of geography and includes:

A question or issue defined and developed by the student
Data collected individually or in groups
Student’s own research and/or secondary data
Student’s independently contextualised conclusions drawn from their analysis.

See The A level independent investigation and A level Coastal Fieldwork PowerPoint Presentation from the GA website.
See the video A level coastal fieldwork, which provides support for students of A level geography who have decided to locate their independent investigation in a coastal environment; it focuses on planning and the literature review.
Look at the GA and Field Studies Council Fieldwork Booster webinar on A level fieldwork.

Key reading

Biddulph, M., Lambert, D. and Balderstone, D. (2021) Learning to Teach Geography in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience, 4th edition. London: Routledge, pp 211-4.
Oakes, S. (Ed) (2018) Fieldwork at A level: your guide to the independent investigation Sheffield: The Geographical Association.

Teaching Geography articles

Brand, S. (2020) ‘Capturing a ‘sense of place’ through fieldwork’, Teaching Geography, Spring. (A level; NEA; techniques; place; video ethnography)
Briscoe, G. (2023) ‘Teaching year 12 students how to code interviews’, Teaching Geography, Summer.
Bustin, R. (2019) ‘Investigating lived space: ideas for fieldwork’, Teaching Geography, Spring. (A level; urban; qualitative; ideas not case study; notion of 1^st, 2^nd, 3rd space)
Bye, C., Hirst, S. and Thorpe, C. (2017) ‘Creating local opportunities for independent investigations’, Teaching Geography, Autumn. (A level; coasts; study of community; qualitative and quantitative; revisiting earlier data; wide range of local data sources)
Gant, R. and Talbot, P. (2000) ‘Wall posters from fieldwork’, Teaching Geography, April. (A level; land-use on urban fringe; wall poster outcomes, field sketch example)
Gibson, G and Bye, C. (2019) ‘The non-examined assessment: a student’s perspective’, Teaching Geography, Spring. (A level; NEA; coasts; qualitative and quantitative; student case study; long time scale evaluated)
Kitchen, B. (2017) ‘Developing an A level independent investigation toolkit’, Teaching Geography, Autumn. (A level; NEA; question generator; card sorts to decide techniques)
Maddison, J. and Landy, R. (2018) ‘Casting aside our hammers: Creative fieldwork approaches and methods’, Teaching Geography, Autumn. (A level; NEA; techniques; creative; mood mapping)
Palot, I. (2017) ‘Bloodied but unbowed: reviewing the independent investigation’, Teaching Geography, Autumn.
Robinson, C. and Lyon, R. (2017) ‘Fieldwork considerations in a sensitive landscape’, Teaching Geography, Autumn. (A level; SSSI; quadrats; peat bog measurements)
Waddington, H. and Foster, C. (2017) ‘Curiosity calling us outside’, Teaching Geography, Autumn. (A level; encouraging curiosity; re-photographing; drone and Skitch to annotate)

Presentations at the GA conferences

Managing the NEA for success: reflections, tools and ideas by Simon Holland and Chris Collins (Also NEA Self-evaluation checklist)
Exploring the ‘recipe’ for success with titles for the Independent Investigation by Julia Thomson (Also NEA top ingredients)
Better evaluation of geographical data by Gemma Mawdsley
The independent investigation: views from year 13 by Dr Rebecca Kitchen
An individual investigation: how to get it right.
Accessing the NEA: how can we support students? by Ian Tester, Tutor, Field Studies Council

Geography Matters for post-16 from the GA

See The Non-Examination Assessment (NEA): 10 tips for success in Geography Matters – Spring 2019.
See Your NEA: The Last Lap in Geography Matters – Spring 2021.

Field Studies Council

The Field Studies Council and the GA have produced three videos to support the Geography A level NEA Skills: Interpreting the Landscape; Physical Geoskills; Human Geoskills.
The Field Studies Council website for Geography fieldwork – for GCSE and AS/A2 and the leaflet on Geographical Investigations.
Field Studies Council guide can help students understand and plan for their investigation.
Fix my fieldwork: Responding to the examiner reports
Janine Maddison, Geography Support Officer, Field Studies Council, and Dr Rebecca Kitchen, CPD, Curriculum and Marketing Manager, Geographical Association.

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