Geographical skills

Work with a new resource each time. Check the calculation, then consider what it means geographically.

River current passes a gravel bar and an undercut bank with exposed roots.
Imagined river setting

Skills resources are shared. Check your qualification page for its specific assessment conditions.

Which statistical method fits the question?

Bearings

Measure clockwise from north and distinguish outward and return bearings.

Shared geographical skills

Contours and relief

Read height, contour intervals and changing slope.

Shared geographical skills

Gradient

Compare vertical change with horizontal distance in the same units.

Shared geographical skills

Climate graphs

Read monthly temperature, rainfall totals and seasonal differences.

Shared geographical skills

Population pyramids

Compare age groups using percentages of the whole population.

Shared geographical skills

Scatter plots

Describe an association without inferring its cause.

Shared geographical skills

Choropleth maps

Read class boundaries and distinguish rates from totals.

Shared geographical skills

Percentage change

Use the original value as the denominator.

Shared geographical skills

Interquartile range

Calculate quartiles using an explicitly stated convention.

Shared geographical skills

Standard deviation

Measure variation and distinguish population and sample denominators.

Advanced methods training

Mann–Whitney U

Rank two independent samples, including tied observations.

Advanced methods training

Gini coefficient

Measure inequality using equal-sized fictional household observations.

Advanced methods training

Source evaluation

Check a claim against its period, sampling frame and denominator.

Shared geographical skills

Sampling methods

Recognise systematic, random and stratified sampling choices.

Shared geographical skills

Index numbers

Compare change relative to a base year of 100.

Shared geographical skills

River discharge

Combine a rectangular cross-sectional area with mean velocity.

Shared geographical skills

Coastal change rates

Calculate an average rate while preserving the period measured.

Shared geographical skills

Population density

Use an area denominator and identify what the average conceals.

Shared geographical skills

River hydrographs

Read rainfall and discharge peaks, lag time and the limits of one storm record.

Shared geographical skills

Landscape cross sections

Read an elevation profile and distinguish vertical from horizontal scale.

Shared geographical skills