It is compulsory that you carry out a fieldwork exercise and submit a written report as part of your Leaving Certificate Geography Examination. This is worth 20% of the total marks. Each student must complete and submit a report booklet. The headings for the stages in the booklet are listed below along with guidelines on how each should be approached, the maximum word count for each stage and the appropriate marking scheme.
Marking Scheme:
Hypotheses/aims = 4 × 1 mark
Overall coherence = 1 mark
Fig. 16.1 The fieldwork exercise is an essential part of Leaving Certificate Geography.
Stage 1: Introduction (5 marks)
Word count: 50 In the introduction, you name the location for the study and you clearly outline four aims. Aims must relate to the investigation and must be specific and qualified.
For an investigation with the title ‘The impact of geomorphic processes on the development of a landform in a fluvial environment’, the aims might include the following:
On a meander on river X, we aim to test: zz
if width and depth prove the cross-sectional area fits meander development theory;
zzif bedload varies in shape and size across a meander.
While the same title applied to a coastal environment might include the following:
At beach Y, we will measure: zz
zz 240
the height and frequency of waves, to prove wave energy impacts on beach formation;
beach sediment along a transect, to prove that size increases away from the shoreline.
