Geography exams turn green to test pupils on climate threat

Published on Wednesday 3 September 2008 22:06

GEOGRAPHY exams in schools are changing to reflect growing concerns about the environment, it emerged yesterday.

Higher and Advanced Higher courses this year will include more green topics, such as global warming and sustainability, in an effort to make them more relevant to the wider world.

A spokesman for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said the courses would be broadened to include the consequences and causes of global climate change.

Candidates will also be given additional options for studying green issues and the chance to answer more questions on the topic in next May's exam paper.

The SQA spokesman added: "The environment, and everything that encompasses, is a particularly interesting and important area of study."

Geography teachers welcomed the changes, which they said reflected the growing popularity of the subject and the growing interest in green issues shown by pupils.

Malcolm McDonald, the president of the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers (SAGT), said: "In the Higher exam, students will get a free choice of question in the second paper. They used to have to do both a physical geography question and a human geography question.

"This is the section where students look at the important environmental and social issues which are affecting the UK and further afield."

He said recent scientific discovery had also made changes to content necessary, in areas such as atmosphere.

Mr McDonald went on: "If students are to find out the science behind climate change and the effects of increasing rainfall and changing climate on Scotland's landscape, such as landslides and flooding, they will learn about it in geography.

"Geography's strength is that the science is linked to the effects on human society and the landscape."

However, geography teachers have expressed anger that the subject is not among the choices available to students taking the new science baccalaureate.

Two months ago, Fiona Hyslop, the education secretary, announced science and languages baccalaureates at Higher level to encourage more teenagers to take the subjects.

Mr McDonald said the SAGT was astonished at the omission, adding: "In the languages baccalaureate, a space has been found for ancient Greek, which had just seven students sitting the exam in 2007, and also Russian, with 16 students.

"In the science baccalaureate, geology and management of environmental resources, mostly taught by geographers, and fabrication and welding engineering – which had just 13 students last year – are included but geography is not."

However, the Scottish Government defended the decision. Maureen Watt, the schools minister, said: "The decision to focus on science and language was made because these are key areas for education and the economy.

"While there are no specific plans at present to develop baccalaureates in other subject areas, this has not been ruled out."