Fiducia TogetherGlacial landscapes
How ice shapes land, and the landforms it leaves behind.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Glacial processes include plucking, abrasion and freeze-thaw weathering, transporting material as moraine and depositing it when the ice melts.
Where it applies
GCSE geography physical topics, as an alternative to coasts or rivers on some specifications.
How it works
Erosional landforms — corries, arêtes, pyramidal peaks, U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys — follow from ice moving under gravity and eroding at its base and sides.
Depositional landforms — moraines, drumlins, erratics — record where the ice stopped or retreated.
How to use it in your work
Describe formation as a sequence of processes over time, with a diagram.
Use the correct process names: plucking and abrasion are different mechanisms and both are marked.
For land use conflict questions, name the groups and their competing interests.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Geography Song The GCSE geography topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.