Subject Information 

Cambridge IGCSE Geography  helps you to make sense of the world around you.  The course gives you the chance to get to grips with some of the big questions which affect our world, and understand the social, economic and physical forces and processes which shape and change our world.

Cambridge IGCSE is a good mix of topics.  Learners will study:
  • population and urban issues,
  • world development,
  • weather and extreme environments,
  • rivers and hazard, coasts and earthquakes and volcanoes
Geography is also a very practical, with opportunities to learn new skills such as  map skills, interpreting photographs, and fieldwork skills.  Learners will improve their literacy through report writing and written work and make practical use of  numeracy skills when they interpret data and construct graphs. 

As a subject linking the arts and the sciences it is highly flexible in terms of what you can combine it with, both at GCSE and A Level. Employers and universities see geography as a robust academic subject rich in skills, knowledge and understanding.

Syllabus Content

The Geography course is divided into three themes:
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Theme 1: Population and settlement
Theme 2: The natural environment
Theme 3: Economic development.

​The themes are designed to develop an understanding of natural and human environments.

Geography Exam Papers

All students take three papers:
Paper 1: Geographical Themes 1 hour 45 minutes
(45% of the marks)
Paper 2: Geographical Skills 1 hour 30 minutes (27.5% )
Paper 4: Alternative to Coursework 1 hour 30 minutes (27.5%)

Course codes: 0976 (1-9), 0460 (*A-G)

​Prior Requirement & Hours of Study

  • We recommend that learners starting this course should have studied a geography curriculum within a framework in which the same kind of skills as are developed as in IGCSE Geography.   Competence in the English Language is necessary however.​
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  • Your child should allow for up to 130 hours’ study time to complete their IGCSE Geography course plus additional time for completing assignments. This is an approximate figure which depends on their learning abilities and the pace at which they work.​
The Latham School is a registered school with Cambridge Assessment International