How to study geography at school today? What needs to be changed in the content? When will the USE in geography become mandatory? What topics to study at the basic and advanced levels? At whose expense to conduct school expeditions and trips? Do I need a general course on this subject in the 11th grade? All these issues were discussed at the All-Russian Congress of Teachers of Geography, which was held at Moscow State University.
In fact, the congress participants worked on the draft Concept of Geographical Education, which will become the basis for new programs and textbooks. What does the concept offer? Make the geography exam mandatory after the 9th and 11th grades, add the preparation of geographical projects to the program, divide geography into basic and advanced levels and study depending on the level for 2-3 hours a week. Plus, to add the course "Geography of the Native Land" to the regional programs in grades 8-9 and allocate one extra hour a week for this.
Geography was threatened by ill-conceived school reforms. At the same time, geography is not just a memorization of precipitation and temperature, it has been and remains a subject that forms the consciousness and attitude of a person to life. This is the base item. I'm sorry that in recent years geography has been relegated to the background at school, - Viktor Sadovnichy, Rector of Moscow State University, addressed the participants of the congress.
The geographical illiteracy of today's schoolchildren is simply frightening: there are students for whom "Rasseya is the territory from the Volga to the Yenisei." And they have no doubts that Catherine II, and not Alexander II, sold the land of Alyasochka.
Children calculate the humidity of the air, cramming the types of clouds, but do not know the capitals of the Russian regions
Unfortunately, geography today is far from the most popular subject among schoolchildren, and only 2-3 percent choose the USE in this subject. The head of Rosobrnadzor, Sergei Kravtsov, specified: "It's only 18,000 people."
True, there is good news for the 9th grade: as soon as graduates were offered to choose any two other school subjects in addition to Russian and mathematics, 27 percent decided that they would take an exam in geography. There is another plus: as soon as the Unified State Examination appeared after 11 grades, the geography course in most schools began to end not in the 10th grade, as before, but in the 11th grade, and the schools went for it consciously - no one forced them to change their curricula .
This year, for the first time, the All-Russian test work in geography will be held in the 11th grade. Next year we will conduct a National study of the quality of geographical education in grades 7-8, - said the head of Rosobrnadzor Sergey Kravtsov.
But there have been a lot of problems in recent years. According to teachers, too few hours are allotted for geography. In the 6th grade, for example, only 34 - one lesson per week. During this time, it is necessary to have time to pass not only the most difficult section of the course - physical geography, but also to complete 10 practical work. "When to do them?" - outraged teachers.
The programs are designed in such a way that the most difficult topics requiring analytics fall on the 5th-6th grades. Children calculate the relative and absolute air humidity, atmospheric pressure, cramming the types of clouds, but they don’t know where Siberia is located, they can’t list the major cities Far East, do not know the capitals of the Russian regions. Yes, knowledge about the earth is the basis, we and our parents were taught the same principle, but today's children have changed a lot. Either it is necessary to give this material differently, or to revise the methodology, because in high school the most important thing is to keep interest in the subject.
It is necessary to update the content by geography. A lot of new things have appeared, world geopolitics has changed, there is a need to talk separately about Russia's place in the world, the economy of our country. - considers a geography teacher from the city of Safronovo, Smolensk region, Galina Shalobanova. - Some topics from the 6th grade can be transferred to the 7th-8th grades. There is a need to lay the foundations for modern political map world in geography lessons.
According to the teacher, history and geography should be more closely connected. “I have a wonderful saying hanging in my office: “History is geography in time, geography is history in space,” said Galina Shalobanova. “It can become the basis for a new approach to the subject.”
We need an emphasis on the study of Russia. These topics are given only in the 9th grade, it's late, I give in the 8th. Pupils teach Russian regions and capitals, says Vera Dmitrieva, a geography teacher from Zelenograd. - Unfortunately, there are parents who are indignant at the meeting: "Why are you giving all this? Why is this necessary?"
Teachers believe that geography could become an entrance exam for "international relations", "management", "tourism", and other university areas.
