1.2 Changing Coastlines
Explain coastal processes, waves, landforms and the physical and human factors controlling coastline change.
How to study WJEC GCSE Geography
Move from place and process to mapped or numerical evidence, explain inter-relationships across scale, and finish with a supported geographical judgement.
Core concepts
Concept 1
1.2.1 Weathering, mass movement, erosion, transportation and deposition at coasts
Exam cue: Confirm the current WJEC unit, numbered content area, geographical scale, named context and assessment form before selecting evidence.
Concept 2
1.2.2 Wave formation, fetch, constructive and destructive waves and seasonal beach profiles
Exam cue: Link energy and process to landform change, then use the selected local or Welsh coastline to evaluate rates and management.
Concept 3
1.2.3 Cave-arch-stack-stump sequence, cliffs, headlands, bays and wave-cut platforms
Exam cue: Use mapped, numerical, graphical, fieldwork or source evidence to explain process and inter-relationship, then make a scale- and context-aware judgement.
Concept 4
1.2.4 Beaches, sand dunes and spits with a local or Welsh coastline
Concept 5
1.2.5 Climate, fetch, geology, activity, engineering and sustainability of coastal management
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Naming landforms or defences without explaining process sequence, geological control and sustainability.
Guardrail: Do not import legacy or Eduqas structures, invent an option split or make claims that exceed the named evidence and assessment controls.
Importing the legacy WJEC 3110 structure, an Eduqas option pattern or an England 9-1 grading convention.
Guardrail: Do not import legacy or Eduqas structures, invent an option split or make claims that exceed the named evidence and assessment controls.
Treating an annual Unit 2 theme, local example or Unit 4 Resource Pack as a separate qualification or a compulsory option for every learner.
Guardrail: Use one centre-selected theme valid for the submission year; do not split themes into separate qualifications or replace the live Assessment Pack with guidance examples.
Memory anchors
fetch
The uninterrupted distance over water across which wind transfers energy to waves.
constructive wave
A lower-energy wave whose swash tends to build a beach.
destructive wave
A higher-energy wave whose backwash tends to remove beach material.
longshore drift
Sediment transport along a coast by angled swash and perpendicular backwash.
concordant coast
A coastline where resistant and less resistant rock bands run parallel to the shore.
managed retreat
Allowing controlled coastal adjustment rather than defending every location.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Which day is dominated by constructive waves?
What best explains the lower profile after Day 2?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
What is Pass Harbor?
Completely free exam prep for 247 UK exams.
- Practice questions
- Flashcards
- Study guides
- Mock exams
- No registration
- No paywall
- Start instantly
“No more expensive exam prep. Quality study tools should be accessible to everyone.”