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Drop it straight into the free Geography fieldwork-report frame. The planning sections are free; unlock the full step-by-step report — methodology, data presentation, the written analysis and evaluation — to take it to the top band.
Start this report in the Geography frame →URBAN ENVIRONMENTS — CBD, REGENERATION & LAND USE
Urban transects give a clear distance-decay pattern to test against a land-use model — reliable, mappable and rich in data.
1 · How does pedestrian footfall vary with distance from the CBD of [town], and does it fit the bid-rent model?
Links to the bid-rent / urban land-use model: footfall is expected to peak in the CBD and fall outward, giving a clear pattern to interpret and anomalies (out-of-town retail) to explain.
2 · How does land use change along a transect from the CBD to the urban edge of [town]?
A direct test of the concentric / bid-rent land-use model; mapping the zones lets you show the spatial pattern and discuss where the model breaks down.
3 · How successful has regeneration been in [district], measured by environmental quality and pedestrian counts?
A regeneration angle with a real-world hook; comparing distinct zones gives a fair, quantitative contrast you can map and link to urban-change theory.
4 · How does land value (rateable value or rents) change with distance from the peak land value intersection?
Tests bid-rent theory head-on; pairing your primary survey with secondary rateable values gives a stronger, triangulated dataset.
5 · How does the height and density of buildings change across [town] from centre to edge?
A clear, countable proxy for land value that maps neatly onto the urban land-use model — visually engaging and easy to graph against distance.
RIVERS & COASTS
River and coastal transects produce quantitative measurements that test classic physical-geography models — examiner gold for data treatment.
6 · How do channel width, depth and velocity change downstream along [river], and do they fit the Bradshaw model?
A direct test of the Bradshaw model: discharge and velocity are expected to rise downstream, giving multiple variables to graph and a strong basis for analysis.
7 · How does bedload size and roundness change downstream along [river]?
Tests attrition and abrasion theory; expected downstream decrease in size gives a clear trend, with anomalies (tributary inputs) to explain in the analysis.
8 · How does beach sediment size change along a [beach] transect, and what does it reveal about longshore drift?
Links to longshore drift and sediment sorting; a clear directional trend lets you infer the dominant transport direction from primary data.
9 · How does beach profile (gradient and width) vary along [coastline], and how does it relate to defences?
A coastal-management hook: comparing managed and unmanaged stretches links your profiles to sediment-budget and defence theory.
Ready to write it up properly?
The Geography fieldwork-report frame walks you through every criterion — and the paid unlock builds your methodology, data presentation, written analysis and evaluation into one export-ready report.
Open the Geography IA frame →TOURISM, DEVELOPMENT & PLACE
Surveys and questionnaires turn perceptions and movement into mappable primary data — strong on geographic concepts and real-world relevance.
10 · How far does the sphere of influence of [town] extend, measured by where its visitors travel from?
Tests sphere of influence and central-place theory; plotting visitor origins on a map gives a striking, geographic result to analyse.
11 · How does tourist density and impact vary across [honeypot site] during the day?
Links to the honeypot and carrying-capacity concepts; combining counts with erosion measures gives a richer dataset and a clear management angle.
12 · How does perception of place vary between neighbourhoods in [town]?
A contemporary place / lived-experience angle; quantifying perception with a bipolar scale lets you map and compare distinct neighbourhoods.
13 · How does the cost or availability of services vary between [richer area] and [poorer area]?
A development-within-a-city angle linking your primary survey to deprivation indices — a triangulated study with a clear equity story.
MICROCLIMATE & ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Microclimate and environmental-quality transects give precise, repeatable readings that test the urban heat island and pollution gradients.
14 · How does temperature and wind speed vary across an urban-to-rural transect (the urban heat island)?
A direct test of the urban heat island; a clear temperature peak in the dense centre gives a strong pattern, with surface-cover anomalies to explain.
15 · How does environmental quality vary with distance from the CBD of [town]?
Tests the link between land use and environmental quality; a scored EQ index turns subjective judgements into mappable, graphable data.
16 · How does noise or air pollution change with distance from a main road in [area]?