The concept of development of geographical education proposes an introduction compulsory exam in geography in the 9th and 11th grades. This initiative is good, but it requires detailed discussion. - Minister of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva expressed her opinion.
What is offered
Develop a new standard for school geographical education, strengthening the practical orientation of the course;
Hold a competition and prepare several lines of geography textbooks;
Organize large-scale refresher courses for geography teachers;
Develop a meaningful minimum of concepts and terms for basic and advanced levels of studying geography;
Teach geography at a basic level in grades 10-11 for at least 2 hours a week, at an advanced level - at least 3 hours a week;
Introduce 1 additional hour per week on "Geography of the Native Land" for grades 8-9;
Make the geography exam compulsory after the 9th and after the 11th grade;
Take into account the USE in geography when entering universities in the specialty "economics", "tourism", "international relations" and others.
By the way
According to VTsIOM data Russians learned best from the school geography course that it is the city of Samara that stands on the Volga (75% gave the correct answer), and not Ryazan, Ufa or Perm. Only 47 percent know that Rio de Janeiro is larger in population than Madrid, Kyiv and Warsaw. The same number of Russians correctly said that Russia has a land border with Mongolia (and not with Sweden, Turkmenistan or Iran) and that Western Siberia stands out for natural gas production (and not potash salts, copper ores or bauxite). 45 percent know that mining is carried out in the Kursk region, and not in Bryansk, Kalmykia or Chuvashia.
Worst of all, our fellow citizens coped with the answer to the question about the highest mountain system in Eurasia: only a third of Russians (32%) indicated Tibet (the rest chose the options "Alps", "Altai", "Caucasus"). 44 percent have no idea that the capital of Karelia is Petrozavodsk, and 18 percent did not know that Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan.
Geography is one of those subjects that you can choose to take in the Unified State Exam at the end of grade 11 high school. This subject is required for admission to many Russian universities for specialized specialties directly related to geography. These include geology, hydrometeorology, ecology, cartography, as well as pedagogy (specialty "geography teacher")
According to the USE statistics in geography, one student passes for two Russian schools.
The minimum passing score in geography in 2016 is 37 points, (in order to overcome this threshold it is necessary to correctly solve 12 tasks from the first part. As for the structure of the exam, the USE in geography consists of two parts - 34 tasks. 27 tasks require a short answer (number, word, phrase or sequence of numbers), and to solve the remaining 7 tasks, you need to give a detailed answer, which is a picture or a detailed solution of the problem with a description of the course of action.
At first glance, it may seem that the USE in geography is the exam for which you should prepare for several months, or even years, in order to pass it with a high score. However, things are a little different: certainly, considerable efforts should be made, but he can really prepare for this USE in just a few days.
Preparation for the exam in geography
So, first of all, it should be noted that you do not need to study the material all night before the exam! At night, you need to rest from what has been covered during the day - only then the preparation will turn out to be productive, and the information received will be able to safely fit into memory!
What to do during those few days that remained before the exam?
Get ready, get ready and get ready again!
Step 1
Of course, if you are completely unfamiliar with the structure of the exam itself, the wording of questions and the requirements for detailed answers, then you should carefully review the existing KIMs of past years with a detailed analysis of them by experts. Next, of course, one should proceed to the study of theoretical material. Of course, if there are very few days left, then there is sorely not enough time to study the theory, however, without a theoretical basis, it will be very difficult for a child to start practical activities. In order to save time, you should use special printed publications for preparing for the exam or online resources that provide the most important theoretical basis, which is formulated and presented in a concise and intelligible manner.
Step 2
What follows next? It is necessary to immediately proceed to an independent thorough "resolving" of the mentioned KIMs.
Practice is what helps in preparing for the exam the most! After solving one or more KIMs (whether online or in special printed publications), you need to familiarize yourself with the mistakes made, and then read theoretical material on these topics in order to avoid such mistakes again and consolidate knowledge.
