Pearson Edexcel International A Level Geography (WGE01–WGE04): syllabus, papers and marking
Data-response and extended answers marked in levels, with the fieldwork and research units handled against their own criteria.
Specification Issue 3 (September 2025), first teaching 2016 · January and June series · grades A*–E
IAL Geography: where the marks go
Edexcel IAL Geography is four units: Global Challenges (World at Risk and Going Global), Geographical Investigations (Crowded Coasts and Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration, with fieldwork), Contested Planet (atmosphere, biodiversity and two options) and Researching Geography (a chosen research option). Units 1 and 3 are 90 marks; Units 2 and 4 are 60 marks. Pearson’s reports say candidates lose marks on the command word “compare”, on describing a graph instead of answering the question it supports, and on writing a report-style answer as an essay.
Our papers are original, written to the published unit structure, with data and case-study resources made for each question. Marking returns the level reached and the point behind each mark, and the research unit is handled against its own report criteria rather than essay criteria.
Paper structure and what we mark
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WGE01 — Unit 1: Global Challenges | 1 h 45 min | 90 | 60% AS · 30% A Level | Section A data response and short answers; Section B a choice of longer or guided essays on World at Risk or Going Global |
| WGE02 — Unit 2: Geographical Investigations | 1 h 30 min | 60 | 40% AS · 20% A Level | Section A data response on Crowded Coasts and Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration; Section B compulsory short answers on research and fieldwork; Section C one fieldwork question from two |
| WGE03 — Unit 3: Contested Planet | 2 h | 90 | 30% A Level | Section A guided essays and a synoptic question on Atmosphere and Weather Systems and Biodiversity Under Threat; Sections B and C one data-response or essay question each from two optional topics |
| WGE04 — Unit 4: Researching Geography | 1 h 30 min | 60 | 20% A Level | One question chosen from a list on the option studied: Tectonic Activity and Hazards, Feeding the World’s People, Cultural Diversity, or Human Health and Disease |
Syllabus outline
- Unit 1: World at Risk (hazards, climate change, vulnerability and resilience) and Going Global (globalisation, trade, migration, development)
- Unit 2: Crowded Coasts (coastal processes, management, conflicts) and Urban Problems, Planning and Regeneration, plus research and fieldwork skills
- Unit 3: Atmosphere and Weather Systems and Biodiversity Under Threat (compulsory), then one of Energy Security or Water Conflicts and one of Superpower Geographies or Bridging the Development Gap
- Unit 4: Researching Geography — Tectonic Activity and Hazards, Feeding the World’s People, Cultural Diversity, or Human Health and Disease
- Skills: data interpretation, case-study use, fieldwork enquiry, synoptic links
How each paper is marked here
- Short answers and data-response questions are marked point by point; levels questions are marked against the descriptor, which is quoted next to the mark.
- Case-study detail is checked for accuracy and for being used to answer the question asked, not just recalled.
- Opening soon: the rubric is in testing, starting with Unit 1; ask to be told.
Where IAL Geography candidates lose marks
- “Compare” answered with two separate descriptions — The command word needs a comparative statement, such as before against after, not two descriptions side by side.
- Graphs described instead of explained — Several reports note that candidates narrate the lines on a figure when the question asks why the pattern is uncertain or different.
- Climate change used as the answer to everything — Answers on biodiversity or hazards drift into emissions and COP outcomes and lose the question’s actual focus.
- Vague examples — A named place or event with a specific detail earns the level; a general statement about “developing countries” does not.
- Research unit written as an essay — Unit 4 expects a report with headings and a clear structure; the strongest answers take apart the key phrase in the question first.
Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for IAL Geography
See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.
Questions teachers ask
- Which units are on offer?
- All four are planned. Unit 1 opens first; the investigation and research units follow once their report criteria have been tested.
- Are the figures and case studies original?
- Yes. Every resource in a paper is made for that paper; no Pearson figures are reproduced.
- When is the exam taken?
- January and June. The Pearson subject page lists Geography as not available in October.
- Is this official Pearson Edexcel marking?
- No. Pearson Edexcel International marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for IAL Geography. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
- Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
- No. Every WGE01–WGE04 paper here is original and written to the specification issue 3 (september 2025), first teaching 2016, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
- Which papers are marked?
- None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
- How is the next paper chosen?
- From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
- When are the exams?
- January and June series. Grades A*–E.
Other Pearson Edexcel International A Level courses
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Mathematics (WMA / WME / WST)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Physics (WPH11–WPH16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Chemistry (WCH11–WCH16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Biology (WBI11–WBI16)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Economics (WEC11–WEC14)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Business (WBS11–WBS14)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Accounting (WAC11–WAC12)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Psychology (WPS01–WPS04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Law (YLA1)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Further Mathematics (YFM01 · WFM01–WFM03 with M, S and D options)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Pure Mathematics (YPM01 · WMA11–WMA14, WFM01 and WFM02/03)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level History (WHI01–WHI04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level English Language (WEN01–WEN04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level English Literature (WET01–WET04)
- Pearson Edexcel International A Level Information Technology (WIT11–WIT14)