Coursework Guide
This section of our website will form part of a guide, to help you through your GCSE coursework assignment.
It is worth 25% of your final grade!
Your coursework study will be based on Coastal Erosion on a stretch of the British coastline typically on the East coast such as places like Walton-On the Naze or Holderness.
The coursework will comprise of both primary and secondary data (see below) in which you will piece together to form your evidence and ideas and use to answer your hypothesis.
Hypothesis: An hypothesis is a statement that proposes possible explanation to some idea. You will be given an hypothesis which is a testable statement and a prediction. It is usually based on previous observation such as in this example coastal erosion was and is constantly observed.
Primary Data
Primary data - Primary data is data in which you will collect in the form of fieldwork, your own observations and testing. This information or data you will record in tables to form your research, and later you will analysis the data looking for patterns within it. The conclusions you make will go towards answering your hypothesis.
Secondary Data
Secondary Data - Secondary data is data which is not your own in the form of quantitative data(numbers, statistics) and qualitative (words or text). This type of data is usually sourced from magazines, newspapers, articles, books and the Internet as examples. Secondary data is used to back up your own evidence and testing to make your hypothesis stonger. When you use this data and want to incorporate it into your own work you must make sure that you put it in quotations and state its source. Your sources of secondary data should be referenced in your bibliography. If your do not reference your secondary data than this is classed as plagiarism.
When using secondary data especially information on the web, make sure it is from a reliable source or compare it to information found elsewhere to make sure it is correct. Remember anyone can publish data on the web and it doesn't mean its reliable!
6 Chapters
Your coursework will consists of 6 chapters:
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Method - How will you collect your data
Chapter 3 - Data collection - Presenting your data
Chapter 4 - Data interpretation - Analysis
Chapter 5 - Conclusion
Chapter 6 - Evaluation
You will also submit a front cover, contents page, chapter covers, and bibliography.
You will also be marked on presentation - To gain the most marks your coursework aught to be type written and a computer should be used to edit and include your photographs and diagrams.
Hypothesis
Before you start writing your introduction it is best to state your hypothesis. This immediately informs the reader what your study is based on
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Your introduction should:
State why you have chosen the area of investigation and what you expect to find based on your hypothesis.
Back up what you expect to find with some theory. Use your textbooks and websites such as this.
You will say how you will conduct your study - To do this state that you are intending to visit the place of study and there you will conduct your fieldwork.
Write a few paragraphs introducing your place of study - location? - why you are investigating in that area?
Perhaps briefly mention the geology of the area and why it is prone to erosion
Any supporting charities
How you will collect your data and from which sources - Primary and Secondary Data?
It is a good idea to include a location map.
Chapter 2 - Methods
Write up the methods and tests that you plan to undertake during your field-trip. You may include your blank planned testing tables, and include diagrams to demonstrate the method.
You may carry out the following tests:
Downshore Profiles
You should include a description.
Groyne Profiles Diagram
