The River Fieldwork Task
How does flood risk change along a river? Take a channel question into the field: measure width, depth and velocity downstream, survey the land use, read the flood risk map, and follow the six-stage enquiry from question to conclusion.
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Investigating rivers 🏞️
Geographers do not just read about rivers, they go out and **investigate** them. You might ask how a river **channel** changes downstream, or why one stretch of a valley has a higher **flood risk** than another. This module follows the **six-stage enquiry process** and the **methods** used to answer a real river question about channel characteristics and flood risk.
The language of fieldwork 🔑
Four ideas shape every enquiry:
The six stages of an enquiry 🪜
An interactive activity.
Two kinds of data ⚖️
A strong river enquiry uses BOTH kinds of data. The exam expects at least one of each.
Match each method to what it does 🔗
- Channel width
- Velocity measurement
- Land use survey
- Environmental quality survey
- Measures the distance across the channel with a tape from bank to bank
- Times a float over a set distance, or uses a flow meter
- Records whether land is urban or rural to judge flood risk
- Scores the quality of the channel and banks against set criteria
Spot the quantitative method 📏
Which of these is a QUANTITATIVE fieldwork method?
- Measuring the channel depth with a metre rule
- Asking residents whether they worry about flooding
- Sketching the river channel and its banks
- Writing down judgements from a land use survey
Which are secondary sources? 📚
Select the TWO SECONDARY sources a river enquiry could use.
- A flood risk map from the Environment Agency
- A published river discharge record for the river
- Channel width readings you measured yourself
- A land use survey you carried out on the day
Primary, secondary and the flood risk map 🗺️
Fieldwork combines **primary data** that you collect with **secondary sources** collected by others. Edexcel requires a **flood risk map**, such as the Environment Agency Flood Risk map, plus **one other** source like an OS map, a geology map, or rainfall and discharge data. **Grade-9 tip:** the exam asks about **your own** investigation, so learn your specific enquiry question, your named methods, and your named secondary sources precisely. Vague answers lose marks.
Complete the summary 🧩
A river enquiry begins with an enquiry _____. Numerical readings like channel width are _____ data, while judgements about flood risk are _____ data. Information collected by others, such as a flood _____ map, is a secondary source. Finally the geographer draws evidenced _____ that answer the question.
Plot the channel downstream 📈
An interactive activity.
Plan the investigation 🧭
An interactive activity.
Spot good enquiry practice 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Justify your methods ✍️
An interactive activity.