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EnglandGeographySyllabus dot point

How do geographers carry out a fieldwork enquiry?

The fieldwork enquiry process applied to one physical and one human investigation in contrasting environments: forming a question or hypothesis, sampling and data collection, presentation and analysis, conclusions, and evaluation of the methods.

A focused answer to OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) fieldwork, covering the enquiry process for one physical and one human investigation in contrasting environments: forming a hypothesis, sampling, data collection, presentation, analysis, conclusion and evaluation.

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  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. The enquiry process
  3. Sampling and data collection
  4. Analysis, conclusion and evaluation
  5. Try this

What this dot point is asking

This is OCR GCSE Geography B (J384) fieldwork, examined in Components 1 and 2. OCR requires you to complete two fieldwork enquiries in contrasting environments: one physical (linked to Our Natural World) and one human (linked to People and Society). The exams ask about your own enquiries, so you must know the full enquiry process for each: forming a question or hypothesis, sampling and data collection, presentation and analysis, conclusions, and evaluation of the methods.

The enquiry process

Both enquiries follow the same six-stage process, and OCR can ask about any stage.

Sampling and data collection

Good data depends on a sensible sampling strategy and the right methods.

Typical methods: a physical river enquiry might measure velocity (float and stopwatch, or flow meter), width, depth and bedload size at sites downstream; a human urban enquiry might use pedestrian counts, traffic counts, environmental-quality surveys and questionnaires along a transect from the city centre.

Analysis, conclusion and evaluation

Once collected, the data must be presented, analysed, concluded and evaluated.

  • Presentation and analysis: choose appropriate graphs and maps, then describe the patterns and apply statistics (averages, the interquartile range, percentages) to interpret them and identify anomalies.
  • Conclusion: answer the question directly, stating whether the data support the hypothesis and what the enquiry shows.
  • Evaluation: judge reliability (was the sample large and representative; were measurements accurate and repeated; could weather, time or human error have affected results; were there access or safety limits) and suggest improvements (a larger sample, more sites, a repeat on another day).

Try this

Q1. Explain the difference between primary and secondary data. [2 marks]

  • Cue. Primary data is collected first-hand in the field; secondary data comes from existing sources such as the census or maps.

Q2. Suggest why systematic sampling might be chosen for a river enquiry. [3 marks]

  • Cue. Taking readings at regular intervals downstream gives an even, unbiased spread of sites to show how the river changes along its course.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

OCR 20194 marksFor one of your fieldwork enquiries, explain why you chose your data collection method. (Component 1 or 2)
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A 4-mark fieldwork question assessing AO3 and AO4. Markers reward a justified link between the method and the enquiry question.

Award credit for: naming the enquiry and the method (for example, measuring river velocity with a flow meter or a float and stopwatch to investigate how velocity changes downstream; or a pedestrian count and an environmental quality survey to investigate how a high street changes with distance from the centre). The justification must link the method to the data the question needs: the method collects the right quantitative or qualitative data, at suitable sites, to test the hypothesis. Top answers explain why the method was appropriate and reliable for that specific enquiry, not just describe it. (Answers are expected to use the student's own enquiry, so accept any valid example.)

OCR 20216 marksFor one of your fieldwork enquiries, evaluate the reliability of your data collection. (Component 1 or 2)
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A 6-mark "Evaluate" question marked by levels of response, assessing AO3 and AO4, with a judgement.

Strong answers describe how the data were collected in their own enquiry and then evaluate reliability: was the sample large enough and chosen well (random, systematic or stratified) to be representative; were measurements accurate and repeated; could weather, time of day or human error have affected results; and were there safety or access limits on the sites. They suggest improvements (a larger sample, repeating readings, more sites, a different day) and judge how confident they can be in the conclusion. A good answer reaches an overall judgement on reliability, supported by specific points from the enquiry, rather than just listing problems. Markers reward the evaluation and the improvements. (Accept any valid own-enquiry example.)

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