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Politics
A-Level Politics is the analytical, evaluative and evidence-based study of political institutions, processes and ideas, set against the Department for Education GCE AS and A level subject content and delivered here through the AQA 7152 specification. It is built on three interlocking strands: the government and politics of the UK (the uncodified constitution, Parliament, the Prime Minister and executive, the judiciary, devolution and the relationships between the branches; and democracy and participation, elections and referendums, political parties, pressure groups and the impact of the European Union); the government and politics of the USA together with the comparative approaches used to relate the two systems (the codified US Constitution and federalism, Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court and civil rights, and US democracy, parties and pressure groups); and the political ideas that underpin them - the core ideologies of liberalism, conservatism and socialism, each with its core principles, internal traditions and key thinkers, plus one further idea (developed here as feminism). Throughout, secure knowledge and understanding of institutions, processes and ideas (AO1) is analysed - drawing out parallels, connections and comparisons and showing how things relate (AO2) - and, above all, evaluated to construct sustained arguments that reach a substantiated judgement (AO3).
0/93 Texts18 Chapters~402 min total
AQA 7152/1 Section A: The nature and sources of the British constitutionDfE GCE Politics subject contentAQA 7152/1 Section A: The structure and role of ParliamentAQA 7152/1 Section A: The Prime Minister and the executiveAQA 7152/1 Section A: The relationships between the branches (the Supreme Court)AQA 7152/1 Section A: The relationships between the branches (devolution)+16 moreFoundationStandardAdvanced
Table of contents · 18 ChaptersT·18
- The structure and composition of ParliamentText L·064 min
- The functions of ParliamentText L·073 min
- How a bill becomes law: the legislative processText L·084 min
- Scrutiny: how Parliament holds government to accountText L·094 min
- The two Houses and Lords reformText L·104 min
- How effective is Parliament? Executive dominanceText L·114 min
- The structure and role of the executiveText L·124 min
- The powers of the Prime Minister and the prerogativeText L·134 min
- Ministerial responsibility: collective and individualText L·144 min
- The PM and Cabinet: who dominates?Text L·154 min
- Factors affecting prime-ministerial powerText L·164 min
- Presidentialisation: how far has the premiership changed?Text L·175 min
- The composition and role of the senior judiciary and Supreme CourtText L·184 min
- Judicial independence and neutralityText L·194 min
- Judicial review and the rule of lawText L·204 min
- The judiciary and the protection of rightsText L·215 min
- Is the judiciary too powerful? Judiciary versus the elected branchesText L·225 min
- Direct and representative democracyText L·284 min
- Participation and the participation-crisis debateText L·294 min
- The franchise: the widening of the vote and current debatesText L·304 min
- The protection of rights and libertiesText L·314 min
- How could democracy and participation be improved?Text L·325 min
- The functions and features of partiesText L·384 min
- The Conservative Party: ideas and developmentText L·394 min
- The Labour Party: ideas and developmentText L·404 min
- The Liberal Democrats and minor partiesText L·414 min
- Party funding and the funding debateText L·425 min
- The UK party system: two-party or multi-party?Text L·435 min
- What are pressure groups? Types and classificationText L·444 min
- The functions and methods of pressure groupsText L·454 min
- Why do some pressure groups succeed?Text L·464 min
- Other influences: think tanks, lobbyists, corporations and the mediaText L·474 min
- Do pressure groups enhance or damage democracy? Pluralism versus elitismText L·485 min
- What is an ideology? The analytical frameworkText L·544 min
- Liberalism: core ideas, strands and thinkersText L·556 min
- Conservatism: core ideas, strands and thinkersText L·566 min
- Socialism: core ideas, strands and thinkersText L·576 min
- Tensions within, and comparison between, the ideologiesText L·585 min
- The formal powers of the PresidentText L·744 min
- The informal powers and sources of presidential powerText L·754 min
- The constraints on the PresidentText L·764 min
