The place of fieldwork in both geography and science qualifications across the 14-19 age range remains contested, unclear and sometimes under threat. Despite its benefits for student learning and motivation, anecdotal evidence suggests that fieldwork is perceived by some school managers as expendable: desirable, but not a core requirement. In this article we argue that fieldwork needs to have a central place in examinations leading to qualifications in geography. We take evidence from a one-day, invitation-only workshop that cut across geography and the sciences, which we ran at the behest of the Field Studies Council in the spring of 2014. Although too late to influence policy decisions relating to GCSE and A-level content and assessment frameworks, the workshop provided strong endorsement for the renewed prominence of fieldwork in A-level examinations – and caution concerning the return to the assessment of field work through examination questions at GCSE level. Although fieldwork has become well articulated in examination specifications, as always, effective teacher development will be the key to sustaining excellent fieldwork practices.

中文翻译：

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实地考察在地理资质中的地位

14-19 岁年龄段的地理和科学资格的实地考察仍然存在争议、不清楚，有时还受到威胁。尽管它对学生的学习和积极性有好处，但轶事证据表明，一些学校管理人员认为实地考察是可以消耗的：可取的，但不是核心要求。在本文中，我们认为实地考察需要在获得地理资格的考试中占据中心位置。我们在 2014 年春季应实地研究委员会的要求举办了一个为期一天、仅限受邀参加的研讨会，该研讨会跨越地理和科学，但为时已晚，无法影响与 GCSE 和 A 相关的政策决定-级别的内容和评估框架，研讨会为重新强调 A-level 考试中的实地工作提供了强有力的支持——并警告说，通过 GCSE 水平的考试题重新评估实地工作。尽管实地考察在考试规范中得到了很好的阐述，但一如既往，有效的教师发展将是维持优秀实地考察实践的关键。