A-level Geography

THE SYLLABUS CONTENT (Please select a topic)

I. NATURAL LANDSCAPES

1 Climatic System

(a) The energy budget, energy flow, spatial variation
(b) Atmospheric moisture, processes, flows within the system
(c) Atmospheric circulation, air masses, major wind systems
(d) The interplay of (a), (b) & (c) which results in climatic variation

2 Landform System

(a) Plate tectonics and the distribution of major landform features
(b) The drainage basin system and its variation in different environments

(i) the hydrological cycle in the context of landform development
(ii) the weathering subsystem
(iii) the slope subsystem
(iv) the channel subsystem

3 Biotic System

(a) Ecosystem
(b) Major factors influencing the formation of soils with special reference to Oxisols and Aridisols
(c) Factors influencing the development of vegetation
(d) Plant-environment relationships at a global scale (biomes) and at a local scale

4 Man-Land Relationship in Selected Natural Landscapes

II. AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES

1 Farming as an ecological system and economic system
2 Spatial patterns in agricultural landscapes (von Thunen, Sinclair)
3 Impact of urbanization and industrialization on farming
4 Farming hazards (floods and droughts)

III. URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPES

1 Location, spacing, size and function of urban settlement (Christaller)
2 Spatial patterns in urban landscapes

(a) concepts of urban structure (Burgess, Hoyt, Harris and Ullman)
(b) Urban population densities

3 Concepts of manufacturing location (Weber)
4 Urban problems: housing, transport
5 The impact of urbanization and industrialization on the quality of the environment

RED = Topics required in HKALE covered in HKCEE before 2005 but not from 2005 onwards

GREEN = Topics required in HKALE covered in HKCEE from 2005 onwards but not before 2005

	Before HKCEE 2005	HKALE	HKCEE 2005 onwards
A1	Mountain building processes	A2a Plate tectonics	A2 Plate tectonics (Transform fault, Hot spot)
A2	Rocks	(None, but some relevance to A2 Landform system)	(None)
A3	Denudation (Weathering, Mass wasting)	A2b(ii) Weathering subsystem A2b(iii) Slope subsystem	(None)
A4	Rivers	A2b Drainage basin system A2b(iv) Channel subsystem	A3 Rivers
A5	Coasts	(None, but some relevance to A2 Landform system)	(None)
A6	Weather and climate (Humidity, Condensation, Tropical cyclone, Temperate cyclone, Air mass, Front, Local winds)	A1 Climatic system	A1 Climate (Factors affecting insolation) B1 Climatic Anomalies (Global warming)
A7	Ecosystems (Ecosystems, Energy flow, Nutrient cycling, Tropical rainforests, Impacts of deforestation)	A3 Biotic system A4 Man-land relationship	(None) (A4 Desertification in Sahel)
B1	Population	(None, but some relevance to B Agricultural landscape)	(None, but some relevance to B4 Food and hunger)
B2	Agricultural activities Case studies: (a) Market gardening in Hong Kong (b) Rice farming in S China (c) Wheat-sheep farming in Australia	B Agricultural landscape (Case studies required but not specified in the syllabus)	A4 Agriculture Case studies: (a) Irrigation farming in California (b) Nomadic herding in Sahel B4 Food and hunger
B3	Manufacturing industry Case studies: (a) Iron and steel industry in China (b) Iron and steel industry in Japan (c) Textile and electronics in Hong Kong	C3 Industrial landscape (Case studies required but not specified in the syllabus)	A6 Industry Case studies: (a) Iron and steel industry in China (b) IT industry in USA and Globalization
B4	Urban settlement (Site and situation, Urban land use models)	C1 Urban landscape	A5 City
C1	Natural hazards (Earthquakes, Flooding)	A2a Plate tectonics B4 Farming hazards	B2 Natural hazards (Tsunami) B3 Trouble of water (Three Gorges Project)
C2	Energy resources	(None, but some relevance to C3 Industrial landscape)	B6 The Choice of Power
C3	Urban problems (Transport, Housing)	C4 Urban problems	A5 City B5 Sustainable City
C4	Pollution (Air, Water, Noise and Solid waste pollution)	C5 Impacts of urbanization and industrialization on the environment	(None, but some relevance to B5 Sustainable City)
C5	Recreation	(None, but some relevance to A3 Biotic system and A4 Man-land relationship)	(None, but some relevance to B5 Sustainable City)