OCR A Level Geography Revision Notes: Coastal
Landscapes
hank you so much for purchasing these notes! I hope they will be of use to you.
T
For some additional context, I created these notes myself using both teacher guidance, the OCR textbook, and with a lot of
additional research. Using these notes alone, I was lucky enough to achieve an A* in the 2026 exams. I therefore hope they will
achieve the same for you.
his set includes notes that follow the OCR specification for the coastal landscapes topic, including case study knowledge as
T
well. The case studies in this set are the Rhone Delta, Saltburn to Flamborough Head, Sandbanks and Mangawhai Pakiri. These
are the only 4 case studies you will need for this specification.
his set also includes an exemplary essay that achieved 16/16 marks and all of the exam techniques that I used throughout the
T
2 year course, securing 8/8 and at least 15/16 in every essay that I wrote.
astly, I have also included many AO2 points that can be memorised to achieve marks for “application of knowledge” in your
L
essays. Whilst you can of course think of these spontaneously in the exam, I found it beneficial to memorise these key
limitations and simply regurgitate them into my essays so that there was less pressure under exam conditions.
I have also made several other notes available for other OCR A Level Geography topics, so make sure to check those out if you
found these useful.
Good luck!
, Coastal Landscapes
Components and Flow of Energy
● 1.a. Coastal landscapes can be viewed as systems.
Features of a System
ystem: A series of interrelated stores and linksthat connect to work as a unified whole.
S
Open System: Allows the transfer of energy and matteras both inputs and outputs to neighbouring systems.
Closed System: Allows the transfer of energy, butnot matter, to neighbouring systems.
Isolated System: A system so far removed from othersthat it has neither inputs nor outputs.
I nput: Additions of material/energy into a ransfer: Flows that transport
T utput: Exportation of material/energy
O
system from an external source material/energy within a system to as the outcome of various processes
create stores
• Fluvial sediment • Deposition • Depositional landforms/sinks (dunes,
•Aeolian sediment •Erosion bars, estuaries etc.)
•Offshore sediment •Longshore drift •Erosional landforms (caves, blowholes,
•Terrestrial sediment •Sub-aerial processes etc.)
•Solar energy (think: photosynthesis of •Aeolian transportation •Dredging
consolidating vegetation) •Sediment grading (tidal dropping of •Evaporation
•Gravitational potential energy (think: larger materials before smaller ones) •Mass movement (I=soil T=gravity
high tides and steep cliffs) O=MM)
•Kinetic energy (wind + waves)
quilibrium:A state ofstaticstability achievedwhen inputs are equal to outputs.
E
Dynamic Equilibrium:A state oftemporarystabilitybetween inputs and outputs due to
the continuation of processes, wherein the system regularly readjusts through negative
feedback.
ediment Cells:
S
Large stretches of coastline that are largely self-contained.
Viewed as “closed” systems due topographical obstructions (headlands and
management barriers) that prevent transfer of sediment into adjacent cells.
ealistically, changes in wind direction and tidal currents mean transfer of fine matter to
R
neighbouring cells is inevitable.
DEFRA identifies 11 sediment cells across England and Wales, each containing sub-cells.
ediment budget: difference between the input and output of sediment.
S
Input > Output : the system has a surplus/positive SB and the coastline advances.
Output > Input : the system has a deficit/negative SB and the coastline retreats.
A healthy budget is one that is in equilibrium e.g. alternative seasons (constructive-destructive) or erosion followed by
deposition.
*** To calculate, simply minus outputs from inputs.
egative Feedback:The restoration of a system intobalance:
N
•Destructive waves erode a beach and deposit materialslocally as they lose energy in backwash. This forms a bar, which
absorbs wave energy, allowing the beach time to recover until it gets eroded too.
ositive Feedback:The amplification of a change,intensifying disequilibrium:
P
•People walk over sand dunes, dislodging vegetation,making them more vulnerable to erosion. The dunes erode, so absorb
less energy, meaning the beach itself begins to erode.
* *Don’t need to know this:
Backshore: area above the high tide mark, only attacked during storms
or spring tide.
Foreshore: area between low and high tide, exposed during ebb tides.
Nearshore: area of shallow water beyond the low tide mark, within
which waves begin to break.
Surf Zone: area within the nearshore zone at which waves successfully
break against the shore.
Break Zone: area within the nearshore zone at which waves begin to
generate friction for breakage.
Offshore: area of deeper water beyond the point atwhich waves begin to break
Physical Influences on Coastal Landscapes
● 1.b. Coastal landscape systems are influenced by a range of physical factors.
