WJEC A-Level Geology: complete guide to the units, themes and the exams
A complete guide to WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology (Wales). Covers the four AS Fundamentals units (F1 to F4), the four A2 Interpreting the Geological Record topics (G1 to G4), the Geological Themes (Geohazards, Geological Map Applications and one of three options), the practical endorsement and fieldwork, how the papers are structured and how to study each part for top grades.
WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology (Wales) is a two-year course on the Earth, its materials, structures, history and resources, assessed by written components and a separate practical endorsement. This page is the index: below is a map of the AS Fundamentals, the A2 content, the Geological Themes, the practical work and how to study each part.
The AS Fundamentals (F1 to F4)
The AS year builds the vocabulary and the practical eye of the whole course.
- F1 Elements, Minerals and Rocks
- The abundant crustal elements, the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron and silicate structures, identifying minerals by physical properties, the three rock classes and the rock cycle.
- F2 Surface and Internal Processes
- Weathering, erosion and transport, sedimentary processes and environments, and the internal heat that drives the rock cycle.
- F3 Time and Change
- Relative dating and stratigraphic principles, fossils and biostratigraphy, radiometric absolute dating and the geological timescale.
- F4 Earth Structure and Global Tectonics
- The internal structure of the Earth, plate tectonic theory and its evidence, and the processes at plate boundaries.
Interpreting the Geological Record (G1 to G4)
The A2 core takes the Fundamentals to a process and interpretive level.
- G1 Rock Forming Processes
- Magma formation and evolution (Bowen's reaction series), igneous textures and intrusions, metamorphic grade and facies, and sedimentary processes and diagenesis.
- G2 Rock Deformation
- Stress and strain and brittle versus ductile behaviour, folds, faults, and unconformities and the reconstruction of a sequence of events.
- G3 Past Life and Past Climates
- The fossil evidence for evolution and the mass extinctions, functional morphology and trace fossils, and palaeoclimate proxies.
- G4 Earth Materials and Natural Resources
- The petroleum system and traps, ore deposits and the economics of mining, groundwater and engineering geology, and energy resources and sustainability.
The Geological Themes (T1, T2 and one option)
- T1 Geohazards
- Earthquakes and seismic risk, volcanic hazards and monitoring, and mass movement and ground subsidence.
- T2 Geological Map Applications
- Reading dip and strike and the rule of Vs, recognising structures on maps, constructing cross-sections and reconstructing geological history.
- Optional themes (study one)
- T3 Quaternary Geology, T4 Geological Evolution of Britain or T5 Geology of the Lithosphere.
Practical endorsement and fieldwork
Practical work is intrinsic to the course. The practical endorsement is a separately reported pass or fail based on the specified practicals and the Common Practical Assessment Criteria, including a minimum of four field days, and practical knowledge is also assessed within the written components through specimens, photographs, maps and data.
How to study WJEC Geology
Geology rewards confident identification, precise process explanations and strong map and structural skills.
- Work from the specification statements. Each statement is a checklist; questions are written from them.
- Make identification automatic. Minerals, rocks and fossils in hand specimen underpin Component 1.
- Drill the map and structural skills. Dip and strike, the rule of Vs, cross-sections and reconstructing event sequences recur throughout.
- Learn the processes precisely. Magma evolution, metamorphism, the petroleum system and the hazards each have a clear, examinable explanation.
- Revise your one optional theme in depth, and use real specimens, maps and past papers to practise.
For the official specification
WJEC and Eduqas publish the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at eduqas.co.uk and wjec.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and the board's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.
Geology guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
- WJEC A-Level Geology F1 Elements, Minerals and Rocks: a deep dive on crustal elements, silicate structures, mineral identification and the three rock classes
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to F1, Elements, Minerals and Rocks. Covers the abundant crustal elements, the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron and silicate structures, mineral identification by physical properties, the three rock classes and the rock cycle, with exam-style worked questions.
16 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology F2 Surface and Internal Processes: a deep dive on weathering, erosion, transport, deposition, sedimentary structures and the Earth's internal heat engine
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to F2, Surface and Internal Processes. Covers physical and chemical weathering, erosion and transport, deposition and sedimentary structures as way-up and environment indicators, and the Earth's internal heat, geothermal gradient and mantle convection, with exam-style worked questions.
16 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology F3 Time and Change: a deep dive on relative dating, fossils and biostratigraphy, radiometric dating and the geological timescale
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to F3, Time and Change. Covers the principles of relative dating, fossil preservation and zone fossils for correlation, radiometric absolute dating with half-life calculations, and the structure and construction of the geological timescale, with exam-style worked questions.
16 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology F4 Earth Structure and Global Tectonics: a deep dive on the layered Earth, seismic evidence, plate tectonic theory and plate boundaries
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to F4, Earth Structure and Global Tectonics. Covers the compositional and mechanical layering of the Earth and the seismic evidence for it, the development and evidence of plate tectonic theory, and the three plate boundary types with their processes and driving forces, with exam-style worked questions.
