Government & Politics - A Level
Exam Board: Edexcel
Subject Content
There are three broad areas of study in this specification which will be studied throughout Year 12 and 13. They are:
• The Government and Politics of the UK
• The Government and Politics of the USA
• Political ideas.
The specification requires in depth study of UK and US government and politics. Students will compare and contrast the constitutions of the two countries and examine the roles of the legislature, executive and judiciary in each system. They will examine the different political parties that exist in each country as well as studying the different electoral systems and processes and patterns of voting behaviour.
Students will also study political ideas which include liberalism, conservatism, socialism and nationalism. For each of these ideologies students will study the views and policies associated with each ideology, who the main thinkers associated with each ideology are and how their ideas have developed over time.
Assessments
Students sit examinations in their A Level courses at the end of Year 13. All students will take internal end of year examinations at the end of year 12 to determine suitability to continue with the subject in Year 13. Students who do not meet the required pass grade in the Year 12 end of year examinations will not be permitted to progress into Year 13.
There are 3 papers which will all be taken at the end of Year 13. Each paper is 2 hours long and worth 33.3% of the total A-Level. The papers are divided as follows
Paper 1: UK Politics (includes a section on core political ideas)
Paper 2: UK Government (includes a section on non-core political ideas)
Paper 3: Comparative politics
