Academic Support
At UCL Geography, every student is assigned a Personal Tutor who provides support, encouragement, and advice on both academic and personal matters.
Your tutor is a key contact throughout your degree - from discussing academic progress to offering personal guidance, career advice, and references.
How Academic Support Works
- Weekly small-group tutorials in Term 1 with your Personal Tutor.
- Tutorials in Term 2 with other faculty members, exposing you to a range of research areas.
- Tutorials are aligned with Thinking Geographically I & II.
- Formative and summative assessments across both terms (see below)
- Four meetings with your Personal Tutor, including at least one one-to-one meeting per term.
- First meeting includes review of previous year’s exam scripts and feedback.
- Continued one-to-one support from your Personal Tutor.
- Dissertation supervision (assigned at end of Year 2).
- Feedback on exams, CVs, careers advice, and references.
| Term | Module | Formative Assessments | Summative Assessments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term One | Thinking Geographically I | Referencing exercise, essay, essay plan | 1,500-word essay (History of Geography); 1,500-word essay (Key Concept of your choice) |
| Term Two | Thinking Geographically II | 1,500-word essay (Key Concept); Mock exam answer | 1,500-word report (Meet the Professor); 2-hour exam (2 questions) |
Making the Most of Tutor Feedback
Do
Bring a copy of your work
Come prepared with a copy of your essay so you can refer to it during feedback.
Prepare questions
Make a note of anything you don’t understand or want more guidance on.
Take detailed notes
Write down the feedback you receive so you can return to it later.
Apply suggestions
Review your notes before the next assignment and put the advice into practice.
Don't
Miss scheduled meetings
Tutorials are part of your formal record of attendance and engagement.
Treat feedback as one-off
Use comments to improve across all your future work, not just the essay in question.
Submit dissertation drafts for marking
Draft chapters cannot be graded and don’t replace essay feedback in your third year.
Arrive unprepared
Turning up without your work or questions limits how useful the session can be.
Key Skills and Records
Remember to set up and complete your Key Skills Report in Portico during your first weeks at UCL.
PorticoAccessing Your Tutor
Current Students Hub
Access key resources, information and updates for UCL students in one place.
Students HubCareers and Employability
Guidance, resources and events to help you explore career options and prepare for life after UCL.
UCL CareersGot questions? Get in touch.
Contact us if you have any questions about studying Geography at UCL.
