Politics

Examining Body

• The examining body is Pearson-Edexcel.

Examinations

• You will sit 3 examinations at the end of Year 13: each paper is 2 hours long.
  • Paper 1: UK Politics & Core Political Ideas.
  • Paper 2: UK Government & Non-Core Political Ideas.
  • Paper 3: Comparative Politics - The Government & Politics of the USA.

• Paper 1: UK Politics & Core Political Ideas:
  • Question 1a or 1b - 30 marks - source question.
  • Question 2a or 2b - 30 marks - essay question on a UK Politics topic.
  • Question 3a or 3b - 24 marks - essay question on a core ideology.

• Paper 1: UK Government & Non-Core Political Ideas:
  • Question 1a or 1b - 30 marks - source question.
  • Question 2a or 2b - 30 marks - essay question on a UK Government topic requring some synopsis.
  • Question 3a or 3b - 24 marks - essay question on a non-core ideology.

• Paper 3: Comparative Politics - The Government & Politics of the USA:
  • Question 1a or 1b - 12 marks - comparison question.
  • Question 2 - 12 Marks - comparative theory question.
  • Question 3a and/or 3b and/or 3c - 60 marks - 2 x US-focused essay questions.

Assessment Objectives

• Assessment Objective 1:
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts, theories, and issues.

• Assessment Objective 2:
  • Analyse aspects of politics and political information, including in relation to parallels, connections, similarities, and differences.

• Assessment Objective 3:
  • Evaluate aspects of politics and political information, including to construct arguments, make substantiated judgements, and draw conclusions.

Topics

• Paper 1: UK Politics & Core Political Ideas:
  • Democracy & Participation.
  • Political Parties.
  • Electoral Systems.
  • Voting Behaviour & the Media.
  • Core Political Ideas: Conservatism; Liberalism; Socialism.

• Paper 2: UK Government & Non-Core Political Ideas:
  • The Constitution.
  • Parliament.
  • The Prime Minister & the Executive.
  • The Relationship between the Branches of the Government.
  • Non-Core Political Ideas: Anarchism.

• Paper 3: Comparative Politics - the Government & Politics of the USA:
  • The Constitution.
  • Congress.
  • The Presidency.
  • The Supreme Court & Civil Rights.
  • Democracy & Participation.

Term-by-Term Overview

• Year 12:
  • Term 1: Paper 1 - Electoral Systems (MRH) & Paper 1 - Democracy & Particpation (SPT).
  • Term 2: Paper 1 - Voting Behaviour & the Media (MRH) & Paper 1 - Political Parties (SPT).
  • Term 3: Paper 2 - The Prime Minister & the Executive (MRH) & Paper 2 - Parliament (SPT).
  • Term 4: Paper 2 - The Relationship getween the Branches of the Government (MRH) & Paper 2 - The Constitution (SPT).
  • Term 5: Paper 1 - Liberalism (MRH) & Paper 1 - Socialism (SPT).
  • Term 6: Paper 1 - Conservatism (MRH) & Paper 3 - US History (SPT).

• Year 13:
  • Term 1: Paper 1 - Anarchism (MRH) & Paper 3 - The US Constitution & Federalism (SPT).
  • Term 2: Paper 1 - Anarchism (MRH) & Paper 3 - US Democracy & Participation (SPT).
  • Term 3: Paper 1 & 2 - Revision (MRH) & Paper 3 - The Supreme Court & Civil Rights (SPT).
  • Term 4: Paper 1 & 2 - Revision (MRH) & Paper 3 - Congress (SPT).
  • Term 5: Paper 1 & 2 - Revision (MRH) & Paper 3 - The Presidency (SPT).

Reading List

• UK Government & Politics:
  • British Politics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-966110-7.
  • Edexcel AS & A-Level Politics. Colclough, A. et. al. Pearson. 2017. ISBN: 978-1-292-18702-0.
  • Essentials of UK Politics for AS & A-Level. Heywood, A. Macmillan Palgrave. 2017. ISBN: 978-1-137-61144-4.