A clean distance-decay gradient from a point source; precise instrument readings give small uncertainties and a clear trend to interpret.
17 · How does microclimate (temperature and shade) vary across [park] compared with the surrounding streets?
Tests the park cool-island effect within the wider heat island; pairing green and built sites gives a fair, explainable contrast.
18 · How does footpath erosion vary with distance from a car park or honeypot site?
Links human pressure to environmental impact and carrying capacity; a clear decay with distance makes a strong, management-focused conclusion.
POPULATION, SETTLEMENT & SERVICES
Settlement and services studies test central-place ideas with countable, comparable data — accessible yet conceptually rich.
19 · How does the range of services in settlements vary with their size and position in the urban hierarchy?
Tests central-place theory and the urban hierarchy; comparing settlements gives a clear relationship between size and service range to graph.
20 · How does housing type and density change across [town] from centre to suburbs?
Maps neatly onto the Burgess / urban land-use model; a clear progression from terraces to detached housing gives an interpretable spatial pattern.
21 · How does the comparison-to-convenience shop ratio change with distance from the CBD?
A countable test of bid-rent and threshold theory; comparison goods cluster in the high-rent core, giving a clear, explainable gradient.
22 · How does the quality of services match local need across neighbourhoods of [town]?
Links provision to demand using primary and census data together — a triangulated study with a clear equity and planning angle.
23 · How far do people travel to use [a specific service], and what does it reveal about its catchment?
Tests range and threshold from central-place theory; mapping travel distances shows how a higher-order service draws a wider catchment.
24 · How does rural service decline vary between villages of different sizes around [town]?
A rural-change angle on the urban hierarchy; comparing villages links primary surveys to counter-urbanisation and accessibility theory.
From a fieldwork question to a top-band IA
A question is the easy part — the marks are in how you build it. The Geography IA is a ~2,500-word fieldwork report scored out of 25 across six unequal criteria: A fieldwork question & context (/3), B method(s) (/3), C quality & treatment of information (/5), D written analysis (/10), E conclusion (/2), F evaluation (/3). Whichever question you pick, the same moves win: a focused question grounded in a geographic model, a justified sampling method, primary data presented in well-located maps and graphs, a written analysis that interprets the data against the theory (not just describes it), a conclusion that answers the question, and an evaluation honest about reliability and limitations.
Build your chosen question into a full fieldwork report
The examiner-written Geography fieldwork-report frame takes you through every criterion with the rubric, worked examples and the traps that cost marks. The planning sections are free — unlock the methodology, written analysis, conclusion & evaluation to finish the whole report and export it to Word or PDF.
Open the Geography IA frame →Geography IA ideas — FAQ
What makes a good IB Geography fieldwork question?
A question narrow enough to answer with the primary data you can realistically collect, grounded in a recognised geographic model (bid-rent, Bradshaw, sphere of influence, the urban heat island), and tied to a specific, named and located study area. From the theory you draw a hypothesis or expected spatial pattern your data can confirm or challenge. Phrase it as "How does … vary with …?" and check it lets you explain a spatial pattern, not just report a number.
How do I choose a sampling method and collect primary data?
Choose a strategy that suits the question and justify it: systematic sampling along a transect for distance-decay studies, random sampling to avoid bias, or stratified sampling where you compare distinct zones. Collect primary data yourself in the field — counts, river measurements, sediment samples, EQ surveys, questionnaires — at enough survey points to reveal a clear pattern, recording location, time and conditions so the method is replicable and your data can be mapped.
Can I just copy one of these ideas?
Use them as a launchpad, but make the fieldwork your own: name your own study location, choose your own transect and survey points, and develop the sampling method through your own pilot. That ownership — a real, located question and a justified method — is exactly what Criteria A and B reward.
How do I link my fieldwork question to a geographic theory?
Pick the model that predicts the pattern you expect — bid-rent for urban land use, Bradshaw for downstream river changes, sphere of influence for catchments, the urban heat island for microclimate. State the expected pattern as a hypothesis, then in the free Geography fieldwork-report frame interpret your primary data against that theory in the written analysis (Criterion D, the heaviest at /10), explaining the pattern and accounting for anomalies.
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