It cannot be said that it is very useful to “solve” a test in which he made a large number of errors again after a certain period of time, for example, not the next day. If mistakes are repeated - you need to carefully work out the theory! If there are no mistakes, this indicates a high degree of quality of preparation!
Step 3
It is also impossible not to notice that you should check your knowledge in various sources! You can not use the same printed book to prepare for the exam or the same site. On one resource, tasks can be formulated in the same way, which will cause difficulties when meeting with a different formulation of the question.
The last laziness of preparing before the exam
On the last day before the exam, you should stop preparing at about seven or eight in the evening. All the information received in a few days should “settle down” in your head, and you should give yourself the opportunity to relax before an important exam and sleep well! This will have a beneficial effect on the final score, and, consequently, on the chances of enrolling in a budget place.
What to do if the fear of passing the exam for a low score still overcomes the day before passing?
You just need to isolate yourself from these obsessions that can bring down a positive attitude and try to switch your attention to another activity that does not require a high intellectual load. Pessimistic thoughts arise in everyone, you just need to try not to succumb to such a mood, but to believe in your own strength and the seriousness of your own preparation.
It’s real to prepare for the exam in a few days!
You just need to want and try hard!
comments Alisa Plyukhina, who passed this subject in 2012 for a record 94 points for Vladivostok:
The most important element successful delivery exam is a good teacher. Our class was lucky in this regard, the teacher - Tatyana Valerievna- I didn’t “train” for the exam, but simply taught geography. After all, this is one of those subjects, a good knowledge of which really gives a good result in the exam. And there is no need to complicate everything - you know, then you will pass.
Another great help is city olympiads. Even if the school has experts worse than you, ask to become a participant in the Olympiad. If it doesn’t work out at all, take the assignments from previous years. Now the Olympiad is the same USE, only the tasks are larger and more difficult, although their very form is the same. My classmate and I were also given the opportunity to go to city olympiads. At first we weren't even in the top 10 geography experts, but in three years I was able to climb to fourth place. Some tenths of a point were not enough for the prize money. But it was already Last year training, there was no time to "recoup".
Nevertheless, the Olympiads helped me a lot, because even in terms of organization they resemble an exam: strangers, excitement, tests, great responsibility. And if you pass badly, then you just won’t get an honorary diploma, but a failure in the exam is fraught with a refusal to enroll in a university.
Preparation for the Olympiad begins with a textbook. Photo: AiF-South
It is also extremely important to remember the elements (“puzzles”) of geography: mentally imagine where Perm is, and where Penza is, with whom Uruguay borders, and with whom Uganda. Although there are elements that you just need to learn: the capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires, the capital of Portugal is Lisbon (we immediately imagine where it is). So with all more or less large, well-known states. It is not necessary to know the capital of Rwanda (although it is Kigali), but learn about Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar). It is the same with rivers and seas, languages, peoples, minerals, industry. There is no need to be scared, only Google and Yandex know everything about everything thoroughly. The questions are left in such a way that only contrasting concepts are compared, for example, for grain exporters, you will need to choose between Russia and Switzerland, and not between Argentina and Mexico.
The ability to think logically, compare, evaluate - will help you find the right answer even in those questions that seem completely incomprehensible. For example, you absolutely do not know the center of ferrous metallurgy of the Ural base, but suddenly you remember a stern Chelyabinsk peasant who worked at a pipe-rolling plant, and here is the answer - Chelyabinsk. Or the question - in which of the presented regions is Islam spread? We recall that people talk about Islam most of all in the context of the Caucasus, which means that closer to the Caucasus, then with Islam. Such methods do not always work, but in a hopeless situation they are more than nothing. For example, in part "C" it is always better to write at least something than to turn in a blank sheet.