Landscapes
hank you so much for purchasing these notes! I hope they will be of use to you.
T
For some additional context, I created these notes myself using both teacher guidance, the OCR textbook, and with a lot of
additional research. Using these notes alone, I was lucky enough to achieve an A* in the 2026 exams. I therefore hope they will
achieve the same for you.
his set includes notes that follow the OCR specification for the coastal landscapes topic, including case study knowledge as
T
well. The case studies in this set are the Rhone Delta, Saltburn to Flamborough Head, Sandbanks and Mangawhai Pakiri. These
are the only 4 case studies you will need for this specification.
his set also includes an exemplary essay that achieved 16/16 marks and all of the exam techniques that I used throughout the
T
2 year course, securing 8/8 and at least 15/16 in every essay that I wrote.
astly, I have also included many AO2 points that can be memorised to achieve marks for “application of knowledge” in your
L
essays. Whilst you can of course think of these spontaneously in the exam, I found it beneficial to memorise these key
limitations and simply regurgitate them into my essays so that there was less pressure under exam conditions.
I have also made several other notes available for other OCR A Level Geography topics, so make sure to check those out if you
found these useful.
Good luck!
, Coastal Landscapes
Components and Flow of Energy
● 1.a. Coastal landscapes can be viewed as systems.
Features of a System
ystem: A series of interrelated stores and linksthat connect to work as a unified whole.
S
Open System: Allows the transfer of energy and matteras both inputs and outputs to neighbouring systems.
Closed System: Allows the transfer of energy, butnot matter, to neighbouring systems.
Isolated System: A system so far removed from othersthat it has neither inputs nor outputs.
I nput: Additions of material/energy into a ransfer: Flows that transport
T utput: Exportation of material/energy
O
system from an external source material/energy within a system to as the outcome of various processes
create stores
• Fluvial sediment • Deposition • Depositional landforms/sinks (dunes,
•Aeolian sediment •Erosion bars, estuaries etc.)
•Offshore sediment •Longshore drift •Erosional landforms (caves, blowholes,
•Terrestrial sediment •Sub-aerial processes etc.)
•Solar energy (think: photosynthesis of •Aeolian transportation •Dredging
consolidating vegetation) •Sediment grading (tidal dropping of •Evaporation
•Gravitational potential energy (think: larger materials before smaller ones) •Mass movement (I=soil T=gravity
high tides and steep cliffs) O=MM)
•Kinetic energy (wind + waves)
quilibrium:A state ofstaticstability achievedwhen inputs are equal to outputs.
E
Dynamic Equilibrium:A state oftemporarystabilitybetween inputs and outputs due to
the continuation of processes, wherein the system regularly readjusts through negative
feedback.
ediment Cells:
S
Large stretches of coastline that are largely self-contained.
Viewed as “closed” systems due topographical obstructions (headlands and
management barriers) that prevent transfer of sediment into adjacent cells.
ealistically, changes in wind direction and tidal currents mean transfer of fine matter to
R
neighbouring cells is inevitable.
DEFRA identifies 11 sediment cells across England and Wales, each containing sub-cells.
ediment budget: difference between the input and output of sediment.
S
Input > Output : the system has a surplus/positive SB and the coastline advances.
Output > Input : the system has a deficit/negative SB and the coastline retreats.
A healthy budget is one that is in equilibrium e.g. alternative seasons (constructive-destructive) or erosion followed by
deposition.
*** To calculate, simply minus outputs from inputs.
egative Feedback:The restoration of a system intobalance:
N
•Destructive waves erode a beach and deposit materialslocally as they lose energy in backwash. This forms a bar, which
absorbs wave energy, allowing the beach time to recover until it gets eroded too.
ositive Feedback:The amplification of a change,intensifying disequilibrium:
P
•People walk over sand dunes, dislodging vegetation,making them more vulnerable to erosion. The dunes erode, so absorb
less energy, meaning the beach itself begins to erode.
* *Don’t need to know this:
Backshore: area above the high tide mark, only attacked during storms
or spring tide.
Foreshore: area between low and high tide, exposed during ebb tides.
Nearshore: area of shallow water beyond the low tide mark, within
which waves begin to break.
Surf Zone: area within the nearshore zone at which waves successfully
break against the shore.
Break Zone: area within the nearshore zone at which waves begin to
generate friction for breakage.
Offshore: area of deeper water beyond the point atwhich waves begin to break
Physical Influences on Coastal Landscapes
● 1.b. Coastal landscape systems are influenced by a range of physical factors.
