More A level Geography textbook reviews 4

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The concepts and cases structure is a solid foundation around which the book is built. All the classic diagrams and theories are here, along with a few you might not have seen before. Plenty of maps, charts and useful tables of statistics are laid out beside the text. Newspaper cuttings and helpful key definitions boxes are used to good effect. The web addresses alongside the more usual bibliographies are a real bonus.

Each chapter has ‘spatial focus’ sections looking in more depth at actual places. These case studies are one of the real strengths of this book and it might have been useful to have had a list of them alongside the chapter headings.

This blurb on this text claims to meet the needs of the new syllabuses for AS and A level and is "...the ideal way to prepare for the new A levels". It was however very early to market. It was in fact in the bookshops before teachers had received the final versions of some of the new specifications (all of which had to be approved by the QCA).

Parts of the book suggest it was a bit of an editorial ‘rush job’. The wrong illustration has been dropped in for figure 2.50 on page 61 and instead of a photo of solar panels (figure 2.55), we get part of a graph on UK energy production. The Three Gorges prior to drowning (figure 7.12) appears as a grey featureless space. This is a great pity as the quality of reproduction is otherwise of a high standard.

Advanced Geography does not seem to be tailored to meet the needs of a particular specification. Far from being a new approach, the whole book has a very traditional feel. The questions posed at the end of each section are fairly straightforward and are doubtless a useful aid to comprehension. But, they reflect neither the question format at AS nor A2. A token section gives advice on exam preparation (have a timetable, make lists and eat lots of chocolate), essay writing, using case studies and answering structured questions.

A good textbook becomes a real friend when you’re finishing an assignment or studying at home and you need to look something up or check a detail or flesh out an essay with a good case study. This is where this book trips up. It is a five hundred page book with a four page index. Not all of the key definitions rightly highlighted in boxes in the text appear in the index. There’s no separate listing of the case studies either.

As far as the WJEC specification for AS is concerned, this book struggles to meet students needs. Some topics are particularly well covered (eg tectonic hazards), but others such as "aspects of rural change" almost draw a blank. Much of the chapter on ecosystems is irrelevant because of the requirement to study "small scale" ecosystems.

At A2 there does seem to be some material which is relevant to all of the units, but not perhaps at the depth required. The chapter on 'global and regional disparity and development' is one of the best, but the 'regional development in Canada' seems a less than obvious choice and a page on Sub-Saharan Africa can be no more than a taster. For the landforms sub-unit there are chapters on glacial and coastal environments (but not arid) and either would make a reasonable introduction to geomorphic processes in these contexts and there is some useful material on coastal management strategies. Case studies include a stretch of coast from the Lleyn Peninsula to Aberystwyth, longshore drift in West Africa and valley glaciation in the Lake District.

The standard text which has grown in popularity and bulk since first publication in 1990. There's no such thing as the perfect textbook, but for the traditional A-level course, this is as good as it gets. The criticisms are those which could apply to any one-volume text which tries to meet the needs of different exam providers and can meet no one specification exactly. The main problem students may have is that Waugh's text has become so universally used, examiners now recognise student answers as being 'Waugh' in origin. [The main complaint I actually get from students is that the text is too heavy to cart around.]

Although David Waugh's is the name on the front cover, the third edition is something of a team effort with research, case studies and exam questions contributed by others. GAIA, as it likes to be known, gains credibility because leading university geographers have reviewed each chapter, making it as far as possible accurate and relevant. Another plus is the GAIA website - at this stage it is difficult to tell exactly how useful internet back-up will prove to be, but it should mean students have access to updated information as it becomes available (particularly useful for official statistics which rapidly date, eg population figures). There's a nod in the direction of key skills and a couple of decision-making exercises, but as before this is mainly about accepted geographical theory illustrated by 'place' examples, with a more detailed case study for every chapter. It is stuffed with photographs and diagrams and looks more colourful than ever (sometimes to the extent of using coloured print in a way which seems to me to reduce readability). Some of the questions set at the end of chapters have proved disappointing in practice (eg population pyramids which can't be read accurately on p386).

Does it match the new specifications, particularly WJEC's? It is claimed the core material has been revised to meet the needs of AS/A2, but it is clear that for any one specification there will sometimes be too much detail and at other times too little content. For WJEC AS, GAIA scores best at the global scale - the chapter on plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes and that on population. Much of the chapter on drainage basins and rivers will be useful, but some additional case study material will have to be added. There isn't enough here at a local scale to exactly match student needs, but GAIA still has a role to fulfil in explaining classic concepts and defining basic geographical ideas.

GAIA is an 'old-fashioned' text and probably better suited to specifications other than WJEC's. Students doing the AS on its own may resent the purchase of this major text when most of it will be of little direct use in their studies. For those intending to carry on and do A2, GAIA is a much better purchase. For any aspiring university geographer, at £25 it is in fact extraordinarily good value for money.