• Political Ideas & Ideologies:
  • Political Ideas for A-level. McNaughton, N. & Kelly, R. Hodder Education. 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4718-8946-2.
  • Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Heywood, A. Macmillan Palgrave. 2017. ISBN: 978-1-137-60601-3.
  • The Politics Book. Various Contributors. DK. 2013. ISBN: 978-1-4093-6445-0.

• US Government & Politics:
  • American Government 101. Sears, K. Adams Media. 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1-4405-9845-6.
  • American Politics: A Very Short Introduction. Valelly, R. Oxford. 2013. ISBN: 978-0-19-537385-1.
  • The Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution. Beeman, R. Penguin. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-14-311810-7.

Useful Websites & Log-Ins

• Crash Course - US Government & Politics:
  • Website: Crash Course - US Government & Politics.

• Pre-Chewed Politics:
  • Website: Pre-Chewed Politics.
  • Username: [email protected].
  • Password: learnmore1150.

• Simple Politics:
  • Website: Simple Politics.

Faculty Contact Details

• Mr S Tighe (Subject Leader: Politics):
  • E-mail: [email protected].
  • Classroom: EPR1.

• Mr M Hewitt (Deputy Head: Teaching & Learning):
  • E-mail: [email protected].

Writing Matters

• 30-Mark Source Questions Writing Frame:
  • Introductory paragraph:
  • Main body paragraph:
  • Concluding paragraph:

• 30-Mark Essay Questions Writing Frame:
  • Introductory paragraph:
  • Main body paragraph:
    • PACE: P - introduce the premise; A - argue for the point; C - counter-argue; E - evaluate (specify whether the premise stands up to scrutiny and why).
  • Concluding paragraph:

• 24-Mark Political Ideas Questions Writing Frame:
  • Introductory paragraph:
  • Main body paragraph:
    • DATE: D - describe the issue; A - identify the areas of agreement; T - identify the causes of tension; E - reach a judgment about the extent to which there is agreement on the issue.
  • Concluding paragraph:

• 12-Mark Comparison Questions Writing Frame:
  • Introductory paragraph:
  • Main body paragraph:
  • Concluding paragraph:

• 12-Mark Comparative Theory Questions Writing Frame:
  • Introductory paragraph:
  • Main body paragraph:
  • Concluding paragraph:

• Evaluative Phrases:
  • “This is a strong argument because...”
  • “This is a weak argument because…”
  • “This claim can be effectively countered by…”
  • “This claim can be countered, but rather poorly, by…”
  • “This point stands up to scrutiny as…”
  • “This point fails to stand up to scrutiny as…”
  • “The underlying assumption behind this reason is a convincing one…”
  • “The underlying assumption behind this reason is doubtful…”
  • “The two assertions are equally balanced…”
  • “It is difficult to choose between the evidence here…”

• Useful Conjunctions:
  • Addition: again; also; and; another; as well as; furthermore; in addition; moreover; too; what is more.
  • Comparison: by the same token; comparatively; congruently; equally; equivalently; in the same way; just as; likewise; similarly.
  • Contrast: alternatively; although; despite this; however; in contrast; on the contrary; on the other hand; otherwise; whereas; yet.
  • Illustration: essentially; for example; for instance; in actual fact; it became clear that; such as; this means that; this shows that; thus; to illustrate.
  • Cause & Effect: as a consequence; as a result; because; consequently; depending upon; inevitably; since; therefore; whenever.
  • Concession: admittedly; despite this; in any case; in spite of; nevertheless; notwithstanding; on the other hand; regardless; still; while it is true that.
  • Emphasis: above all; especially; in fact; in particular; indeed; more important(ly); notably; significantly; specifically; undoubtedly.
  • Summary & Conclusion: after all; finally; in conclusion; in short; in the end; on the whole; overall; throughout; to summarise; ultimately.