The most effective method of preparing for the Unified State Examination, according to which I prepared for all exams, is to solve tests and tasks from collections, to solve A LOT. Lots of. (When, tired, you already wave your hand and say to yourself: “everything, tired” - this is only half of the MUCH). Having solved one test completely, even without a single mistake, you need to go solve the next one. Check yourself, look at mistakes, memorize and write out problem areas. Firstly, it helps to get a hand in the tasks of the USE format, and secondly, although the probability of stumbling upon the same task is quite small, all tasks are taken from a single database, which means that the task may be different, but with the same meaning. It is also important to familiarize yourself on the Internet with the rules for designing part “C”, although this part is creative, there are still rules, it’s better to keep them in mind.
They are not going to take the USE soon, but there is already an interest in geography. Photo: AiF / Valery Khristoforov
And the last advice (for which teachers can get angry at me), even if you are not confident in your abilities, apply, take geography. You have six months to improve your knowledge, and in case of failure, you will not lose anything, but you can find a backup option. Unfortunately, scores play an important role in the ranking of schools and teachers. USE graduates, with their interests, so that weak guys do not hand over their subject. But no one can stop you. For me, geography was never the future, but just in case, I applied for tourism. A day later from admission committee they called me back, saying that they were taking me to the budget department right now, they didn’t have students with a higher score. The fallback option was not useful to me, fortunately or joyfully, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that it is realistic to pass geography, and I hope that this year in our city there will be a “hundred and a half student”, in front of which even more university doors will open.
For delivery at the end of school in the 11th grade. Not the most popular subject: if you give the figures for the country, it turns out that on average one graduate chose geography for two schools. Geography is required for admission to specialties in the following areas: geography, geology, cartography, hydrometeorology and ecology.
Read the general information about the exam and start preparing. Compared to last year, the version of KIM USE 2019 has not changed at all, so you can safely use the materials of past years.
EGE assessment
The minimum passing score in geography in 2019 is 37, to overcome the threshold it is enough to correctly solve the first 12 tasks. Translate primary scores into test scores and assess your level of knowledge of the subject according to the usual five-point system.
USE test structure
In 2019, the USE test in geography consists of two parts, including 34 tasks.
- Part 1: 27 tasks (1-27) with a short answer that is a number, a word (phrase) or a sequence of numbers.
- Part 2: 7 tasks (28–34) with a detailed answer, which is a picture, a solution to a problem, or a detailed description of the entire progress of the task.
Preparation for the exam
- Pass the USE tests online for free without registration and SMS. The presented tests are identical in their complexity and structure to the real exams held in the corresponding years.
- Download demo versions of the exam in geography, which will allow you to better prepare for the exam and make it easier to pass it. All proposed tests are designed and approved to prepare for USE Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements (FIPI). In the same FIPI, all official USE options.
The tasks that you will see, most likely, will not be found on the exam, but there will be tasks similar to the demo ones, on the same topic or simply with different numbers.
General USE figures
| Year | Min. USE score | Average score | Number of applicants | Did not pass, % | Qty 100 points |
Duration- exam length, min. |
| 2009 | 34 | |||||
| 2010 | 35 | 53,61 | 22 256 | 6,3 | 17 | 180 |
| 2011 | 32 | 54,40 | 10 946 | 8 | 25 | 180 |
| 2012 | 37 | 55,8 | 24 423 | 8,3 | 64 | 180 |
| 2013 | 37 | 57,2 | 20 736 | 12,1 | 193 | 180 |
| 2014 | 37 | 52,9 | 235 | |||
| 2015 | 37 | 52,9 | 235 | |||
| 2016 | 37 | 235 | ||||
| 2017 | 37 | 235 | ||||
| 2018 |
Ninth graders take geography as an optional final exam. This subject, like other disciplines of the natural science cycle, is not chosen as often as social science, English language or computer science. This is due to the fact that in order to successfully complete the examination tasks, it is necessary to apply special skills here. Today we will talk about how difficult it is to pass the OGE in geography and how to properly prepare for it.
What will be on the exam?