Personally I am not entirely comfortable with the idea of a textbook endorsed by an examination provider, but it does seem to be the direction in which publishers of material for AS are heading. Clive Hart's book is endorsed by OCR and is said to match the requirements of OCR AS Specification A.* The book has two main parts (physical and human), plus a chapter on geographical investigation. The ten chapters have been contributed by a pool of seven authors (including Garrett Nagel - a one-man publishing empire). [* The grades awarded at AS for this specification are interesting to note. According to the OCR website 26% got grade A and 75% got C or above. Aug 2001.]

Reflecting the structure of the parent specification, many will feel breadth is gained at the expense of depth. For example tectonics gets a mere ten pages - about half of the chapter on the lithosphere. (Case study material includes the Taiwan earthquake 1999 and an up-to-date analysis of volcanic activity at Mt Etna.) Global population patterns and processes fare better. One of the strengths of this publication is the high quality reproduction of full-colour photographs, maps and diagrams. However, there is much here which will interest teachers delivering the WJEC specification, although it wouldn't be first choice for delivering a specification other than OCR.

There are two chapters on cities by by Alisdair Rodgers (Oxford University). The chapter on contemporary urban growth in MEDCs includes sections on suburban development, edge cities and the problems of urban growth. The main case study here is Los Angeles, but there are also examples from England. A second chapter on urban land use and population patterns includes demographic data by ward for Leeds (1991 Census) and a useful case study on ethnic segregation in that city.

Another chapter which stands out as being suitable core reading for WJEC students is Kevin Stannard's (Eton) on rural settlement and population change. The impact of counterurbanisation is particularly well dealt with. The emphasis here is very definitely on the English experience and this has case study material from Oxfordshire and County Durham (St John's Chapel, Weardale and the West Durham Rural Network). The Celtic fringe doesn't get a mention.

My personal view is that the two chapters on hydrology and ecosystems provide useful background reading and an explanation of the main concepts, but don't suit WJEC so well as some other texts. There is a three-page case study of the R Yangtze, including the 1998 floods. Ecosystem cases include Highgate Wood (London) and Braunton Burrows psammosere (Devon), but neither in the depth required for WJEC.

Some statistically-challenged students will be grateful for worked examples of standard deviation and the Spearman coefficient, although they would be wise to turn to Barnaby Lenon & Paul Cleves (1994) Fieldwork Techniques and Projects in Geography (Collins Educational) - the chapter on statistical methods has all you need to know.

At the risk of repeating myself, the chapter on statistical methods has all you need to know for WJEC. There are chapters on sampling methods and local climate. A section on questionnaires. Lots of useful stuff for project work in A2. All this and how to draw maps and graphs too. An old favourite I wouldn't be without.

A Modern Dictionary of Geography (2001) by Michael Witherick, Simon Ross and John Small, pub. Arnold, 4th ed. Student Reference series. About £10.99

The Complete A-Z Geography Handbook (1996) By Malcolm Skinner, David Redfern and Geoff Farmer, pub. Hodder & Stoughton. About £10

I've been using The Complete A-Z for a few years now and it has always been the book I've recommended to students who ask which study guide is best. It is a glorified dictionary rather than a complete handbook, widely available (WH Smith), affordable and designed with revision in mind. Specialist terminology is easily checked and key diagrams reproduced clearly in black and white. Ideal for those sorting out the difference between a conservative and a constructive plate margin. If you want to know how to calculate a location quotient, plot a scattergraph or remind yourself what significance testing is about, it's here. Of course it doesn't have the detail of a textbook or the all too necessary case studies, but as a companion to help you unravel your notes both as you go along and during that last crucial phase chained to the desk at home, it is difficult to equal. A plus is the list of examiners' terms at the back. Although it is a dictionary, it outsmarts so-called revision guides and sweeps aside anything in the shops with "...in a week" in the title. Mine has been a trusted companion and looks dog-eared and tatty as a result.

A Modern Dictionary although new to me has been around for some time and this is its 4th edition. The blurb claims to meet both sixth form and undergraduate needs with 2400 definitions and 200 illustrations. However, the preface makes clear that this new edition responds directly to the 'new' AS/A2 examinations. Some of the black and white diagrams are a bit tiny for my liking, but still get the message across. Where the A-Z has a tendency to use bullet points and lists of 'pros and cons', the Modern contributes a mini essay. It is succinct, yet eloquent. It is this way with words that has gradually won me over. I cannot help but admire the distillation of knowledge in entries such as 'climatic climax vegetation' or 'Club of Rome' and each cross reference leads you on a rewarding trail. This sophistication also applies to the range of content (eg Milankovitch's theory, relocation diffusion). However explanations of 'best-fit line' and Gini coefficient are much briefer than in the A-Z.

Which to choose? The A-Z will be more appealing to most students, especially as the diagrams are generously sized and the language level readily accessible. The extra features are genuinely useful. In practice, many teachers might find themselves reaching more often for the Modern. The difference between them is perhaps that one originated in a university department, while the other is the product of practising teachers and A-level examiners.