About the exam
WJEC GCSE Geography Exam structure
An independent guide to the current WJEC Made-for-Wales GCSE Geography, integrating physical and human geography, fieldwork enquiry, geographical skills and sustainable decision making.
Issuer and path
WJEC GCSE Geography Study Guide is administered through WJEC CBAC Ltd. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Unit 1: Our Physical and Human World
30 scored + 0 pretest
Drainage basins and rivers, changing coastlines, migration and settlement change.
Unit 2: Developing Fieldwork Skills
25 scored + 0 pretest
A six-stage enquiry from planning and field data collection through presentation, analysis, conclusion and evaluation.
Unit 3: Our Dynamic and Diverse World
30 scored + 0 pretest
Inequality, weather, hazards, climate change and management of global challenges.
Unit 4: Sustainable Solutions
15 scored + 0 pretest
Sustainability concepts, evidence, impact assessment and justified decision making.
Before starting assessed fieldwork or decision making
Confirm the unit entry code, medium, submission year, centre-selected Unit 2 theme, live Assessment Pack or Unit 4 Resource Pack, control conditions and digital deadline. Guidance examples cannot replace the live secure materials.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Drainage Basins and Rivers | 0 | 50 | 6 | Strong |
| 1.2 Changing Coastlines | 0 | 45 | 6 | Strong |
| 1.3 Migration | 0 | 40 | 6 | Strong |
| 1.4 Settlement Change | 0 | 45 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.1 Planning an Enquiry | 0 | 28 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.2 Collecting Evidence | 0 | 25 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.3 Processing and Presenting Evidence | 0 | 25 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.4 Analysing and Applying Evidence | 0 | 24 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.5 Drawing Conclusions | 0 | 22 | 6 | Strong |
| 2.6 Evaluating Techniques | 0 | 26 | 6 | Strong |
| 3.1 The Geography of Inequality | 0 | 45 | 6 | Strong |
| 3.2 The Highs and Lows of Our Weather | 0 | 45 | 6 | Strong |
| 3.3 Wild Weather | 0 | 28 | 6 | Strong |
| 3.4 Continual Climate Change | 0 | 38 | 6 | Strong |
| 3.5 Managing Global Challenges | 0 | 24 | 6 | Strong |
| 4.1 The Concept of Sustainability | 0 | 40 | 6 | Strong |
| 4.2 Making Sustainable Decisions | 0 | 51 | 6 | Strong |
How to use this guide
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.
1. Locate place, scale and question
Identify the named place or issue, relevant unit, command word, assessment control and spatial or temporal scale.
2. Explain process and inter-relationship
Trace the physical or human process and show how factors interact rather than listing disconnected causes or effects.
3. Select valid evidence
Use an accurate map, calculation, graph, field observation, source detail or named example and consider reliability, validity and bias.
4. Analyse pattern, option or consequence
Quantify the pattern, explain anomalies, compare groups or places, and apply consistent criteria to alternative options.
5. Judge and qualify
Answer the exact enquiry or decision, weigh conflicting evidence and limit the conclusion to the scale and strength of the evidence.
Made-for-Wales assessment map
Compulsory content, one annual fieldwork choice
Study all Unit 1 and Unit 3 content, complete one centre-selected Unit 2 theme for the submission year, and apply Unit 4 skills to the annual Resource Pack.
Rivers and Coasts
Systems, processes, landforms, human inter-relationships, management and local or Welsh examples.
Choose a topic to open below
Migration and Settlement Change
Migration classifications, causes, impacts and management plus urbanisation, land use and global cities.
Choose a topic to open below
Fieldwork Planning and Evidence Collection
Enquiry questions, location, risk, ethics, sampling and primary and secondary evidence.
Choose a topic to open below
Fieldwork Processing and Analysis
Quantitative and qualitative techniques, data presentation, referencing, pattern analysis and synthesis.
Choose a topic to open below
Fieldwork Conclusions and Evaluation
Supported conclusions, geographical concepts, stage evaluation, improvements and further questions.
