Politics

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Examining Body

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

Faculty Contact Details

Write Like A Political Scientist

  • 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.
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