- T1.1The global atmospheric circulation system: Hadley, Ferrel and Polar cells; pressure belts and prevailing winds; how circulation drives global climate zones
- T1.2Climate change in the past and present: evidence (ice cores, tree rings, historical records), natural causes (orbital, solar, volcanic) and human causes (greenhouse gases)
- T1.3Tropical cyclones: distribution and formation, structure (eye, eyewall, rain bands), intensity and frequency in a warming world
- T1.5Earth’s tectonic hazards: plate tectonics, plate boundary types, the global distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes
- T2.1Measuring development: economic indicators (GNI per capita, GDP), social indicators (HDI, life expectancy, literacy); strengths and limitations of single vs composite measures
- T2.2Patterns and causes of uneven development: physical, historical (colonialism), economic and political factors
- T2.3Theories of development: Rostow’s modernisation model and Frank’s dependency theory; alternative pathways out of poverty
- T3.1Global urbanisation patterns: rates and trends in HICs vs LIDCs/EDCs; megacities and the rise of the global South
- T3.2Causes and consequences of rapid urban growth: rural–urban migration, natural increase; informal settlements (favelas/slums) and challenges of housing, services and employment
- T3.3Case study of a megacity in a developing/emerging country (e.g. Mumbai, Lagos, Rio): site, situation, structure, challenges and opportunities; sustainable urban management
- T4.1UK physical landscapes overview: upland and lowland regions, geological structure (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), past and present-day processes
- T4.2Coastal landscapes — processes: weathering (mechanical, chemical, biological), mass movement, marine erosion (HSAC), transport (LSD) and deposition
- T4.3Coastal landforms: erosional (headlands and bays, caves–arches–stacks–stumps, cliffs and wave-cut platforms) and depositional (beaches, spits, bars, tombolos)
- T4.5River landscapes — processes and long profile: erosion (vertical to lateral), transport, deposition; the long and cross profile from source to mouth
- T5.1The UK’s changing population, economy and settlements: demographic and economic trends, the urban–rural continuum, north–south divide, regional inequality
- T5.2Globalisation and the UK economy: TNCs, foreign investment, deindustrialisation, the rise of the service and knowledge economy
- T5.3Case study of a major UK city (e.g. London, Birmingham): location, structure (CBD, inner city, suburbs, urban–rural fringe), challenges (housing, transport, inequality), opportunities and sustainable urban planning
- T6.1Physical fieldwork investigation: enquiry process — question/hypothesis, methods, data presentation, analysis, conclusions, evaluation; one physical fieldwork (coastal or river)
- T6.2Human fieldwork investigation: enquiry process applied to one human investigation (e.g. urban quality of life, regeneration, retail change)
- T6.3Geographical skills for Paper 2: OS map reading, photo interpretation, statistical techniques (mean, median, mode, range, IQR), choropleth and proportional symbol maps, GIS
- T7.1The biosphere as a life-support system: distribution and characteristics of major biomes (tropical rainforest, taiga, savanna, temperate, polar, desert)
- T7.2Resources from the biosphere: indigenous and global use of biosphere resources (food, fuel, medicine, building materials); rising demand and pressures
- T8.1Tropical rainforest: location, structure, climate, soils and nutrient cycling; biodiversity and adaptations
- T8.2Taiga (boreal forest): location, structure, climate, slow nutrient cycling and adaptations to cold/short growing season
- T8.3Threats to forests: deforestation drivers (logging, agriculture, mining, infrastructure) and climate change impacts; case study of a tropical rainforest area
- T9.1Classification of energy: renewable (solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, tidal) vs non-renewable (coal, oil, gas, nuclear); trends in global energy mix
- T9.2Access to energy: factors affecting global access, the energy gap and energy security