Have you wondered why there is such variety of scenery in Britain? Much of the answer lies in the fact that it is impossible to travel very far without crossing a geological boundary. Geology is the scientific study of the Earth, its origin, its structure and the processes responsible for the formation of rocks. Geology has economic and environmental concerns because of human use of geological resources for water supply, metals, energy and the construction industry. Sociologically it can be an important tool in forensic science.

Geology is of interest to people interested in the environment as it is today, helping us understand natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Geology has direct significance for careers in resource management or development, civil engineering, environmental engineering, forensic science, mining or vulcanology. It is extremely useful for a degree in oceanography, archaeology, geography, environmental science, or geophysics.

 

Entry with:

GCSE grade B in Chemistry or GCSE grade B in Science and Additional Science. 

• • Fieldwork opportunities in both Years 12 and 13. We currently visit the Isle of Arran in year 12 and Dorset in year 13
• • About half our students go on to study geology or a closely related subject at university every year.

 

Awarding body: OCR

AS Level Units

Unit 1: Global tectonics. 30%
Unit 2: Rocks – processes and products. 50%
Unit 3: Practical skills in geology I. 20%, half of which is based on fieldwork.
 

Advanced (A2) Level Units

Unit 4: Environmental geology. 30%
Unit 5: Evolution of life, earth and climate. 50%
Unit 6: Practical skills in geology II. 20%, half of which is based on fieldwork.
 

 

 

• • Well qualified and enthusiastic teachers
• • A specialist Geology laboratory
• • Wide range of specimens available for individual use in open access specialist Resources Room
• • Well stocked library section with up-to-date books, videos and CD ROMs

 

“Learning Geology at Hills is completely different to learning anything at secondary school. The field trips are great fun; the lessons are taught well so you actually want to learn more. The classes are small so you get to know everyone really well really quickly and the teachers help you whenever you need it. My definite best bit of the course so far was the trip to Arran with the class. What I'd learnt really clicked when I saw it in real life and the evenings were a real highlight to some very funny memories.”
Emma White