Pearson Edexcel A Level Geography 9GE0
Physical and human geography content, the synoptic decision-making paper, statistical formulas, geographical skills, and the NEA Independent Investigation — everything you need for Edexcel 9GE0.
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Aligned with the latest 2026 syllabus and board specifications. This sheet is prepared to match your exam board’s official specifications for the 2026 exam series.
Pearson Edexcel A Level Geography (9GE0) blends physical and human content with quantitative skills and synoptic decision-making. This formula sheet brings together the key models, the statistical formulas, and the structures of the three papers and NEA so you can revise efficiently and apply techniques accurately.
Paper 1 Physical Geography — tectonics, coasts, water, carbon, climate change
Paper 2 Human Geography — globalisation, places, superpowers, global connections
Paper 3 Synoptic — geographical investigations and decision-making
Statistical formulas — Spearman's, chi-squared, Mann-Whitney, t-tests
Tectonic processes, landscape systems, the water and carbon cycles, and climate change.
Hazard scales, response models, and risk equations.
Hazard equation
Risk = Hazard × Vulnerability ÷ Capacity to cope Mercalli scale
I–XII intensity scale based on observed effects Richter scale
Logarithmic magnitude scale (each unit = 10× ground motion, ~32× energy) Park's response model
Quality of life curve through Relief → Rehabilitation → Reconstruction Plate boundaries
Convergent (destructive), divergent (constructive), conservative (transform) Wave processes, sediment cells, sea-level change.
Wave types
Constructive (low frequency, swash > backwash, builds beach) vs destructive (high frequency, backwash > swash, erodes beach) Longshore drift
Swash at beach angle → backwash perpendicular to coast → net sediment movement along shore Sea-level change
Eustatic (global, ice melt/thermal expansion) vs isostatic (local, crustal rebound or subsidence) Sediment cells
Closed systems with source, transfer, and sink — 11 around England & Wales Choose ONE — glacial OR dryland landscapes.
Glacial
Mass balance (accumulation vs ablation), erosional landforms (corrie, arête, U-valley), depositional landforms (moraine, drumlin, esker) Dryland
Wind erosion (deflation, abrasion), wind deposition (dunes), water processes (sheet/rill/gully erosion, ephemeral streams), salt weathering Drainage basin systems and water budgets.
Drainage basin equation
Q = P − E − T − S (Discharge = Precipitation − Evaporation − Transpiration − Storage change) Residence times
Atmosphere ~10 days, rivers ~2 weeks, soil moisture ~weeks–months, groundwater ~years–millennia Water budget
Precipitation = Evapotranspiration + Runoff ± Storage change Virtual water
Water embedded in production of goods/food traded internationally (e.g. ~15,000 L per kg beef) Stores, fluxes, and mitigation technology.
Carbon stores: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere (largest), lithosphere; sequestration via photosynthesis and oceanic absorption; CCS (carbon capture & storage) — capture, transport, geological storage Feedbacks and international response.
Positive feedbacks (ice-albedo, permafrost methane release) amplify change; negative feedbacks (increased cloud cover, biological sequestration) dampen change; Paris Agreement (2015) — keep warming well below 2°C, pursue 1.5°C Globalisation, places, superpowers, and global development.
Measures and outcomes of globalisation.
KOF Globalisation Index (economic, social, political dimensions); AT Kearney Index; trade flows, FDI, TNCs; winners (HICs, urban skilled workers) vs losers (deindustrialised regions, low-skill labour) Choose ONE — both rooted in placemaking and lived experience.
Placemaking, place identity, place attachment, lived experience; gentrification, regeneration partnerships, conflicting stakeholder views; ethnic diversity, demographic change, attitudes to place Power, geopolitics, and influence.
Hard vs soft power
Hard — military, economic coercion. Soft (Nye) — culture, diplomacy, values Mackinder's heartland theory
'Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island; who rules the World-Island commands the World.' Power blocs
Unipolar (post-Cold War USA), bipolar (Cold War), multipolar (emerging — USA, China, EU, India) Measuring development and global flows.
HDI
Geometric mean of life expectancy index, education index, GNI per capita index — 0 to 1 Gender Inequality Index (GII)
Reproductive health, empowerment, labour market participation — 0 (equal) to 1 (unequal) Global flows
Capital, labour, products, services, information — connectivity, dependency, inequality Choose ONE option for the 8.2 unit.
Health: epidemiological transition, NCDs, global health governance | Human rights: UDHR, gender equality, freedom indices | Intervention: military, aid, geopolitical motives | Migration: push/pull, networks, integration | Sovereignty: nation-state, supranationalism, secession Issue-based decision-making across physical and human topics.
Apply a structured process to the resource booklet.
Read all resources → identify the issue and stakeholders → weigh costs/benefits/risks → evaluate options against criteria (economic, social, environmental, political) → make a justified recommendation Connect physical AND human content explicitly.
