Imagine trying to understand why a high street is declining by only counting the empty shops; the numbers tell you what is happening, but you must speak to the local residents to find out why. Fieldwork assessment in geography requires you to combine physical measurements with human insights to build a complete picture of an environment.
Once qualitative are coded into themes, you can quantify them using frequency analysis to see how dominant a specific opinion is. This allows you to transform descriptive human insights into numerical data, which can then be presented visually in a bar chart or pie chart.
A student interviewed 40 local residents about a new pedestrianised zone in the town centre. After the , the student found that 26 residents mentioned "improved safety" as a key benefit. Calculate the frequency percentage of this theme.
Step 1: State the formula for frequency percentage.
Step 2: Identify the values and substitute them into the formula.
Step 3: Calculate the final answer.
Evaluation requires you to weigh up different factors to reach a balanced judgement on the investigation's success.
Example of an Evaluative Judgement: "While the statistical evidence showed a strong positive correlation () between distance downstream and stone roundness, the of the final is limited. Because we only collected data from 3 sites on a single day, the sample size is too small to definitively prove the hypothesis for the entire river profile, meaning the results may not be representative of long-term geographical processes."
Students often evaluate their fieldwork by stating 'we could have done it on another day' without explaining why; you must explicitly link temporal limitations to how they affect the validity of your final conclusion.
For Grade 9 answers, combine quantitative data to show the overall trend and qualitative transcript quotes to provide the 'human explanation' for why that trend exists.
In 8-mark evaluation questions, use the PREACH mnemonic to structure your response: Primary/Secondary data, Reliability, Equipment, Accuracy, Conclusions, Hypothesis/Aim.
Always include place-specific detail in your evaluation; writing 'I learned how the channel width of the River Dove increased' scores higher than a generic statement like 'I learned about rivers'.
In Paper 2 (People and Society), remember that the 8-mark fieldwork evaluation question carries an additional 3 marks for Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar (SPaG).
Conclusion
A summary of findings that states whether the initial hypothesis was proven correct or incorrect based on gathered evidence.
Anomalies
Unusual results or outliers found within transcripts or data sets that do not fit the general trend.
Transcript
A written version of material originally presented in another medium, such as an interview or a recorded observation.
Qualitative data
Non-numerical, descriptive information that records characteristics, opinions, or observations.
Coding
The process of categorizing qualitative data into themes or keywords to identify patterns and facilitate analysis.
Accuracy
The degree of precision in data collection, linked to equipment quality and human error in recording units correctly.
Reliability
The consistency of results, meaning that repeating the study under the same conditions would produce similar outcomes.
Critical reflection
A systematic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of an investigation and their impact on the final conclusion.
Validity
The truthfulness of results, describing the extent to which the methods actually measured what they intended to measure.
Spatial hook
The specific location-based context that makes an enquiry grounded in the real world.
Sampling bias
A form of error where the data collected is unrepresentative of the whole, often caused by non-random sampling or choosing specific locations to force a result.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Geography B
Conclusion
A summary of findings that states whether the initial hypothesis was proven correct or incorrect based on gathered evidence.
Anomalies
Unusual results or outliers found within transcripts or data sets that do not fit the general trend.
Transcript
A written version of material originally presented in another medium, such as an interview or a recorded observation.
Qualitative data
Non-numerical, descriptive information that records characteristics, opinions, or observations.
Coding
The process of categorizing qualitative data into themes or keywords to identify patterns and facilitate analysis.
Accuracy
The degree of precision in data collection, linked to equipment quality and human error in recording units correctly.
Reliability
The consistency of results, meaning that repeating the study under the same conditions would produce similar outcomes.
Critical reflection
A systematic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of an investigation and their impact on the final conclusion.
Validity
The truthfulness of results, describing the extent to which the methods actually measured what they intended to measure.
Spatial hook
The specific location-based context that makes an enquiry grounded in the real world.
Sampling bias
A form of error where the data collected is unrepresentative of the whole, often caused by non-random sampling or choosing specific locations to force a result.