Welcome to this deck on the geographical enquiry process. This is a crucial part of your GCSE Geography, as it forms the basis for Paper 3 and your two compulsory fieldwork investigations. We'll break down the entire process, from coming up with a question, to collecting and presenting your data, all the way to drawing a conclusion. Mastering these stages will not only prepare you for your fieldwork but also give you the skills to think like a real geographer.

Think of a geographical enquiry as being a detective. You start with a mystery or a question, like 'Why does the river change shape downstream?' or 'How does tourism affect this town?'. You then gather clues, which is your data. You analyse these clues to find patterns, and finally, you present your solution, which is your conclusion. This whole process follows a clear sequence of stages, ensuring your investigation is logical and well-organised.

The very first stage of any geographical enquiry is to decide what you want to investigate. You need to formulate a clear aim or a specific question. Often, geographers turn this question into a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a clear, testable statement that you will try to prove or disprove with your data. For example, a good hypothesis would be 'The velocity of the River Tillingbourne increases with distance from the source.' It's a prediction you can actually go out and test.

Once you have your hypothesis, you need to collect data to test it. This is the core of your fieldwork. There are two fundamental types of data you can use: primary and secondary. Getting this distinction right is essential for planning your investigation and for answering exam questions correctly.

Primary data is information you collect yourself, firsthand. It's brand new data, gathered for your specific enquiry. Examples include measuring the depth of a river, counting the number of pedestrians on a street, or asking people to fill in a questionnaire you designed. The big advantage is that it's tailored exactly to your investigation, but the downside is that collecting it can be very time-consuming.