The Rural Fieldwork Task
The countryside can look idyllic, yet deprivation still varies from village to village. Take an enquiry into rural Britain: measure the environment, survey residents, read the ONS statistics, and follow the six-stage enquiry from question to conclusion.
Use it, the way the marks are given
Free interactive practice at using the material, which is what the marks are for.
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Deprivation in the countryside
A rural village can look idyllic and still hide real deprivation: low incomes, few jobs, and long journeys to the nearest shop, bus or doctor. This task investigates how and why deprivation varies within rural areas, comparing two contrasting places using the six-stage enquiry process and the methods geographers use.
The language of enquiry
Four ideas shape every fieldwork enquiry:
The six stages of an enquiry
Put the six stages of a geographical enquiry into the right order.
- Write the enquiry question and hypothesis
- Collect primary data in the field and gather secondary data
- Present the data in maps, graphs and tables
- Analyse the data to find patterns
- Reach a conclusion that answers the question
- Evaluate the enquiry and its limitations
Two kinds of data
A strong rural enquiry uses BOTH kinds of data. The exam expects at least one of each.
Match each method to what it collects
- Environmental quality survey
- Resident questionnaire
- Counting the bus services
- Field sketch with notes
- Numerical scores for the local environment
- People's opinions on rural life
- A number showing how many services there are
- An impression of the area recorded in words
Spot the quantitative method
Which of these is a QUANTITATIVE method for a rural enquiry?
- Scoring the environmental quality of a village from 1 to 5
- Asking residents how isolated they feel
- Writing down opinions about the village shop
- Sketching the view along a country lane
Spot the secondary sources
Select the TWO SECONDARY sources a rural deprivation enquiry could use.
- ONS Neighbourhood Statistics
- The Index of Multiple Deprivation
- Your own environmental quality scores
- A photo you took on the day
Know your indicators
Deprivation is measured using indicators such as income, employment, health, education and access to services. Grade-9 tip: Component 2 asks about YOUR OWN investigation, so learn your specific enquiry question, your two named rural sites and the deprivation indicators you used, precisely.
Match each deprivation indicator
- Income
- Access to services
- Health
- Employment
- How much money households have to live on
- How near the shops, buses and a doctor are
- Rates of illness and life expectancy
- How many people are in work
Enquiry in words
A rural enquiry begins with an enquiry _____, then collects data. A measured environmental score is _____ data, while residents' opinions are _____ data. A key secondary source of deprivation data is _____ Neighbourhood Statistics. To see how deprivation varies, the enquiry _____ two contrasting rural sites.
Why two sites?
Why does the enquiry compare TWO contrasting rural areas rather than studying just one?
- To show how and why deprivation varies between places
- Because one area is always enough on its own
- To make the fieldwork take longer
- Because rural areas cannot be studied alone
Spot good enquiry practice
Tap the TWO statements that describe GOOD enquiry practice.
- A good enquiry starts with a clear question or hypothesis.
- Using both quantitative and qualitative data gives a fuller picture.
- Collecting data at only one site shows how deprivation varies.
- Opinions gathered from residents are quantitative data.
- The evaluation stage should ignore any problems with the method.
Plan the investigation
Choose the right method for each part of a rural deprivation enquiry.
- You want to measure how pleasant the environment is in a village. Which method fits?
- You want to know how residents feel about isolation and access to services. Which method fits?
- You need official deprivation data to compare your two villages. Which source fits?
Justify your methods
Explain how you would investigate whether deprivation varies between two rural areas. Describe one quantitative and one qualitative method, and explain why using both gives a better answer.
- State a clear enquiry question comparing two named rural sites
- Describe one quantitative method, such as an environmental quality survey
- Describe one qualitative method, such as a questionnaire on the quality of rural life
- Explain why combining both types, plus ONS secondary data, strengthens the conclusion