- The President and Congress: unified and divided governmentText L·774 min
- How powerful is the President? The imperial presidency debateText L·785 min
- The role and composition of the Supreme CourtText L·794 min
- The appointment process and its politicisationText L·804 min
- Judicial review and constitutional interpretationText L·815 min
- The Court and civil rightsText L·825 min
- Is the Supreme Court too powerful? Legitimacy and the elected branchesText L·835 min
- The comparative approaches: structural, rational and culturalText L·894 min
- Comparing the constitutions and sovereigntyText L·904 min
- Comparing the legislatures and executivesText L·915 min
- Comparing the judiciaries, democracy and pressure groupsText L·925 min
- Applying a comparative approach: reaching a judgementText L·935 min
- The British Constitution
- Parliament
- The Prime Minister and Cabinet
- The UK Judiciary
- Devolution
- Democracy and Participation in the UK
- Elections and Referendums
- UK Political Parties
- Pressure Groups and Other Influences
- The UK and the European Union
- Core Political Ideas
- An Optional Political Idea
- The US Constitution and Federalism
- US Congress
- The US Presidency
- The US Supreme Court and Civil Rights
- US Democracy, Parties and Pressure Groups
- Comparative Politics: UK and USA
- Paper 1 - Government and Politics of the UK (AQA 7152/1)
- 2 hours, 77 marks, one third (33.3%) of the A-Level. The paper is divided into Section A, the government of the UK (the constitution, Parliament, the Prime Minister and executive, and the relationships between the branches - the Supreme Court, devolution and the EU), and Section B, the politics of the UK (democracy and participation, elections and referendums, political parties, pressure groups). It is assessed through two question types: 9-mark 'Explain and analyse three...' questions (testing AO1 knowledge and understanding and AO2 analysis) and 25-mark 'Evaluate' / 'Analyse and evaluate this statement' essays (testing AO1, AO2 and, decisively in the top bands, AO3 evaluation and a sustained line of argument to a judgement). The mark total is made up of a combination of 9-mark and 25-mark items across the two sections.
- Paper 2 - Government and Politics of the USA and comparative politics (AQA 7152/2)
- 2 hours, 77 marks, one third (33.3%) of the A-Level. Covers the US Constitution and federalism, Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court and civil rights, and US democracy and participation (elections, the two-party system and pressure groups), together with the comparative theories used to relate the UK and US systems - the structural (institutional), rational and cultural approaches. Comparison is examined explicitly: at least one essay requires candidates to compare the UK and USA and to deploy a comparative approach. The same 9-mark 'Explain and analyse three...' and 25-mark evaluative essay types are used.
- Paper 3 - Political ideas (AQA 7152/3)
- 2 hours, 77 marks, one third (33.3%) of the A-Level. Examines the three core ideologies - liberalism, conservatism and socialism - each through its view of human nature, the state, society and the economy, its internal strands, and its key thinkers, plus one further idea chosen from anarchism, ecologism, feminism, multiculturalism and nationalism (developed here as feminism). Assessed through 9-mark 'Explain and analyse three...' questions and 25-mark essays; the named-thinker requirement is distinctive - candidates must use the ideas of specific, prescribed thinkers rather than writing about an ideology in the abstract.
- Assessment objectives, the comparative demand and grading
- The three equally weighted papers distribute the marks across three assessment objectives: AO1 knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts and ideas; AO2 analysis - drawing out parallels, connections, similarities and differences and showing how ideas and institutions relate; and AO3 evaluation - constructing arguments, weighing competing views and reaching a substantiated judgement. AO1 carries the largest single share (broadly 40%) with AO2 and AO3 each a substantial weighting (broadly 30% each); AO3 is disproportionately decisive in the higher mark bands of the 25-mark essays, which reward a clear, sustained line of argument to a judgement rather than a balanced list. The comparative approaches (structural, rational, cultural) are the distinctive AO2 demand of Paper 2. The full A-Level is linear, with all three papers sat at the end of the course, and is graded A*-E (U below E).