| Abstract: | In this paper, factors affecting achievement in the University of Cambridge GCE A‐level geography examination, for a sample of 470 students, are analysed in terms of 17 variables grouped into the four factors of family background, cognitive ability, study orientation and school influence. Path analysis established a composite factor of study orientation to have the major causal association with achievement; this effect was direct, and there were no significant indirect effects from the family background or cognitive factors. Family background was generally not found to be associated with achievement, but an important association between ‘disembedding’ spatial ability and practical geography was suggested. A teacher's profile and amount of fieldwork undertaken were also found to correlate significantly with achievement. The main association with attainment was, however, achievement at O‐level, both in terms of O‐level achievement generally and in geography specifically. Five predictor variables were presented which accounted for a greater percentage of variation than has previously been explained. The consequences of the research for teachers and students are briefly addressed in a number of concluding remarks. |