A typical examination variant consists of 30 tasks of varying complexity. They are aimed at testing geographical knowledge obtained from grades 5 to 9. Most of the questions relate to the section "Geography of Russia". In order to successfully complete all tasks, you must be able to:
- collect and analyze geographic information;
- good orientation on the map;
- read the climatogram, graphs, diagrams;
- use statistical information;
- solve elementary geographical problems;
- make predictions based on initial information;
- compare facts from different geography courses;
- apply geographical knowledge in practice, in different circumstances.
The first 17 tasks have a basic level of difficulty, the next 10 - advanced and the last 3 - high level difficulties. For 27 tasks you need to give a short answer, for three tasks - a detailed one.
Students are given only 2 hours (120 minutes) to complete all tasks. At the exam, you can use geographical atlases for grades 7, 8, 9, a ruler and a non-programmable calculator.
Common Mistakes
Alas, even with a solid five in geography, you can write an exam not at all for the scores that you originally expected. What annoying mistakes do ninth graders make especially often?
- incomplete answer
This is due to carelessness. Reading the task fluently without thinking, you miss more than 30% of the information. As a result, you give a completely wrong answer, although you know everything. Every word, every wording must be taken literally. The answer should also not contain words in a figurative sense. Another point is a waste of time on too detailed answers: if two examples are required, then there should be only two. - Poor map knowledge
Searching for the desired region or city in the atlas, if you do not know where they are, takes up too much precious time. When performing test tasks, pay more attention to working with the map. It's a shame to waste 10 minutes looking for Bratsk or Karelia, right? - Failure to use the atlas
Answers to most tasks are contained in atlases for grades 7-9, which can be used in the exam. The main thing is to be able to extract this valuable information. When buying an atlas, we recommend that you pay attention to its completeness - the more information, the better. Read them carefully in advance, so that later you don’t get confused in the symbols and don’t look for the right card for an hour. - Ignorance of geographical terms
The number of points that you will be given for a particular task depends on how freely and competently you operate with special terms when answering or manage with everyday logic.
What other mistakes can let you down? This is, first of all, the inability to establish a logical relationship between the geographical features of the region and human economic activity. In second place is the incorrect definition of standard time. The third most common mistake is ignorance of geographical coordinates, problems with finding them geographic point on the map. It is impossible to master these skills in a couple of days. Start preparing not a week in advance, but in the fall or even summer.
How to properly prepare?
- Only OGE, only hardcore.
Create conditions as close as possible to a real exam: turn off the phone and TV, radio, computer, only atlases (grades 7-9), a pen, a piece of paper, a collection of tasks should be on the table. Notice the time. You have only 120 minutes to solve one option. After completing the tasks, take a break and check yourself. Correct the mistakes and be sure to learn the topic where they were made. Your goal is to work through as many tasks as possible before the exam so that the skills become automatic. - Make friends with the atlas.
Do not spare money for good atlases, where there is a lot of valuable additional information. Do not be lazy and find on the map all the objects that are mentioned in the tasks. Try to extract from the atlas all the information about them that you can. - Draw geographical knowledge from everywhere
Read additional literature, including fiction - Jack London, Jules Verne, diaries of great travelers. Firstly, you will be able to relax a little with fascinating reading, secondly, geography will “come to life” and become more interesting, thirdly, you will learn a lot interesting facts. Be sure to watch the news. For example, today you saw a report about China. Complete the following tasks.
- Locate China on the map.
- Name its capital and major cities.
- Determine their geographic coordinates.
- What is the name of the mainland and part of the world where China is located?
- What countries does it border on?
- Which seas wash the shores?
- What climate zone is the country in?
- Population? Official language? Religion? Country area? The main sectors of the economy?
it rough plan characteristics of the country, you can supplement it and apply it not only to the states, but also to the regions of Russia. This exercise will only take about 20 minutes. By doing it every day, you will know geography well and be well versed in the current economic and political situation. If you decide to prepare yourself, then you will have to do at least three times a week, for 2-3 hours. In the case when you can not allocate so much time to one subject, it is better to enroll in preparatory courses. Under the guidance of an experienced teacher, you will be able to repeat the material and work through exam options Much faster and more efficient than at home.
