WJEC A-Level Geography Contemporary Themes and Fieldwork (A2 Unit 4): a deep dive on tectonic hazards, ecosystems, economic growth and the independent investigation

What this unit actually demands

Contemporary Themes and Fieldwork is the A2 unit that combines optional contemporary themes with your own independent investigation. In the themes you explain processes and concepts, analyse causes and impacts, and evaluate management with located case studies, in essay-style answers. In the investigation you plan and carry out fieldwork along the route to enquiry and write it up critically. Examiners and moderators reward analysis, evaluation, justification of choices, and located evidence.

This guide ties together the four dot-point pages for the unit: tectonic hazards, ecosystems and biodiversity, economic growth and challenge, and the independent investigation. Each has its own page with practice questions; this overview shows how they fit.

Tectonic hazards

Tectonic hazards arise at plate boundaries driven by mantle convection and slab pull (constructive, destructive, conservative and collision margins, plus hotspots). They produce earthquakes, volcanoes and secondary hazards (tsunami, landslides, liquefaction). Impacts depend on risk = hazard x vulnerability / capacity to cope, so development, governance and preparedness matter as much as magnitude. Management spans prediction and monitoring, building design, planning, education and the hazard-management cycle.

Ecosystems and biodiversity

An ecosystem is a community of organisms interacting with their abiotic environment, structured by trophic levels through which energy flows (with loss at each level) and nutrients cycle (biomass, litter and soil). Biodiversity has ecological, economic and intrinsic value but is threatened by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, invasive species and over-exploitation. Conservation uses protected areas (national parks such as Snowdonia and the Pembrokeshire Coast), rewilding and restoration (Welsh peatland rewetting), sustainable management and international agreements.

Economic growth and challenge

Development is measured by economic indicators (GDP, GNI per capita) and composite social ones (the Human Development Index). Theories (Rostow, Frank's dependency, core-periphery) explain uneven development. Globalisation, driven by transnational corporations, has lifted output and reduced poverty in newly industrialising economies but unevenly. The challenges are widening inequality within and between countries (a development gap, and regional gaps such as London versus the south Wales valleys) and the sustainability of growth.

The independent investigation

The independent investigation is your own fieldwork enquiry, marked against the route to enquiry: a focused question and hypotheses linked to theory; justified data collection and sampling (random, systematic, stratified); ethical and safe primary and secondary data; appropriate presentation (located bar charts, choropleth maps, scatter graphs, kite diagrams); statistical analysis (Spearman's rank, mean and standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U); evidence-based conclusions; and a critical evaluation of reliability, validity and limitations. Welsh coastal, river or urban settings work well.

How this unit is examined

A typical WJEC profile for this unit:

• Theme essays. Explain processes and concepts and evaluate management or strategies with located case studies.
• Analysis and judgement. Use the risk equation, energy and nutrient models, or development theory to structure a balanced argument.
• The investigation. Demonstrate the full route to enquiry with justified methods and critical evaluation.

Check your knowledge

A mix of theme and fieldwork questions covering the whole unit. Attempt them under timed conditions, then check against the solutions.

1. Name the three main types of plate boundary that generate earthquakes. (2 marks)
2. Explain why two earthquakes of similar magnitude can have very different impacts. (3 marks)
3. Define the term ecosystem. (2 marks)
4. Explain why energy is lost between trophic levels in a food chain. (3 marks)
5. State one economic and one social measure of development. (2 marks)
6. Explain one reason why globalisation creates uneven development. (3 marks)
7. Define a stratified sampling strategy. (2 marks)
8. Explain why a statistical test such as Spearman's rank improves an investigation. (3 marks)