16 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology G1 Rock Forming Processes: a deep dive on igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary processes at A2
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to G1, Rock Forming Processes. Covers partial melting and Bowen's reaction series, igneous textures and intrusions, contact and regional metamorphism with index minerals and facies, and the formation, diagenesis and structures of sedimentary rocks, with exam-style worked questions.
15 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology G2 Rock Deformation: a deep dive on stress, folds, faults and structural history
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to G2, Rock Deformation. Covers stress and strain and the controls on brittle versus ductile behaviour, the geometry and classification of folds, the four fault types and their stress regimes, unconformities and orogenic structures, and how to reconstruct a sequence of tectonic events, with exam-style worked questions.
15 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology G3 Past Life and Past Climates: a deep dive on evolution, palaeoecology and palaeoclimate
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to G3, Past Life and Past Climates. Covers the fossil evidence for evolution and the major mass extinctions, the use of functional morphology and trace fossils to read mode of life and environment, and the lithological, palaeontological and isotopic proxies used to reconstruct past climate and confirm drift, with exam-style worked questions.
14 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology G4 Earth Materials and Natural Resources: a deep dive on hydrocarbons, ores, water and energy
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to G4, Earth Materials and Natural Resources. Covers the petroleum system and hydrocarbon traps, the formation and evaluation of ore deposits, groundwater and engineering geology, and energy resources and sustainability including carbon capture and storage, with exam-style worked questions.
15 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology optional Geological Themes (T3, T4, T5): a deep dive on Quaternary geology, the evolution of Britain and the lithosphere
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to the three optional Geological Themes, of which a learner studies one: T3 Quaternary geology, T4 geological evolution of Britain and T5 geology of the lithosphere. Covers glacial cycles and Milankovitch forcing, the orogenies and northward drift of Britain, and the lithosphere, crust types, geophysics and isostasy.
15 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology practical endorsement and fieldwork: the specified practicals, core techniques, CPAC and fieldwork requirement
A WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to the practical endorsement and fieldwork: the specified practical activities, the core laboratory and field techniques, the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC), the minimum fieldwork requirement, and how practical skills are both reported separately and assessed within the written components.
12 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology T1 Geohazards: a deep dive on earthquakes, volcanoes and mass movement
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to T1, Geohazards. Covers earthquake generation, seismic waves, magnitude and intensity and seismic hazards, the control of magma composition on volcanic style and the volcanic hazards and monitoring, and mass movement and ground subsidence, with the prediction and mitigation of each, and exam-style worked questions.
14 min readRead β - WJEC A-Level Geology T2 Geological Map Applications: a deep dive on map interpretation and cross-sections
A deep-dive WJEC and Eduqas A-Level Geology guide to T2, Geological Map Applications. Covers reading dip and strike and the rule of Vs, recognising horizontal, dipping, folded, faulted and unconformable strata, constructing a geological cross-section, and reconstructing the full sequence of geological events of an area, with exam-style worked questions.
14 min readRead β
Geology practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
- F1: Elements, Minerals and Rocks overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- F2: Surface and Internal Processes overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- F3: Time and Change overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- F4: Earth Structure and Global Tectonics overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- Optional Geological Themes (T3, T4, T5) overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology15 questionsStart β
- T1: Geohazards overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- T2: Geological Map Applications overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology12 questionsStart β
- G1: Rock Forming Processes overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- G2: Rock Deformation overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- G3: Past Life and Past Climates overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- G4: Earth Materials and Natural Resources overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology14 questionsStart β
- Practical endorsement and fieldwork overview quiz - WJEC A-Level Geology12 questionsStart β
The WJEC-A-LEVEL system, explained
See all β- generalAI and academic integrity in 2026: what you can and cannot do
An honest 2026 guide to how Year 12 students can use AI tools well and where the line is. NESA, VCAA, and QCAA rules, what AI is actually good at, what it is bad at, and how to think about it without panicking.
- wellbeingExam stress, anxiety, and looking after yourself
An honest guide to exam stress and mental health in Year 12. What is normal, what is not, when to ask for help, and what to do if it gets really hard. With the numbers you can call.
- uni pathwaysGap year or uni straight after school?
A clear-eyed comparison of going straight to uni versus taking a gap year. Who benefits from each, how to actually defer your offer, common gap-year traps, and how to make either path work for you.
- generalHow ExamExplained is built: the AI-first methodology (2026)
How ExamExplained is built. Claude Opus (Anthropic's latest AI) reads the published syllabuses, past papers and marking guides from the official exam authorities, then writes the dot-point answers, guides and quizzes. AI-written, not individually human-reviewed, so always check the official authority for what affects your mark.
- uni pathwaysHow to choose a uni course (without picking the wrong one)
A practical guide to picking your university course in Year 12. How to research, how to order preferences, when to ignore the ATAR cutoff, and how to leave yourself an escape hatch if you change your mind.