Matisha Joshi (Lower Sixth)

On Tuesday 18th May, IB Geography students left the classroom for the fields of Kimbolton to carry out fieldwork to support their Internal Assessment (IA).

We travelled to six sites on the River Kym in Kimbolton, a small tributary that will eventually flow into the River Great Ouse, and collected data on some of the river’s main characteristics, such as velocity and river depth. To gather this data, we had to get into the river and get stuck in, using equipment that ranged from tennis balls, to tape measures, and a more state-of-the-art electronic stream flowmeter. Whilst we were lucky that the sun was shining for the duration of the trip, water filled our wellies and wet mud threatened to make us fall with every step! It was great to see geography in action and be able to apply our knowledge to the real world, where human activities have an impact on different parts of the river as it flows downstream.

Grace Gaffey (Lower Sixth) said: “It was great to finally be back outside doing fieldwork after having to spend a long time in the classroom due to Covid!”

Joanna Solomon (Lower Sixth) said: “The geography trip was a fantastic opportunity to do fieldwork, and to see the theory that we have been learning in class in front of us, in real life! I liked seeing how the River Kym changed shape as we went downstream.”

Ms March (Head of Geography) added: “It was great to be back out on the field and working with the IB geographers on the River Kym. Fieldwork is such an essential ingredient of geography, it provides a 'real-world' opportunity for students to develop and extend their thinking; it adds value to classroom experiences.”