Geography is a fun subject to learn because it tells you all the things you need to learn about a place and gives you an idea on how it was formed, as well as how it changes through the years. However, while it is very interesting to learn, mastering the subject can be quite tricky considering all the facts that you have to remember about the subject.
Since geography is included in Singapore’s A-Levels, students can seek the help of a tutor offering geography tuition amongst other special tuition courses so students can pass their exams. Getting their help can also help students learn how they can manage the subject, especially when asked to do a case study.
Aside from getting the help of a tutor or a special tuition from an A-Level tuition school, you can also try out these steps to revise your geography case study writing in preparation for your exam.
Make Sure You Understand the Case Study
In geography, it is important to remember all the terminologies and statistics involved so you have a clear picture of the countries involved in your case study. You also need to be familiar with its image, the actors which are involved in its change, and the factors included in your case studies like its history, politics and environmental status.
In order to get you started, here are some tips to help you out:
1. Check out your world map or browse the map of your case study using apps like Google Maps, Google Earth or Apple Maps. These apps would often include a 2D or 3D image of the maps, allowing you to see the topography of the area and its other features.
2. Read up other facts and research about the country or area you need to learn about for your case study. Check newspapers and pictures that showcase the new details about the area.
3. You can also check out new videos about your case study focus on sites like YouTube or educational channels like Discovery or National Geographic.
4. If the place you need to study is close, why not visit it personally?
Condense Your Notes
When you got the facts down, it is time you check out your notes and condense them to make them understandable during your review.
Here are some tips to get it all organized:
• Create your own A3 annotated map of the country or area you are studying. You can then color code your notes to highlight the cause and effect of the area’s change or indicate the factors surrounding the area like its politics, society, and environment. Stick your map in your wall and review it. Since the map is small, you will be forced to make your notes more condensed than usual, which is good practice.
• You can also create a table which can separate the contexts in their respective columns to make it easier to remember. You can also do the same thing when trying to separate cause and effects.
• Create notecards or index cards to contain small facts and information for faster memorization.
• You can also do your own revision notes to list down the facts you need. It can be quite tedious to do, but since you read while you write, you can do your studying at the same time.
Memorize Hard
With your notes in hand, you can now start memorizing.
In order to memorize properly, you should repeat the facts regularly in your head and write the information down in different forms.
You can do the following when trying to memorize:
• Read your notecards loudly then test yourself in remembering what you just read.
• Ask people to ask you about your notes.
• Make keywords, poems or rhymes that would help you remember facts easily.
• Act the facts out if they can be done.
Teach Someone Else About the Case Study
If you have a classmate that is also having problems preparing for your geography A-Level exams, you can teach them about the case study.
By teaching them the case study, not only do they learn about it from you, you can also see if you understand the things you studied and practice how you can relay information so others can understand it.
You can ask your tutor during your geography tuition to serve as your mockup student if you wish to study at home. They can then tell you if you missed facts during your lesson.
Do Past Papers
The last tip that you can do to prepare yourself in geography writing is doing the topics listed in past papers and reviewing how they were graded. Some past exams can even come with their own rubric, which can give you an idea of how it was graded by the examiner.
If you wish to practice your writing, you can select a topic and try answering it with a time limit. With a test time set, you can test how you can write facts and revise your wording so it can be understood by the examiner who will check your work.
Once you are done with the test, you can mark your work and determine if you have missed facts or there are areas which you need to rewrite or revise. If you are not confident with your marking, you can ask your tutor to help you out. When you do ask a tutor or someone else to check your papers, they can tell you which parts you need to revise and grade your work based on how well it is written.
Conclusion
There are many ways to get past the difficulty in mastering writing geography case studies, especially if you are uncertain on how you should start one.
With a little bit of geography tuition from a tutor in Singapore, some great tips like the ones above and practice, you will not just be able to ace your A-levels, but also appreciate what the facts are trying to teach you about a country’s geography and how it has changed throughout the years.
To score better in your A-levels, we have great tips to help you revise:
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