Starting the enquiry

A fieldwork study begins with a clear aim or geographical question, broken into hypotheses you can test:

• A hypothesis is a testable statement, e.g. "River velocity increases downstream."
• Good hypotheses link to geographical theory from the themes (rivers, coasts, settlement, etc.).
• They should be measurable, so data can support or reject them.

Risk assessment

Before going into the field you must complete a risk assessment: list the hazards (e.g. deep or fast water, slippery rocks, traffic, weather), judge how likely and how serious each is, and plan control measures (wellingtons, staying in groups, high-visibility clothing, checking the forecast).

What makes a good hypothesis?

Primary & secondary data

You collect two kinds of data:

• Primary data — collected first-hand by you in the field (measuring river depth, counting pedestrians, questionnaires, field sketches).
• Secondary data — collected by someone else (census data, maps, weather records, textbooks, websites).

Accuracy means how close a reading is to the true value; reliability means you would get similar results if you repeated the measurement.

Primary, secondary or a skill?

Tap a source or task, then tap the group it belongs to.

Sampling methods

You usually cannot measure everything, so you sample:

• Random sampling — every point has an equal chance of being chosen (e.g. random numbers); avoids bias.
• Systematic sampling — chosen at regular intervals (e.g. every 10 m or every 5th person).
• Stratified sampling — the sample is split to match sub-groups in the population (e.g. by age or land use), so each is fairly represented.

A larger, well-chosen sample makes results more reliable.

Which sampling method?

Presenting the data well

Choose appropriate graphs and maps, and justify your choice:

• Line graph for change over distance or time; bar graph to compare sites.
• Pie chart for proportions; scatter graph for relationships.
• Located bars or proportional symbols plotted on a base map to show where patterns occur.

Your turn — mean of your data

Your turn — the range

Analysis & interpretation

Analysis means describing and explaining what your data shows:

• Describe links and trends (e.g. velocity rises downstream, as theory predicts).
• Spot anomalies — results that do not fit the trend — and suggest why.
• Refer back to geographical theory to explain the pattern.

Match each enquiry stage to its task

Tap an enquiry stage on the left, then its matching task on the right.

An evidenced conclusion

A good conclusion:

• Returns directly to the hypothesis and states whether the evidence supports or rejects it.
• Uses your own data as evidence, not just opinion.
• Is balanced — noting where the evidence is only partly convincing.

What must a conclusion do?

Evaluation & assessment objectives

Evaluation honestly reviews the study: the limitations of your methods, how reliable the data was, sources of error, and realistic improvements.

Cambridge fieldwork is marked against three assessment objectives:

• AO1 — knowledge & understanding of the topic.
• AO2 — skills & analysis: observation/collection, organisation/presentation, analysis/interpretation.
• AO3 — judgement & decision-making: the conclusion & evaluation.

Note: the exact enquiry title and any figures are set by your teacher/centre. Check specific details against your own coursework brief and class notes.

What belongs in an evaluation?

The big ideas to know

You've covered the Cambridge fieldwork enquiry. Press Finish to see your score.