JC Geography study plan

Sketch and label the structure of the Earth, distinguishing crust, mantle, outer core and inner core, and state one physical property of each layer

Explain the theory of plate tectonics in your own words, linking convection currents in the mantle to plate movement

Compare the four plate boundary types (constructive, destructive, conservative, collision) by naming the landforms and hazards associated with each

Define the key rock types (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic) and give one Irish or European example of each

Describe the processes of weathering, erosion and mass movement, giving a named example of each

Explain the formation of one erosional and one depositional river feature using correct process vocabulary

Trace the formation of one erosional and one depositional coastal feature, such as a sea cliff and a beach

Interpret a simple cross-section of a river valley or coastline and identify where erosion and deposition dominate

Describe the composition and layered structure of the atmosphere and explain how the greenhouse effect works

Distinguish weather from climate and list the factors that influence temperature, precipitation and wind

Explain the formation of relief, frontal and convectional rainfall with a labelled diagram for each

Read a simple weather map and describe the conditions ahead of, during and behind a front

Explain how latitude, altitude, distance from the sea and ocean currents affect climate, using named places

Describe the characteristics of one climatic region and explain the factors shaping it

Outline the causes and consequences of climate change and name two mitigation and two adaptation strategies

Interpret a climate graph to identify the hemisphere, rainfall regime and likely biome

Define key population terms including birth rate, death rate, natural increase, life expectancy and dependency ratio

Interpret a population pyramid and explain what its shape reveals about a country's development stage

Explain the stages of the demographic transition model and place two named countries on it

Describe push and pull factors of migration and evaluate one named migration case study

Compare rural and urban settlement patterns and explain the factors that site a settlement

Classify economic activity into primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors with examples

Explain how the employment structure of a country changes as it develops, linking this to the Clark-Fisher model

Describe the inputs, processes and outputs of one named Irish primary and one named Irish secondary industry

Evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of one named multinational or tourism case study

Define development indicators and explain the strengths and weaknesses of GDP per capita as a measure

Read four- and six-figure grid references and measure straight-line and curved distances on an Ordnance Survey map

Interpret contour patterns to describe relief and identify slope steepness and valley shape

Calculate gradient, cross-section profiles and areal estimates from map data

Plan a fieldwork investigation by writing a hypothesis, sampling strategy, data collection method and risk assessment

Select appropriate presentation techniques for fieldwork data, such as bar charts, scatter graphs and dispersion diagrams

Complete two full timed past-paper sessions and mark them against the official scheme

List and revise your five weakest topics identified from the marked papers

Practise structuring longer answers with named examples, place-specific detail and clear conclusions

Review your fieldwork write-up against the assessment criteria and tighten the evaluation section