Geography SBA Guideline.

Accounts for 20% of final exam grade (total words 1500 please consult syllabus)
TITLE PAGE
The following information must be on the title page of your SBA:
1. Title of the study (in the form of a question)
2. Name of the student
3. Candidate number
4. Name of the school
5. Teachers Name
6. Name of Territory
7. Year of the Examination
STRATEGY SHEET
You will need to fill out a Strategy Sheet at the start of the study and this will be placed as the second page in
your study, following your title page ( please print strategy sheet from CXC website).
THE S.B.A. PROJECT OUTLINE
The FIRST DRAFT of the study is to be submitted by date agreed upon.
The project should be emailed, double space, font 12, Times New Roman.
TABLE OF CONTENTS - (1 MARK)
The following should appear in your Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Aim
- Location of study area
- Methodology
- Presentation, Analysis and Discussion of Data
- Conclusion
- Bibliography & Appendix
The pages should be numbered correctly e.g. the Presentation, Analysis and Discussion of Data in the
example is on page 5 and not on pages 5 -9.
INTRODUCTION- (2 MARKS)
A paragraph to explain WHY you chose to do this study e.g. show why this study is important. Try to explain
why you have chosen to investigate this topic and what you expect to find. You can make a prediction or
suggest possible outcomes. It might be appropriate to refer to a geographical theory or model i.e. how info
will be collected.
THE AIM - (2 MARKS)
The aim of the SBA is a statement made which you wish to test (i.e. for you to prove or disprove) and which
will allow for the collection of primary data.
You are required to formulate ONE simple and clear aim which would allow for collection of data and
developed in the Presentation of Data.
The aim must have at least TWO descriptive words showing how you will collect the data and how you will
present this data in order to answer the question or problem e.g.
a) How the information will be collected - words such as identify, determine, find out, examine,
investigate, observe.
b) How the information will be presented words such as describe, explain, illustrate, discuss, compare.
The aim must also state the specific geographic feature that is being studied and the name of the town or
village and the country in which the study is located e.g.
LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA - (4 MARKS)
This is the place where your research was carried out. Give exact area or areas studyfrom starting point to
ending point. e.g. the stretch of beach from Hectors Rive to Long Bay in Manchioneal Portland, Jamaica you
are marked ONLY for your map-drawing skills.
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Your location of the study area must be illustrated on THREE HAND DRAWN sketch maps:
a) Map 1 is of the entire territory (using an atlas) with the field study area prominently highlighted.
This map must show at least one line of latitude and one line of longitude, the outline and names of all
the parishes and the Caribbean Sea.
b) Map 2 is a map of the parish showing the situation of the study area. Highlight major towns, road
networks, rivers and height.
c) Map 3 is a site map, it is a detailed sketch map of the study area and its immediate environs (provided
by your teacher), showing relevant features such as contour lines or spot heights (to give approximate
height of the study area). Also details such as main and minor roads, streams or rivers, neighbouring
settlements, key buildings, other landmarks and anything which was relevant to the study.
All maps should be drawn using a FINE POINT BLACK INK PEN and should be as neat and as accurate as
possible. The place names on your maps should be in SCRIPT/BLOCK CAPITALS and these should be
placed on the map and not in the legend/key.
Each map must have the necessary essentials of a title, a key, an approximate scale and the north arrow
and this must to be placed within a border.
There should be the use the appropriate colours i.e. red for road, blue for water etc.
Maps should be letter size, please note that country border is a solid black line while the parish border is
a broken black line
N.B. NO CREDIT WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE USE OF PHOTOCOPIED OR SCANNED MAPS OR MAPS CUT FROM
SECONDARY SOURCES OR COMPUTER-GENERATED MAPS.
METHODOLOGY - (4 MARKS)
The methodology is a description of step by step exactly what you did to collect your data and this should be
provided in three separate sections - how, when, where.
a) HOW (2 marks): this is to explain the procedures you used to get information.
Please make note of the Secondary data used in the study: such as census data, newspapers, library research,
use of text-books, internet sources, handouts, atlas, Ordnance Survey maps, environmental agency reports, Tourist
Board magazines and any written material that can help to interpret, analyse and illustrate information collected in
the field.

A copy of the questionnaire/interview schedule/ record sheet/ tally sheet etc must be attached at the end
of the study (following the Bibliography) in the Appendix.
b) WHEN (1 mark): this gives a clear indication of the date/dates (the exact day, date, month, year and the
time of day) when the information was collected.
c) WHERE (1 mark): Here you will state the street name, village /town, parish, country. Include a brief
statement describing the geographical coordinates of the study area e.g. Malvern is in south central St
Elizabeth about 12 km south of Santa Cruz at an elevation of approximately 1 500 ft above sea level.
State also if it is a major residential/agricultural/ tourist/fishing/manufacturing area.
Make sure that this location and the features described can be identified on your maps.
d) Please state what was done with the data collected.
PRESENTATION OF DATA - (4 MARKS)
Your diagrams/maps/graphs/photographs must be properly labelled and be well integrated into the text. You
must use only photographs that were taken at the time of study therefore no photocopied/scanned pictures,
maps, or newspaper clippings from text books, newspapers, magazines and web sites.
Illustrations serve an important purpose and must have a clear title and be appropriately and sequentially
captioned e.g. Figure 1 etc., and should be pertinent to the aim being developed and should form an
important part of your analysis and discussion.
The illustrations must be presented so that the data can be easily understood. Always include a reference in
the text to each illustration that is used and this must be placed as close to where it is first mentioned.
The data you present must always be accurate and a true representation of your work conducted in the field.
At least TWO of the following illustrations may be used in your presentation e.g
tables,
bar graphs
pie charts
line graph
flow charts
pictograms
scatter graphs

