Evaluation (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Limitations of the Enquiry

Spec point — 4GE1-S9.111

• A key focus in the fieldwork questions in the exam is the evaluation of data collection

• Enquiry evaluation should:

  • identify any problems with and limitations of, data collection methods
  • suggest other data which would have been useful in the study or improvements which could be made
  • evaluate how reliable the conclusions were
  • suggesting how the scope of the study could be extended

Data collection problems and limitations

• There are always issues and limitations associated with data collection they may include:

  • accessibility of sample sites - could all sample sites be accessed?
  • Size of sample - was the sample size large enough?
  • duration of the data collection - was the enquiry time long enough to collect the data needed?
  • methods- were the questions on questionnaires appropriate to meet the aim and test the hypothesis?
  • equipment- were there any issues with the equipment?
  • human error- were there any mistakes in recording data or reading the equipment?
  • time of the data collection - did the weather or time impact the results collected?
  • unforeseen issues - were there any problems on the day such as road works, and river flow which affected the results?

Other data and improvements

• There are always improvements which could be made to data collection these may include:

  • increasing the sample size
  • taking more measurements
  • looking at a wider range of secondary sources
  • could other equipment have been used - a flow meter would be more accurate for measuring river velocity than a float

Evaluating the conclusions

• To evaluate the conclusion students should examine whether:

  • the conclusions reflect the aims and hypothesis set out at the start of the enquiry
  • the aim and hypothesis were appropriate - could the hypothesis be easily assessed
  • the location was appropriate
  • the accuracy of results could be improved if the data collection were to be repeated