E.g. tectonic hazard impacts (physical) shaped by vulnerability and capacity to cope (human/development) Identify and evaluate stakeholder positions.
Government / NGOs / TNCs / local communities / international bodies — explain motives, power, and likely position Quantitative skills assessed across all papers and required for the NEA.
Test correlation between two ranked datasets.
Formula
rs = 1 − (6Σd² ÷ n(n² − 1)) Interpretation
+1 perfect positive, 0 no correlation, −1 perfect negative; check critical value at given degrees of freedom Test goodness-of-fit between observed and expected frequencies.
Formula
χ² = Σ((O − E)² ÷ E) Degrees of freedom
df = (rows − 1) × (cols − 1) Interpretation
Compare to critical value at chosen significance (often p = 0.05); reject H₀ if χ² > critical value Non-parametric test for difference between two independent samples.
Rank all data combined, sum ranks per sample, compute U₁ and U₂, take the smaller; compare to critical value table Parametric tests for difference of means (data must be approximately normal).
Independent t-test for two unrelated samples; paired t-test for matched/before-after data Useful summary indices.
Location quotient (LQ)
(Local industry % / Local total %) ÷ (National industry % / National total %); LQ > 1 indicates local concentration Lorenz curve & Gini coefficient
Gini = A ÷ (A + B); 0 = perfect equality, 1 = perfect inequality Maps, GIS, and spatial representation.
Common geographical maps and when to use them.
Choropleth
Shaded areas showing density/rates — categorical or quantitative Proportional symbol
Symbol size scaled to value (e.g. circles for city populations) Dot map
One dot represents a fixed quantity — shows distribution Isopleth
Lines connecting points of equal value (e.g. isohyets, isotherms) Geographic Information Systems — layered spatial analysis.
Layers (raster + vector); buffer, overlay, query, hotspot analysis; use for fieldwork data presentation in NEA Ordnance Survey map fundamentals.
4-figure (square) and 6-figure (point) grid references; bearings (degrees from north, clockwise); contour interpretation; scale calculation (e.g. 1:25,000 = 4 cm to 1 km) Fieldwork-based independent geographical inquiry.
Standard NEA report structure.
Introduction (location, theory, hypotheses) → methodology → data presentation → analysis (with statistical tests) → conclusion → evaluation → bibliography A focused question linked to specification content.
Phrase as a question or hypothesis with null hypothesis (H₀) and alternative (H₁); ground in geographical theory Choose and justify a sampling strategy.
Random | systematic (every nth) | stratified (proportional to subgroup); justify in terms of bias, representativeness, practicality Critically reflect on the investigation.
Limitations (sample size, accuracy, weather, time of day); reliability vs validity; how findings could be improved or extended Boost your Cambridge exam confidence with these proven study strategies from our tutoring experts.
Practise Spearman's, chi-squared, and Mann-Whitney with worked examples until you can compute them under exam conditions and interpret the result correctly.
For each topic, learn 2–3 specific case studies with names, dates, and statistics. Generic answers cap at low-mid bands.
In Paper 3, examiners reward writing that consciously links physical processes to human vulnerability, governance, and inequality.
Choose a question whose hypothesis can be tested with primary data and at least one statistical test — it transforms your analysis section.
Quick answers about this free PDF and how to use it for exam revision and active recall.
Yes. This Tutopiya formula sheet is free to use and you can download it as a PDF from this page for offline revision. There is no payment or account required for the PDF download.
This page groups key Geography formulas in one place for revision. Master Pearson Edexcel A Level Geography (9GE0) with this 2026 formula sheet. Covers Papers 1–3 (Physical, Human, Synoptic), key models (Park's response, Mackinder, Kachru), statistical formulas (Spearman's, chi-squar… Always cross-check with your official syllabus and past papers for your exam session.
No. In the exam you must follow only what your exam board allows in the hall—usually the official formula booklet or data sheet where provided. This page is a revision and teaching aid, not a replacement for board-issued materials.
It is written for students preparing for assessments at Post-Secondary in Geography, including classroom revision, homework support, and independent study. Teachers and tutors can also share it as a quick reference.
Work through past paper questions, quote the correct formula before substituting values, and check units and notation every time. Pair this sheet with timed practice and mark schemes so you see how examiners expect working to be set out.
Explore Tutopiya’s study tools, past paper finder, and revision checklists linked from our tools hub, or book a trial lesson with a subject specialist for personalised support alongside this formula reference.
Work through physical and human content, statistical techniques, and the NEA Independent Investigation with an experienced Edexcel A Level Geography tutor. We focus on accurate models, quantitative confidence, and synoptic argument.
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This formula sheet aligns with the Pearson Edexcel A Level Geography (9GE0) specification for the 2026 exam series.
Always anchor models in named, real-world case studies and report statistical tests with both the value and significance interpretation.