This ledger helps you keep case-study notes honest. Each entry is one of three kinds: a fact from a source, your interpretation, or an unanswered question. The tool flags entries that are incomplete, then builds an outline you can use to plan an explanation.
It supports case-study reasoning and extended geographic explanations in IGCSE Geography.
How do I use the ledger?
- Choose the kind of entry: fact or statistic, your interpretation, or an unanswered question.
- Fill in the source, the date or data year, and the place and scale. Use a named town, region or country.
- Write the fact, interpretation or question in your own words. Replace the placeholder text, which is only there to show how flags work.
- For a fact, tick “I checked this against the source myself” only after you have actually done so.
- Press Add to ledger. Repeat for each entry.
- Read the scope and date questions, then the explanation outline. Press Download notes to save the outline as a text file.
How do I read the status column?
Each fact gets a status. The first rule that applies wins.
- A fact with a number but no year: “Incomplete: no year or date, so it cannot be called current”.
- A fact with no source: “Incomplete: no source recorded”.
- A complete fact you have not ticked: “Complete but not yet checked against the source”.
- A complete, ticked fact: “Checked by you, complete”.
Interpretations are labelled “not evidence” and questions are labelled open. Only checked facts go under Evidence in the outline. Everything else goes under “Still to sort out” or “Explain”.
Worked example
You are preparing a case study on a named town’s water supply. You add a fact: “45% of households use the piped supply”, with a source title but no date. The tool flags it as incomplete, because it has a number and no year.
You find the year in the source, enter it in the date box, tick the check box and add it again. The status becomes “Checked by you, complete”. The 45% now appears in the outline with its source, date and place, for example “45% of households use the piped supply (Town council report, 2021, Town A)”.
Then you add an interpretation: “Piped supply reaches fewer homes at the edge of the town, so access depends on location.” The tool labels it as interpretation, not evidence. Finally you add a question: “Has the percentage changed since then?” It appears under “Still to sort out”.
What is the usual mistake?
Students often write a remembered number into an answer as if it were current. A statistic from one year, a different place or a wider region may not match the question. The scope checks ask four questions: is the place and scale right, is the date close enough, could a newer figure change the point, and does the source describe this place or a wider one.
Assumptions and limits
The tool stores only what you type, on your device. It never supplies case facts or fieldwork results, and it gives no political verdicts. It cannot confirm that your source is reliable, so you still judge that yourself.
Which lessons explain this?
Start with verifying a case’s location, date and primary source. Then read when two cases are not comparable and updating a case without rewriting history. For turning facts into a paragraph, see supporting an explanation with case evidence.
If notes feel like memorised essays, read I memorise a case without linking facts to the task. To find a current source, read I need a current primary source for a case study.
A printable version is in keep a dated source record for a case study. Try the case-study reasoning practice set afterwards.
A teacher can work on your own case studies one to one in IGCSE Geography tuition. More tools are on the tools page.