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MAKING THE GRADE: GEOGRAPHICAL SKILLS

Making field notes

An important part of your geography A-level is the NEA or independent investigation. Why is making field notes so important in this fieldwork — and how should you go about it?

Table 1 Common abbreviations used in note taking

We can record information in the field using a range of tools and technology, but being able to make good field notes is a key geographical skill. A field notebook is not just another recording sheet. A geographer’s fieldwork notes are like a geographer’s map — an indispensable tool, without which the process of fieldwork feels incomplete.

The point of a field notebook is to create written documentation of the geographical events that were important during data collection. You need to have it available for reference when writing up your work, either as part of the analysis and evaluation or simply to preserve a longer-term record of what has been observed. It forms part of the overall portfolio of data and evidence that helps answer a question and develop conclusions.

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