We are making some improvements to our GCSE Geography B qualification
We recently completed a comprehensive review of our GCSE in Geography B. During this time, we listened to the views of teachers and students from a range of schools and consulted with experts from different organisations, including the Royal Meteorological Society and Field Studies Council.
Following this, we’re planning some changes. Our specification is currently being updated and will be submitted to Ofqual for approval soon. We aim to have the new qualification accredited and ready for first teaching in September 2025*.
*subject to accreditation - date may change.
What are we planning?
GCSE B will feel very familiar for our existing teachers. However, our goal is to create an improved qualification that continues to meet DfE criteria while also being...
✅ More manageable: We’re striving to reduce the amount of content you need to teach so you and your students have more time to enjoy the course, complete fieldwork, and prepare effectively for exams.
✅ Accessible to all: We want all students to have a positive exam experience. We plan to publish a refined list of clearly defined command words for assessment. We’re also reviewing question tariffs, the language used in our papers, and plan to embed resources within exams where appropriate.
✅ Relevant to students’ lives: We're reviewing content to ensure it is up-to-date and empowers students to tackle future challenges. This includes a proposed greater focus on positive climate action, sustainability and green technology.
We’re also working to enhance our fieldwork experience and ensure equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging principles are embedded throughout the qualification.
Plus, whether you're new to OCR or have been teaching with us for a while, you will have comprehensive support from the start – from professional development courses to switching and mapping guides, schemes of work to curriculum planners. We’ll also have support for non-specialist teachers of geography.
How are we working to make GCSE B even better?
📝 Read our blog to hear more from our Subject Advisor, Kerry, about why we’re updating our qualification, how insights from teachers have shaped our plans and what the future of Geography B could look like.
Next steps
- We are currently developing our draft specification and sample assessment materials. If you sign up for our email updates below, we will share these with you as soon as they are available.
- We will be submitting our draft specification and materials to Ofqual for review and accreditation this summer. In the meantime, we will be busy developing updated resources to support you with your teaching and your students’ learning.
- We aim to share our approved specification and support materials in autumn 2024, so you have time to prepare for a first teach in September 2025 (subject to approval).
