Geography
Coastal landforms: label, explain and decide
Read a fictional coastal sketch, identify landforms and distinguish erosion from deposition. The two-page landscape A4 geography task also asks pupils to sequence cave-to-stump formation, explain hydraulic action and abrasion, and weigh a possible café site.
Use the landscape to identify coastal landforms. The source sketch is fictional and the pupil labels remain blank.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Read a fictional coastal sketch, identify landforms and distinguish erosion from deposition. The two-page landscape A4 geography task also asks pupils to sequence cave-to-stump formation, explain hydraulic action and abrasion, and weigh a possible café site.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
Page 1
12 marks 1. Find each numbered circle. 2. Write its name on line 1, a clue on line 2. 3. Circle E erosion or D deposition. WORD BANK headland bay cliff beach spit crack cave arch stack stump wave-cut notch wave-cut platform Diagram labelling worksheet · The coast in the sketch is fictional 1 LABEL 2 EXPLAIN 3 DECIDE GEOGRAPHY AGES 11 TO 14 COASTAL LANDFORMS LABEL THE COAST FIELD BRIEF Read a coastal landscape like a geographer. I can name 12 landforms. I can sort erosion from deposition. I can explain how a stack forms. 1 Label the coast harder rock softer rock softer rock longshore drift prevailing wind 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 A B C 1 E D 2 E D 3 E D 4 E D 5 E D 6 E D 7 E D 8 E D 9 E D 10 E D 11 E D 12 E D Page 1 of 2
Page 2
6 marks Stage 1 is done for you. Draw stages 2 to 4 in the same style, then finish each caption. Waves attack a crack in the headland. Hydraulic action and abrasion widen it into a cave. 4 marks 6 marks Find the squares A, B and C on the page 1 sketch. Tick one site for a new beach cafe. A Cliff top on the headland, near the arch B Land behind the beach in the bay C On the spit, next to the river mouth GO FURTHER · 2 MARKS Which site could look most different in 100 years? Why? Diagram labelling worksheet · Use the page 1 sketch for task 4 1 LABEL 2 EXPLAIN 3 DECIDE GEOGRAPHY AGES 11 TO 14 PROCESSES AND CHANGE HOW THE COAST CHANGES 2 From cave to stump STAGE 1: CAVE STAGE 2: ARCH The cave STAGE 3: STACK The roof of the arch STAGE 4: STUMP Waves erode the base 3 Explain two processes How does hydraulic action erode a cliff? Use: wave, crack, air, pressure Q1 2 marks How does abrasion erode a cliff? Use: pebbles, sand, thrown, wear away Q2 2 marks 4 Pick a cafe site Explain your choice. Give one advantage and one risk from erosion, deposition or flooding. Q3 4 marks Page 2 of 2
A teaching sequence
Identify coastal landforms, explain selected erosion processes and make a reasoned choice among fictional site options.
Use the landscape to identify coastal landforms. The source sketch is fictional and the pupil labels remain blank.
Read the complete materialLabel and classify the coast
Label the numbered sketch features from the word bank and classify each as erosion or deposition using the diagram.
Which diagram clue supports erosion or deposition for this feature?
Draw the changing headland
Draw the cave-to-arch-to-stack-to-stump sequence and finish the captions with the process shown.
What process connects the cave, arch, stack and stump?
Explain erosion processes
Explain hydraulic action and abrasion using the supplied word prompts.
How do the supplied prompts distinguish pressure from abrasion?
Use the landscape to identify coastal landforms. The source sketch is fictional and the pupil labels remain blank.
Read the complete materialJudge a fictional site
Compare the three fictional café sites, giving one advantage and one erosion, deposition or flooding risk for the chosen location. Keep the fictional map separate from actual planning.
What local evidence would you need before choosing a real café site?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Check labels against the diagram and ask pupils to explain which process supports each answer. For the café task, look for both an advantage and a risk. Ask: “What information would you need before choosing a real site?” The sketch is fictional and no real planning decision follows from it.
Give a little support
Offer a labelled starter feature, a process word bank and the cave sequence partly drawn. Let pupils explain one landform orally before completing the site-choice response.
Take the idea further
Compare the fictional sketch with a source-backed photograph or map of a real coast and identify which processes or features are represented differently. Keep real-site advice within qualified guidance.
Things to keep in mind
The coastal sketch is fictional and cannot support advice for a real development site. The worksheet simplifies changing coastal processes and supplies no answer key or sources. Check the process descriptions before use.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Bright Idea Break
The fictional coast sketch labels twelve landforms, asks pupils to mark erosion or deposition, then sequence cave, arch, stack and stump. A final choice among three cafe sites asks for a reason and what may change over 100 years.
Open Book Pause
The two pages combine naming features with explaining a process and evaluating a site. The word bank and staged erosion sequence support the move from identifying a headland or spit to describing how a landform develops.
Reread Reminder
Pupils can use the numbered circles and word bank before writing a clue for each label. The completed cave stage offers a model for drawing the arch, stack and stump stages in the same visual style.
Extra Page
The coast is explicitly fictional and the cafe decision lacks a full planning or safety assessment. Use the sketch to reason about landforms and change, not to make claims about a real site’s development suitability.