Unit 2 & 4 Government and

Politics

Skills and course outline 2011-2012

By Humanities Dept Haverstock School

Content summary:This unit introduces students to the major governmental processes within the UK. It encourages them

to develop a critical understanding of the role and effectiveness of key institutions, and of the relationship amongst them in the context of multi-level governance.

Assessment:

Written examination: 1 hour 20 minutesStudents will be required to answer one stimulus-based question from a choice of two. These questions

will be structured with a mark tariff of 5, 10 and 25 marks.Students will then be required to answer one extended question from a choice of two (40 marks).

Total marks 80

Assessment objectivesAO1Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant institutions, processes, political concepts, theories and debates.(The highest percentages goes on AO1)AO2Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and explanations, and identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied.

AO3Construct and communicate coherent arguments making use of a range of appropriate political vocabulary.

Knowledge and Understanding

requires students to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the political system of the UK, including the local and European Union (EU) dimensions

encourages students to develop their capacity for critical thinking, to see relationships between different aspects of government and politics and to perceive their field of study in a broader perspective, including some comparisons with other political systems

requires students to develop knowledge and understanding of relevant political concepts and processes.

the essential characteristics and inter-relationships of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary

the adequacy of existing political arrangements for ensuring representative democracy and participation

the rights and responsibilities of the individual

ideologies, theories and tradition

current political debates.

AS % A2 %

% GCE

AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevantinstitutions, processes, political concepts, theories anddebates

50% 30% 40%

AO2 Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments andexplanations, and identify parallels, connections, similaritiesand differences between aspects of the political systemsstudied.

30% 50% 40%

AO3 Construct and communicate coherent arguments making useof a range of appropriate political vocabulary.

20% 20% 20%

AS Skills

comprehend, synthesise and interpret political information in a variety of forms

analyse and evaluate:

i. political institutions, processes and behaviour

ii. political arguments and explanations

iii. the relationship between institutions, processes, ideologies, concepts, behaviour and values

identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied

select and organise relevant material to construct arguments and explanations leading to reasoned conclusions

communicate arguments and explanations with relevance, clarity and coherence, using appropriate political vocabulary.

Unit 2

This unit introduces students to the major governmental processes within the UK. It encourages them to develop a critical understanding of the role and effectiveness of key institutions and the relationship amongst them in the context of multilevel governance.

Students will be required to answer one stimulus based question from a choice of two. These questions will be structured with a mark tariff of 5, 10 and 25 marks.

The 5-mark questions will require students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.

The 10-mark questions will require students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, as well as to analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and explanations.

The 25-mark questions will require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, analyse and evaluate political information and construct and communicate coherent arguments.

Students will then be required to answer one extended question from a choice of two (40 marks), where they will be required to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding as well as their ability to analyse and evaluate political information and to construct and communicate coherent arguments.

This examination will be marked out of a total of 80 marks.

Unit 2: Core Topics Key concepts: The Constitution Content explanation

constitution

constitutionalism

codified/uncodified constitution

unitary/federal constitution

Nature of the constitution — a knowledge and understanding of the features of a constitution and of the benefits of constitutional government, including the differences between codified and uncodified constitutions, and an understanding of the nature,

parliamentary sovereignty

pooled sovereignty

devolution

quasi-federalism

elective dictatorship

sources and key features of the UK constitution.

Sovereignty and the constitution — a knowledge and understanding of debates about the location of sovereignty within the UK constitutional system, particularly in relation to the significance of European Union membership and devolution.

Reforming the constitution — a knowledge and understanding of key reforms to the constitution since 1997, such as devolution and Lords reform, and an awareness of their advantages and disadvantages; and an understanding of ongoing debate about constitutional reform, including the possible introduction of a ‘written’ constitution.

