The Urban Fieldwork Task
How pleasant is a neighbourhood to live in? Take a quality-of-life question into the city: score the environment, survey the 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.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Investigating the city
Geographers do not just read about cities, they go out and investigate them. You might ask how the quality of life varies between two neighbourhoods, or why one area feels more pleasant than another. This module follows the six-stage enquiry process and the methods used to answer a real urban question about quality of life.
The language of fieldwork
Four ideas shape every enquiry:
The six stages of an enquiry
Put the six stages of a geographical enquiry into the right order.
- Formulate the enquiry question and plan the fieldwork
- Collect data using a range of methods
- Process and present the data as maps, graphs and diagrams
- Analyse and explain the data using theory and case studies
- Draw evidenced conclusions that answer the question
- Reflect critically on the methods and conclusions
Two kinds of data
A strong urban enquiry uses BOTH kinds of data. The exam expects at least one of each.
Match each method to what it does
- Environmental quality survey
- Questionnaire
- Pedestrian count
- ONS Neighbourhood Statistics
- Scores features like litter and greenery against set criteria
- Gathers residents' opinions on their quality of life
- Counts how many people pass a point in a set time
- Provides official data such as income and health for an area
Spot the quantitative method
Which of these is a QUANTITATIVE fieldwork method?
- Scoring the environmental quality of a street from 1 to 5
- Asking residents how safe they feel in their area
- Writing down opinions about the local park
- Sketching the view down a high street
Which are secondary sources?
Select the TWO SECONDARY sources an urban enquiry could use.
- ONS Neighbourhood Statistics for the area
- Census data published by the government
- Environmental quality scores you measured yourself
- A questionnaire you handed out on the day
Primary, secondary and ONS statistics
Fieldwork combines primary data that you collect with secondary sources collected by others. Edexcel requires ONS Neighbourhood Statistics, plus one other source such as census data, the Indices of Deprivation, or a local crime map. 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.
The urban enquiry, in order
An urban enquiry begins with an enquiry _____, then collects data. Scores from an environmental quality survey are _____ data, while opinions from a questionnaire are _____ data. Official information collected by others, such as _____ Neighbourhood Statistics, is a secondary source. Finally the geographer draws evidenced _____ that answer the question.
Plan the investigation
You are planning an urban enquiry into how quality of life varies between two neighbourhoods. Make three good choices.
- You want to measure the environmental quality of each street. Which method fits?
- You also want to record how residents feel about living there. Which method fits?
- Which secondary source does Edexcel require you to include?
Why use both kinds of data?
Why should an urban enquiry use BOTH quantitative and qualitative methods?
- Numbers show what conditions are like, while opinions show how people feel about them
- It is a rule with no real purpose
- Qualitative data is always more accurate than numbers
- Using two methods lets you skip drawing conclusions
Spot good enquiry practice
Tap the TWO statements that show good enquiry practice.
- A good enquiry question is specific and can be answered with the data you collect.
- Reflecting on the limitations of your methods weakens your enquiry.
- Using both primary data and secondary sources makes conclusions more reliable.
- The best enquiry question is as vague as possible.
- You should ignore any data that does not fit your prediction.
Justify your methods
For an urban fieldwork enquiry into how quality of life varies within a city, explain the methods you would use and how you would judge whether your conclusions are reliable.
- State a specific enquiry question for the investigation
- Describe one quantitative and one qualitative method you would use
- Name a secondary source, including the required ONS Neighbourhood Statistics
- Explain how you would reflect on the reliability and limitations of your data