April 2026 Geography Subject Update

13 April - IAL Unit 4 WGE04 Pre release uploaded to website and available to centres

13 April -  Learner Work Transfer portal opens. If you have submitted your coursework/NEA marks on Edexcel Online you will be able to see and submit your coursework/NEA sample after this date.

15 May -  deadline for submitting A level coursework/NEA samples and marks to us. 

Events for UK and International GCSE and A level Geography are now available to book via our training page. 

• GCSE Geography A and B: Supporting higher-attaining students  - 28 April 2026 at 16:00-18:00 BST

We will be making recordings of events available for teachers who can’t attend.

From this summer, there’s an important change to how you submit marks and student work for A Level Geography NEA.

You’ll need to submit your centre marks before we release the list of students selected for the moderation sample.

You'll submit your centre marks through Edexcel Online as normal. Learner Work Transfer opens on 13 April 2026. If your centre marks are submitted before this date, your moderation sample will be available in Learner Work Transfer from 13 April, and you can upload student work for moderation straight away.

This update brings together everything A level Geography teachers need to know about submitting NEA marks and samples for Summer 2026, including step‑by‑step online submission guidance, key deadlines, required materials, and practical tips to help the process run smoothly.

Geography in the News aims to stimulate discussion about the relevance of geography to our lives and its importance in helping us to make sense of the world around us. In a time where the topic of energy security is front and centre in the news with the situation in the Middle East, this news article explores the global importance of the Strait of Hormuz for oil and gas transport and explains how conflict and tensions in the region can disrupt energy supplies and influence global prices.

Global Energy Security at Risk: The Geography of the Strait of Hormuz

This links to: Edexcel ​A level ​Topic 6 Carbon Cycle and Energy Security​; GCSE  A ​Topic 6 Energy resource management​; GCSE B​ Topic 9 Consuming Resources; International GCSE Topic 4: Economic activity and energy; IAL Topic B1: Energy Security

The Geographical Association Annual Conference & Exhibition 2026 is heading to Sheffield College (City Campus) from 8–10 April 2026 – and Pearson is proud to be one of the headline sponsors.

If you care about where GCSE and A level Geography are heading next, this is a moment that matters. Come and talk geography with us

📍 Pearson stand: 11 & 12 Drop by to meet the Pearson Geography team, talk curriculum and assessment, and share what’s really happening in your classroom.

Your insight helps shape what comes next. Have your say on the future of Geography qualifications. We’re running two interactive sessions focused on the Curriculum and Assessment Review and what it means for Geography teachers. 

📍GCSE Geography update - Thursday 9 April 2026 | 14:00–14:50  Room T216

Join Jon Wolton and Kate Stockings for an interactive session on what the Curriculum and Assessment Review could mean for GCSE Geography assessment. We’ll explore Pearson’s thinking and Kate’s ideas on how assessment can better support deep conceptual understanding - especially around big ideas like climate change and sustainability - without adding content overload.

📍A level Geography update - Friday 10 April 2026 | 14:00–14:50 Room T211

Join Jon Wolton and the Pearson team for this interactive session to consider the Curriculum and Assessment Review panel’s recommendations for Geography. Share your feedback to help shape the future of A level Geography and the Independent Investigation (NEA). Learn about our updated guidance on the use of AI in the NEA.

Removal of EBacc 

Teachers told us they expect a reduction in GCSE Geography entries following the removal of the EBacc performance measure and they are worried about reduced curriculum time, difficulty in recruiting subject specialist teachers and geography being deprioritised in the school curriculum. 

Reducing content 

Teachers believed that both GCSE and A level Geography have too much content, with excessive breadth and repetition, especially in human geography. We heard that teachers would like to see a ‘deeper, not wider’ approach and that this could be achieved by reducing repetition, slimming down case study requirements and prioritising understanding of geographical concepts over memorising facts.  

Climate change and sustainability 

We were delighted to welcome Kate Stockings from Future Academies Trust to share her perspectives on the recommendation in the CAR report to embed climate change and sustainability more explicitly in future geography qualifications. We heard teachers are strongly supportive of this recommendation and that there is a real need for a 'hopeful' but realistic approach to teaching about climate change.  The feedback had strong links to the recent ‘Delivering high quality climate change, nature and sustainability education for all’ report, which advocates for a solutions focussed approach to teaching about the issue of climate change.  Report: Delivering high quality climate change, nature and sustainability education for all 

Fieldwork 

We heard that managing the cost, time and travel for fieldwork with large numbers of students are barriers to effective fieldwork and therefore teachers shared a preference for more flexible fieldwork. Teachers told us there is a disconnect with the fieldwork their students carry out and the current exam questions, so they called for better integration of fieldwork with teaching and assessment. 

Next Steps  

We would be happy to support your future department meetings, whether that is to discuss the CAR recommendations, potential changes to qualifications or to answer questions from colleagues who were unable to attend.  Please sign up to Jon’s Geography Subject Advisor updates and join our Facebook community. This is the best way to receive important news, guidance and support as the curriculum and qualification reviews progress.  

With curriculum and assessment reform ahead, our Pearson Humanities publishing team wants to spend time in schools to see how History, Geography and RS are really taught across KS3–KS5.

We’re keen to hear what’s working, what’s challenging, and how resources (including digital) are used day to day - and what you’d value more of in future.

We’re looking to connect with a range of schools and colleges across the country for visits or conversations.

 Interested? Complete this short form: https://forms.office.com/r/g3sg1nTdN5

Thank you for helping shape what comes next for teachers and students.

We've produced a new one-pager to show you the new and heavily revised case studies  and content in our new A level student books.

Download the one-pager

And don't forget our free 12 new place-context examples aligned to the Pearson Edexcel A level Geography specification. These can be used by learners to study the specification content in context. The suggestions are not compulsory – any similar suitable context can be chosen.

Download the A level Place Contexts

You do not have to purchase Pearson published resources in order to deliver Pearson Edexcel qualifications. Other publishers are available.

If you’re currently using ActiveLearn (ALS) for Geography, you’ll soon be moving across to ActiveHub – our new, improved digital platform for teaching, learning and assessment. Over the coming weeks, subscribing schools will receive an email from noreply@notifications.pearson.com confirming access to ActiveHub. You’ll log in using the same username and password you use for ActiveLearn, making the transition straightforward.

What happens next?

Once you have access, you’ll be able to:

 - Log into activehub.pearson.com

 - Bring your existing ActiveLearn users across

 -  Start exploring your Geography content in ActiveHub

You don’t need to take any action in advance, we’ll guide you through each step when your access is ready. Find everything you need to prepare for the move here:

Your ActiveHub Humanities Upgrade page

Not currently using ActiveLearn for Geography?

If you don’t have an ActiveLearn subscription but want to find out more about ActiveHub for Geography, including content, assessment tools and classroom benefits, explore our dedicated ActiveHub pages: Discover ActiveHub