Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity — A-Level Geography Revision
Revise Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity for A-Level Geography. Step-by-step explanation, worked examples, common mistakes and exam-style practice aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR.
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Go to NEA Structure: Introduction, Methods, Results & EvaluationWhat is Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity?
This topic focuses on the critical evaluation of fieldwork investigations, including the assessment of the reliability and validity of the data and conclusions. It covers how to identify the limitations of a research project and how to suggest improvements. The aim is to enable students to reflect on their own research and to become more critical consumers of the research of others.
Board notes: A crucial part of the NEA for AQA, Edexcel, and OCR. All boards require students to include a critical evaluation of their fieldwork investigation in their final report. The evaluation should be balanced, considering both the strengths and weaknesses of the research.
Step-by-step explanationWorked example
To evaluate a fieldwork investigation into the impact of tourism on a honeypot site, a student would need to consider the reliability of their data collection methods (e.g., were the questionnaires administered in a consistent way?) and the validity of their conclusions (e.g., can the results be generalised to other honeypot sites?). They would also need to identify the limitations of their research (e.g., the small sample size) and to suggest how the research could be improved (e.g., by using a larger sample or by conducting the research at different times of the year).
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Common mistakes
- 1Confusing the terms 'reliability' and 'validity'.
- 2Identifying limitations without explaining how they affect the results.
- 3Suggesting unrealistic improvements to the research.
Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity exam questions
Exam-style questions for Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity with mark-scheme style solutions and timing practice. Aligned to AQA, Edexcel and OCR specifications.
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Step-by-step method
Step-by-step explanation
4 steps · Worked method for Evaluating Fieldwork: Reliability & Validity
Core concept
This topic focuses on the critical evaluation of fieldwork investigations, including the assessment of the reliability and validity of the data and conclusions. It covers how to identify the limitatio…
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between reliability and validity?
Reliability is the extent to which a research method produces consistent results. Validity is the extent to which a research method measures what it is intended to measure.
What is a representative sample?
A representative sample is a sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn. It is important for ensuring that the results of a research project can be generalised to the wider population.

