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Est. 1921

Government and Politics

Course Details

Exam Board and specification code:

Edexcel

Course Co-ordinator:

Mrs Halliday

Video Introduction:

What is this course about?

In A-level Government & Politics, you will learn about the political systems in the UK and USA, what powers are held by different bodies, organisations and individuals, and how people have a say in the government. Key topics you will cover at AS include the ways that the government and the people communicate and evaluating how adequate our system of representative democracy and participation is; the role of the Prime Minister and how much power he holds as an individual; and developing a critical understanding of the role and effectiveness of key institutions in the UK.

At A2 you will study Global politics. Global politics allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international and global dimensions of political activity.

In addition, you will also study core and non-core political ideas. Core political concepts include Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism. Students will also explore one Non-Core political concept from; Nationalism, Feminism, Ecologism, Anarchism or Multiculturalism

Studying Politics will help you understand how the political systems in the UK and USA work at local and national levels. By the end of the course you will have a strong understanding of the decision-making process in both countries, and will be able to critically evaluate their effectiveness and how this impacts on current affairs.

Course Content

Year 1

Year 2

  • How people have a say in the government
  • Political parties
  • Elections
  • The media
  • Pressure groups
  • What is Parliament?
  • The Prime Minister & Cabinet
  • The role of the courts
  • The state and globalization
  • Global governance: political and economic
  • Global governance: human rights and environmental
  • Power and developments
  • Regionalism and the European Union
  • Comparative theories
  • Core and Non-Core Political concepts

Exam Structure

Paper 1: 2 hours, 33% of the qualification

Content overview

1. Political Participation, students will study:

  • democracy and participation, political parties, electoral systems, voting behaviour and the media.

2.  Core Political Ideas, students will study:

  • conservatism, liberalism, socialism.

Paper 3: 2 hours 33% of the qualification

For Global Politics (3B), students will study the state and globalization; global governance eg UN and NATO, human rights and environmental institutions; differing types of power e.g. great powers, superpowers and emerging powers; different systems of government; Regionalism and the EU; Comparative theories

What might this course lead on to?

Politics affects every aspect of your day-to-day lives. One of the main strengths of studying Government & Politics is that it will give you the knowledge and transferable skills to evaluate and understand some of the most important forces shaping the future of us all. You will develop an in-depth understanding of the world in which we live and be able to critically evaluate the policies and opinions of today’s key players in politics.

Government & Politics is well thought of by universities and a Politics A-level can lead to degrees in Politics or International Relations, as well as combined courses e.g. with History, English, Law or a language.

There are lots of options open to graduates, including journalism, law, the civil service, local government, business management and political research.

Entry Requirements

Grade 5 in English