cross-sections
proportional symbols
labelled photographs
field sketches
rose diagrams
Venn diagrams

land-use maps
isopleth maps
dot maps
choropleth maps
flow-line maps

Illustrations must be drawn and labelled in black ink, they must be neat, and each must be numbered,
labeled, titled and integrated into the written account by referring to them, analysing and discussing them.
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Illustrations should be carefully placed so that they help to clarify or substantiate the points made and that it
is not enough just to insert illustrations with only brief descriptions.
Graphs of any type and sketches are labelled as Figures
Pictures as plates
Tables as tables
NB. Please be consistent in labelling always put title continuously at the bottom or top of the illustration
THE QUALITY OF DATA - (4 MARKS)
Here you are marked on the quality of your data as it relates to achieving the aim of your study. The data
should be relevant and sufficient for the achievement of the aim and there should not be an over-dependence
on secondary data.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION - (10 MARKS)
TEXT (8 MARKS):
Always introduce the topic using a definition or statement in the first paragraph. The written account must be
clear, concise, well organised and follow a logical sequence.
In this section you are required to present a full analysis of the data collected from the field as it relates to the
aim , and this should be integrated with your illustrations.
Your analysis and discussion should not be just a collection of comments or descriptions of graphs and tables
but a detailed discussion about your findings, showing a clear logical development of the points.
In this section you will need to

Explain what the data presented (photograph/map/graph/figure/diagram) is showing and how well this links
with the aim of your study.
Identify any links between the data collected and the geographical topic that you have studied by making use
of secondary data effectively to substantiate primary data results.
Identify any patterns and trends in the data and explain any exceptions to the general trend.
Identify any links with the other sets of data collected.
Ensure the appropriate use of geographical language/jargon/terminology.

Secondary data must compliment the data collected from the field and not be the only source of information.
NB..PLEASE USE APA in text referencing
INTEGRATION OF ILLUSTRATIONS (2 MARKS): Illustrations should be well integrated into the
account, that is, placed as near as possible to the relevant part of the account that they are intended to
illustrate and not separated from the written account. A variety of illustrations should be used and these
should be relevant, given appropriate titles and properly labelled.
CONCLUSION - (4 MARKS)
The conclusion is a summary of the main points that were made in the Presentation of Data and it must be
linked to the aim. NO NEW INFORMATION SHOULD BE INTRODUCED INTO THIS SECTION .
The conclusion should answer the question that was asked in the title and it may include suggestions for
solving the problem and/or state the implications if the problem is ignored.
Examiners often complain that some conclusions are much too lengthy while others consist only of bulleted
points rather than presenting a discussion. It may also include a comment on the suitability of the method
used to collect data.
Good conclusions are concise, well-organized summaries of the data with an opinion and/or recommendation
where these were relevant.
COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION - (4 MARKS)
A penalty will be applied for poor grammar, spelling and expression in your study. You are expected to use
Standard English and appropriate geographical jargon
BIBLIOGRAPHY & APPENDIX - (1 MARK)
BIBLIOGRAPHY: The bibliography is a list of all sources, recorded in alphabetical order of the authors
surname, date of publication, followed by the title of the book, place of publication & the name of the
publisher, . Try to read and reference at least three relevant and up-to-date books (i.e. published within the
last five years).
The books are listed first and should be followed by the OTHER SOURCES which include:.

Web sites: with name of website, URL reference, date

Topographic maps: with the name of country and its RF scale, sheet number and year of publication

APPENDIX: The appendix should include a copy of the questionnaire, permission letters from your school
and letters to the company requesting permission to visit, interview schedules, record sheets or survey
methods used. YOU SHOULD NOT PUT ANY PHOTOGRAPHS HERE!!!
EXCEEDING WORD LIMIT - (-4 MARK)
There is a penalty of 4 marks which will be deduced for exceeding the word limit by more than 150 words
(i.e. over 1150 words).
You are encouraged to use the WORD COUNT function in your computer to help you check the number of
words in your report.
The WORDS THAT ARE COUNTED in this include those in the:

Introduction
aim
methodology
analysis and discussion
conclusion

However, the WORDS THAT ARE NOT COUNTED include those in the:

bibliography
appendix (i.e. questionnaire etc.)
permission letter from your teacher
title of a map, diagram or illustration
key
labels on maps and diagrams, and illustrations