Key concepts: Parliament Content explanation

Parliament

Westminster model

representative and responsible government

parliamentary government

presidential government

fusion/separation of powers

bicameralism

accountability

Legislatures and executives — a knowledge and understanding of the different relationships between legislatures and executives in parliamentary and presidential systems of government, and an awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Role of Parliament — a knowledge and understanding of the composition, role and powers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and an awareness of the functions of Parliament and how effectively it discharges them, including an awareness of the relationship of Parliament to the European Union and devolved assemblies. (A detailed knowledge of the workings of Parliament is not necessary.)

Reforming Parliament — a knowledge and understanding of recent and proposed reforms of Parliament, including an awareness of their implications and alleged benefits or drawbacks.

Key concepts

The Prime Minister and Cabinet

Content explanation

cabinet government

core executive

prime ministerial government

presidentialism

political leadership

Role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — a knowledge and understanding of the role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet within the context of the core executive and the conventions of collective and individual responsibility. (Separate questions will not be set on the civil service.)

Powers of the Prime Minister — a knowledge and understanding of the sources of prime ministerial

collective responsibility

individual responsibility

power and of key constraints on the Prime Minister, including external factors that affect executive policy making.

Prime ministerial leadership — a knowledge and understanding of the leadership style adopted by Prime Ministers and of the changing relationship between Prime Ministers and their parties, cabinet and Parliament, including debates about the presidentialisation of UK politics.

Key concepts Judges and Civil Liberties

Content explanation

judiciary

judicial independence

judicial neutrality

civil liberty/civil liberties

rule of law

Role of the judiciary — a knowledge and understanding of the role and significance of the judiciary in promoting rule-based governance.

Power and influence of judges — a knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the judiciary and other branches of government, and of the extent to which judges can check the power of the executive and the legislature.

Civil liberties and individual rights — a knowledge and understanding of the impact of the courts on the issues of civil liberties and individual rights including the implications of the Human Rights Act and possible reforms such as the introduction of a supreme court and a constitutional bill of rights, and of the relationship between the judiciary, the European courts and EU law.

Skills: Application of number

Plan an activity and get relevant information from relevant sources.

There are examples of activities arising from the specification content that could be used, e.g. statistics relating to election outcomes or demographic statistics, deriving from, for example, official government sources or the press or the internet and reflecting the respective purposes of those different sources

Communication

Take part in a group discussion. There are numerous topics throughout the specification that could be used to create a group discussion. Some examples are: democracy as against dictatorship, constitutional reform (Units 1 and 2); the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords (Unit 2); the democratic accountability of EU institutions, European integration as against Euro-scepticism (Unit 4, Topic A); different ideological traditions (Units 3, Topic B and 4, Topic B).

Make a formal presentation of at least eight minutes using an image or other support material.

Students could choose a topic and build a presentation around it, e.g. the relationship between the state and the market in managing economic policy (Unit 3, Topic A); the implications for the UK political system of membership of the EU (Unit 4, Topic A). Presentations could also be made on a number of topics from other units, e.g. those specified in C3.1a above.

Read and synthesise information from at least two documents about the same subject.Each document must be a minimum of 1000 words long.

Students will have a number of opportunities to read and synthesise information from two extended documents. For example, as part of their preparation for the discussion and presentation of a complex subject, students will need to carry out preliminary research. Extended documents could include textbooks and reports and articles of more than three pages. At least one of these documents should contain an image from which students can draw appropriate and relevant information.

Write two different types of documents, each one giving different information about complex subjects.One document must be at least 1000 words long.

Students will have a number of opportunities to read and synthesise information from two extended documents. For example, as part of their preparation for the discussion and presentation of a complex subject, students will need to carry out preliminary research. Extended documents could include textbooks and reports and articles of more than three pages. At least one of these documents should contain an image from which students can draw appropriate and relevant information.

Information and communication technology

Search for information, using different sources, and multiple search criteria in at least one case.