Choose a topic to open below
Inequality and Development
Regional inequalities, development measurement, the development gap and strategies to reduce it.
Choose a topic to open below
Weather Systems and Wild Weather
Welsh climate, temperature and rainfall controls, atmospheric circulation, pressure systems and extreme events.
Choose a topic to open below
Climate Change and Ocean Challenges
Natural and human climate causes, evidence, impacts, management and threats to ocean biodiversity.
Choose a topic to open below
Sustainability Foundations
Sustainability, its three pillars, UN goals and Welsh well-being goals.
Choose a topic to open below
Sustainable Decision Making
Evidence, bias, benefits, negative impacts, impact assessment, option selection and rejection.
Choose a topic to open below
1.1 Drainage Basins and Rivers
Explain water-cycle and drainage-basin systems, river processes and landforms, and sustainable or non-sustainable relationships between rivers and people.
Key rules
Rule 1
1.1.1 The global hydrological cycle: closed system, stores and flows
Exam cue: Confirm the current WJEC unit, numbered content area, geographical scale, named context and assessment form before selecting evidence.
Rule 2
1.1.2 The drainage basin system: open system, inputs, transfers, stores, outputs and seasonal variation
Exam cue: Treat the drainage basin as a connected system: trace a change through stores, transfers, discharge, process, landform and human consequence.
Rule 3
1.1.3 Drainage basin features and weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition
Exam cue: Use mapped, numerical, graphical, fieldwork or source evidence to explain process and inter-relationship, then make a scale- and context-aware judgement.
Rule 4
1.1.4 Long and cross profiles plus discharge, geology, gradient and velocity
Exam cue: Locate the context and scale, explain process and inter-relationship, use exact evidence and make a qualified geographical judgement.
Rule 5
1.1.5 Waterfalls, plunge pools, gorges, floodplains, meanders and oxbow lakes with a local or Welsh river valley
Exam cue: Show the calculation or read the scale accurately, quote evidence with units and explain what the value means geographically.
Rule 6
1.1.6 River use, flooding, erosion, engineering and sustainable management
Exam cue: Locate the context and scale, explain process and inter-relationship, use exact evidence and make a qualified geographical judgement.
Common traps
Describing a river feature without explaining the interacting processes or locating the required local or Welsh example.
Prevention: Use the number and type of named contexts required by the specification and connect each fact directly to process or judgement.
Importing the legacy WJEC 3110 structure, an Eduqas option pattern or an England 9-1 grading convention.
Prevention: 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.
Prevention: 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
hydrological cycle
The global closed system of water stores and flows.
drainage basin
The area drained by a river and its tributaries.
watershed
The high-land boundary separating drainage basins.
discharge
The volume of water passing a point in a river per unit time.
meander
A river bend developed through linked erosion and deposition.
soft engineering
Management that works with natural river processes and environments.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
How much water entered soil and rock stores in April?
Why is this catchment described as an open system?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
WJEC GCSE Geography Made-for-Wales qualification page
The current hub for the specification, revised sample materials, NEA handbooks, fieldwork guidance and qualification updates.
WJEC GCSE Geography specification
Approved Version 5 specification for teaching from September 2025 and award from 2027.
Unit 1 sample assessment materials
Current official sample examination for Our Physical and Human World.
Unit 2 sample assessment materials
Official sample six-stage fieldwork enquiry and assessment materials.
Unit 3 revised sample assessment materials
The current Version 2 sample examination uploaded in July 2026 with the corrected map key.
Unit 4 sample assessment materials
Official sample Sustainable Solutions decision-making exercise.
GCSE Geography delivery guide
Official sequencing and delivery guidance for the current four-unit qualification.
Unit 2 external NEA handbook
Current task controls, topic schedule, collaboration boundary, submission instructions and WJEC marking guidance.
Unit 4 internal NEA handbook
Current research and task controls, centre marking and WJEC moderation guidance for assessment from 2027.
