Your A Level Geography course includes a compulsory four days of fieldwork and an Independent Investigation (NEA). This guide walks you step-by-step through choosing a question, collecting data, analysing results, and writing up a 3,000–4,000 word report.

1) Understand the requirements

• Length: usually 3,000–4,000 words (excluding appendices/figures).
• Weighting: NEA contributes 20% of the A Level (Edexcel).
• Evidence: Primary data you collect, supported by appropriate secondary sources (e.g., OS maps, Census, GIS layers).
• Deadlines: Your exam centre sets internal dates for proposal approval, data collection, draft, and final submission.

For official guidance on planning and delivering fieldwork, see the Edexcel Fieldwork Planner and Guide (PDF) . Also read our overview: What is the A Level Geography fieldwork requirement?

2) Choose a topic you can investigate

Pick a theme you’re genuinely interested in and can access locally (physical, human, or integrated). Keep scope realistic for your time and travel limits.

• Physical examples: How does wave energy influence beach profile shape along a stretch of coast?
• Human examples: How does environmental quality vary with deprivation across neighbourhoods in my town?
• Integrated examples: How do flood-management strategies affect perceived place quality?

3) Craft a focused question or hypothesis

Make it clear, specific, and investigable. Define your geographic area and variables. Example: “To what extent does cliff geology explain spatial variation in erosion rates between Site A and Site B?”

4) Plan your methodology

• Sampling: systematic, random, or stratified (justify your choice).
• Sites & timing: number of locations, repeat visits, tidal/storm considerations.
• Methods: beach profiles, sediment size/roundness, land-use mapping, EQS, questionnaires/interviews, traffic/ped counts.
• Equipment: tape measure, ranging poles/clinometer, ruler/calipers, survey forms, GPS/phone, camera.
• Ethics & consent: required for human surveys; avoid collecting personal data.
• Risk assessment: hazards, control measures, supervision requirements.

5) Collect primary data

• Follow your plan; pilot a method first if possible.
• Record when/where/how you measured (times, coordinates, conditions).
• Capture photos as evidence of methods, sites, and anomalies.
• Keep a tidy field notebook; back up data to a spreadsheet the same day.

6) Process and present your data

Turn raw data into clear visuals that answer your question:

• Graphs/charts: histograms, scatter plots with lines of best fit, box plots.
• Maps: proportional symbols, chloropleths, isolines; consider GIS (ArcGIS/QGIS/Google Earth).
• Statistics (choose appropriately): Spearman’s rank, Pearson’s r, Mann–Whitney, chi-squared, nearest-neighbour analysis.

7) Analyse and interpret

• Describe patterns, relationships, and outliers in your results.
• Explain processes that could account for patterns (geomorphic, socio-economic, planning policy, etc.).
• Triangulate with secondary sources (textbooks, journal articles, government datasets, local plans).

8) Draw conclusions

Answer your investigation question directly. State the strength of evidence and acknowledge uncertainty.

9) Evaluate

• Assess method validity, sampling limitations, temporal/spatial constraints.
• Suggest improvements (extra sites/times, alternative indices, better equipment, refined questions).
• Reflect on reliability and how findings might generalise beyond your study area.

10) Write up and submit

• Structure: title, introduction/context, question, methods, results, analysis, conclusion, evaluation, bibliography, appendices.
• Embed labelled figures/tables; reference all sources consistently (e.g., Harvard).
• Meet your centre’s checkpoints for drafts and the final submission window.

Helpful resources

• Edexcel Fieldwork Planner and Guide (PDF)
• What is the A Level Geography fieldwork requirement?
• How do I find an A Level Geography exam centre?

Bottom line

A successful NEA starts with a focused question and a practical plan. Collect robust data, use suitable analysis (including GIS/statistics), and write up clearly. With steady planning, your fieldwork can be both rewarding and a strong boost to your final grade.