Government & Politics
- Course Overview
- Assessment & Examination
- Resources
- Prior Knowledge
- Beyond The Course
- Entry Requirements
Course Overview
The Politics course explores three topic areas; politics in the UK, politics in the USA and political ideas.
In politics in the UK, you will cover a range of structural aspects of British politics, such as the way in which parliament works, as well as practical politics such as the importance of pressure groups. In politics in the USA, you will cover a range of structural aspects of politics of the USA, such as the power of the president, as well as practical politics such as the importance of pluralism. You will also be required to compare politics in the UK and USA.
In political ideas, you will study five ideologies; liberalism, conservatism, socialism, feminism and nationalism.
Assessment & Examination
You will sit three 2 hour examinations at the end of your two years of study, each being worth 77 marks, and comprising 33% of the A Level.
Paper 1 - Politics of the UK - this paper contains three mandatory short written questions, a mandatory source based question and an extended essay question.
Paper 2 - Politics of the USA - this paper contains three mandatory short written questions, a mandatory source based question and a comparative extended essay question.
Paper 3 - Political Ideas - this paper contains three mandatory short written questions, a mandatory source based question and an extended essay question.
Resources
You will be required to provide basic stationery. There are a number of academic text books which are recommended reading, and we would encourage you to purchase copies of these.
Prior Knowledge
There is no expectation that you will have any prior knowledge of politics. It is preferable, however, that you are already active in engaging with current affairs and events, across a wide range of media sources. You may also benefit from researching and investigating specific political parties.
Beyond The Course
The A Level in Politics is a well-respected, academic course which prepares you for a wide range of courses in Higher Education, such as Politics, History, Law, International Relations, Journalism and Marketing. It can lead to careers in a variety of fields such as public service, teaching, civil service and the media.
Entry Requirements
GCSE Level 6 in History, Geography, R.E. or English.
Entry to Sixth Form also requires:
- GCSE Level 5 in English Language or English Literature;
- GCSE Level 5 in Maths;
- Four other GCSEs at Level 5, in addition to English and Maths.