Fenalla Keevil - Geography
Fenella Keevil - Geography
Writing an Extended Essay in geography is a daunting task particularly
as the format is something completely new to me. Choosing a pertinent
topic and title is key and is one of the hardest parts of the process.
Collecting relevant data was the next hurdle, involving huge amounts
of research, the Office for National Statistics website, plus I used
social media, telephone interviews, letters and emails, to provide new
information. Once I had my data, I found the writing actually quite
enjoyable and the skills I developed, including the formatting of all
the data, have been really useful. Geography coursework was easy in
comparison! I felt a huge sense of accomplishment completing the essay
and it really is great preparation for university.
Supervisor: Alex Patton
Fenella chose to analyse the impacts of a major regeneration scheme,
and in keeping with her allied interest in Economics (which she also
studied at HL), she chose a large retail development in Exeter which was
expected to bring additional jobs, incomes and visitor benefits to the
city. Analysing redevelopment impacts is a typical area for research but,
while it might seem straightforward, she had to deal head-on with some
difficult conceptual and epistemological issues. Most notably these were:
• To what extent can improvements in a variable such as
unemployment be attributed to just one scheme?
• What should the impacts be compared against, ie what is the
base-case scenario?
• Does a spatial zero-sum game where expenditure and
employment are shifted around between different areas really
result in any net ‘benefits’ overall?
In tackling these issues, Fenella had to learn how to use and interpret
recent census data and read academic and professional literature on
how to conduct such economic and geographical evaluations. That she
managed to raise such a study from the mundane to the fascinating and
intricate, as well as assessing impacts in a far more holistic manner than
many professional studies, is hugely to her credit.
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