Possible fieldwork tasks: Change over time, 2027
Current WJEC planning suggestions for the 2027 theme; not the live assessed assignment.
Possible fieldwork tasks: Sustainability, 2027
Current WJEC planning suggestions for the 2027 theme; not the live assessed assignment.
Unit 2 guidance for teaching
Official teaching guidance for fieldwork planning, data collection and the six-stage enquiry.
Unit 4 guidance for teaching
Official teaching guidance for sustainability concepts and decision-making skills.
WJEC GCSE Geography FAQs
Official answers to common delivery and assessment questions for the current qualification.
FAQ
Common WJEC GCSE Geography questions
Is this an official WJEC resource?
No. This is an independent guide aligned to current public WJEC documents. The live specification, Assessment Packs, annual Resource Pack, NEA handbooks, entry procedures and centre instructions remain authoritative.
Who is this qualification for?
It is the Qualifications Wales-regulated Made-for-Wales GCSE Geography, taught from September 2025 and not available to centres in England. This guide does not use legacy WJEC 3110QS or either Eduqas route.
What is the current four-unit structure?
Units 1 and 3 are 90-minute, 90-mark written examinations worth 30% each. Unit 2 is a seven-hour, 90-mark externally marked fieldwork NEA worth 25%. Unit 4 is a six-hour, 60-mark centre-marked and WJEC-moderated decision-making NEA worth 15%.
Are there optional examination topics?
The current Unit 1 and Unit 3 sample papers require all questions. This guide therefore keeps every specified area together. It does not create separate modules for rivers, coasts, migration, settlements, inequality, weather, hazards or climate.
How is the Unit 2 fieldwork theme chosen?
WJEC publishes two topic areas for each submission year and the centre selects one. The valid topic is determined by the year work is submitted, not necessarily the year fieldwork occurs. The seven-topic pool remains one Unit 2 pathway rather than seven separate qualifications.
Which Unit 2 topics apply in 2027?
For 2027 the two choices are Sustainability and Change over time. WJEC has published possible-task guidance for both, but centres must use the live Assessment Pack and cannot treat the guidance examples as pre-written assessed work.
What must the Unit 2 fieldwork include?
The centre provides one day of fieldwork in one named location outside the classroom and school grounds. Planning and data collection in Tasks 1 and 2 may be collaborative, but Tasks 3-6 and the submitted report are independent. Work must remain securely in the centre.
What are the six Unit 2 enquiry stages?
Planning; collecting evidence; processing and presenting evidence; analysing and applying evidence; drawing conclusions; and evaluating techniques. The assessment moves through all six and totals 90 marks.
Who marks Unit 2?
WJEC sets and marks Unit 2. Centres submit candidate work, cover sheet, declaration and fieldwork statement digitally through Surpass by the published deadline, currently 5 February in the year of final award.
How does Unit 4 work?
Phase 1 provides about three hours to research the annual sustainability issue and produce no more than two sides of A4 notes. Phase 2 provides about three hours to summarise the issue, compare options, complete an impact assessment and justify a recommendation. Collaboration is not allowed.
Can Unit 4 notes contain prepared answers?
No. The permitted notes support research and must not contain pre-written answers to Phase 2. They are submitted with the completed tasks and checked against the assessment controls.
Is there a Foundation or Higher tier?
No. The qualification is untiered and reports grades A* to G, with U for performance below the minimum award standard.
What is the terminal rule?
Pre-16 candidates must complete at least 40% of the qualification in the cash-in series. Post-16 candidates have no terminal rule. Resit and fresh-start rules differ, so current WJEC entry guidance must be checked.
Can static practice reproduce the full qualification?
No. Static practice cannot reproduce authenticated fieldwork, the live submission-year theme, secure seven-hour report, annual Unit 4 Resource Pack or controlled decision-making work. Full-mock mode is therefore disabled.
Are the 601 planned questions included?
No. The 601 figure is only a future-authoring allocation aligned approximately to the 30:25:30:15 unit weighting. This module contains study and coverage assets but no question bank or page registration.