11GEO

Year 11 Geography

Subject Description

Teacher in Charge: Miss E. Rattray.


Geography is the study of places as the home of people. To make sense of these places we ask three questions: what is where? why there? and why care? 

Geographers study te taiao – the interconnected world that includes features like coasts, mountains, populations and the relationship between them. 

The four Big Ideas of NCEA Geography are: 

  • Te taiao connects people and people connect to te taiao
  • Te taiao can be shaped by natural processes
  • Tikanga informs the relationships between the tangata and te taiao
  • Perspectives and power influence te taiao

Students of geography have the chance to explore a range of local and global contexts and geographic issues. The view from our classroom windows inspires the study of Moving Mountains (the spatial distribution of; processes that have built; and the challenges of living on mountains and volcanic landscapes) and Tīkapa Moana o Hauraki - the Hauraki Gulf (peoples connections to the coast; competing uses of marine resources; upholding Te Tiriti through kaitiakitanga; and how power and perspective will shape the future of Tīkapa Moana). The recent global population milestone of 8 Billion People and Counting raises questions: where do these people live? why? which populations are growing? shrinking? old? young? rich? poor? and what will populations look like in the future?

There is space in our programme and within these topics to explore places and issues that reflect student interest and to open doors to unfamiliar places. 

Geographers learn to think spatially, using maps, visual images and inquiry skills to develop understandings of the world around us. Fieldwork is an important part of Geography and students will attend a day trip to explore one of our case study environments.

 Students drawing field sketches of the Geography from our classroom windows.

Playdoh mountain maps of Africa, Asia and New Zealand

Recommended Prior Learning

There are no pre-requisites for this subject. Our Year 11 programme for 2025 will allow us to include locations and issues of interest to students. When making your course selection please write 2-3 sentences to tell us...

  • Why you have chosen to take Geography in Year 11.  
  • Which places in the world you want to learn about. 
  • If there are any local or global issues you are interested in studying.  


Contributions and Equipment/Stationery

Field work is an integral part of the study of Geography. Students will attend a one-day field trip as part of this course.

Pathway

Credit Information

You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.

Total Credits Available: 15
Internal Assessed Credits: 10
External Assessed Credits: 5
Assessment
Description
Level
Internal or
External
Credits
L1 Literacy Credits
UE Literacy Credits
Numeracy Credits
A.S. 91932 v3
NZQA Info

Geography 1.1 - Demonstrate understanding of the spatial distribution of a phenomenon and its impacts on place


Level: 1
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: Y
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91933 v3
NZQA Info

Geography 1.2 - Explore an environment using data


Level: 1
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Numeracy Credits: Y
A.S. 91935 v3
NZQA Info

Geography 1.4 - Demonstrate understanding of decision-making in response to a geographic challenge in the wider Pacific region


Level: 1
Internal or External: External
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: Y
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Numeracy Credits: 0
Credit Summary
Total Credits: 15
Total Level 1 Literacy Credits: 10
Total University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Total Numeracy Credits: 5

Disclaimer

The information about this course is accurate at the time of viewing/printing. Please note that there may be changes.