When producing work for their Government and Politics Advanced GCE, students will have numerous opportunities to use relevant information technology in all units. The internet, CD ROMs, etc could be used to search for and collect information. Students will need to plan, and document, how they are to use ICT as part of the activity, including how they will search for and incorporate relevant information from different electronic sourcesExamples of activities are: the factors influencing the outcomes of recent general elections (Unit 1); the changing emphasis of the welfare debate in the UK (Unit 3, Topic A); a knowledge of the key EU institutions and of the balance of policy-making power between them (Unit 4, Topic A).

Enter and develop the information and derive new information.

Students could bring together their selected information in a consistent format, and use automated routines where appropriate. For example, using icons and macros to generate standard forms of lists, tables, images etc.Students could sort and group the information generated, to allow them to draw conclusions, producing graphs and charts if appropriate.

Present combined information such as text with image, text with number, image with number.

In presenting information, students will need to develop a structure which may involve the modification of templates, the application of page numbers, dates etc.

Improving own learning and performance

Set targets using information from appropriate people and plan how these will be met.

Understanding the importance of citizenship, democracy and participation (Unit 1) offers the opportunity for each student to set their own particular skills targets in an action plan and work to meet those targets, with appropriate support from others, e.g. their tutor.Students could plan to improve their essay writing, examination or data response skills. This key skill can form a very effective focus for a tutorial programme or a study skills unit. It

can be used to monitor progress and develop career awareness and skills.

Take responsibility for your learning, using your plan to help meet targets and improve your performance.

Students use the plan effectively when improving their skills. This will involve prioritising action, managing time effectively and revising their plan as necessary. The student should seek and use feedback and support and draw on different approaches to learning.

Review progress and establish evidence of your achievements.

Students should review their own progress and the quality of their learning and performance. They should identify targets met, providing evidence of achievements from relevant sources. They should confirm with others, e.g. their tutor, actions for improving their performance.

Problem solving

Explore a problem and identify different ways of tackling it.

Students will need to identify the problem and explore its main features and agree standards that have to be met to show successful resolution of the problem.

Plan and implement at least one way of solving the problem.

Students are required to select and use appropriate methods for generating different options for tackling the problem and compare the features of each topic, selecting the most suitable one.

Check if the problem has been solved and review your approach to problem solving

Check if the problem has been solved and review your approach to problem solving.

Working with others

Plan work with others. There are examples of topics which could be suitable for group work in each unit in the specification. Students could work in groups of 6–8 and be required to investigate a given topic. Initial work will require identification of and agreeing of objectives and planning how to meet these, including any necessary action and resources required. The group needs to agree responsibilities and working arrangements.

Seek to develop co-operation and check progress towards your agreed objectives.

When working towards their agreed objectives students could work in pairs, with each pair taking a specific perspective(s). Students will need to plan and organise their work effectively, to meet agreed deadlines and maintain appropriate working relationships.

Review work with others and agree ways of improving collaborative work in the future.

Once completed, the full group needs to review outcomes against the agreed objectives. In doing this they should identify factors that have influenced the outcome and agree on the ways in which the activity could have been carried out more effectively.

Recommended books

Brazier R — Constitutional Reform (Oxford University Press, 1998)

Grant M — AS Level Government and Politics (Nelson Thornes, 2005)

Griffith J A G — The Politics of the Judiciary, 5th Edition (Fontana, 1997)

Heywood A — Key Concepts in Politics: An Introduction (Palgrave Macmillan, 2000)

Kingdom J — Government and Politics in Britain, 3rd Edition (Polity Press, 2003)

Jones B and Kavanagh D (editors) — British Politics Today, 6th Edition (Manchester University Press, 2003)

McNaughton N — Success in AS Politics for Edexcel (Hodder Arnold, 2006)

Skills Unit

Throughout the first two weeks in Unit 2 students will be performing key skills that they will need in order to complete and pass. The key skills that students will be performing are

Week 1 Lesson One and Two:

Lesson 1 will focus on what are the core skills for AS Government and Politics

Analyse and Evaluate:

Students are using various resources to analyse information and feedback to class their understanding. Of the following factors:

political institutions, processes and behaviour political arguments and explanations the relationship between institutions, processes, ideologies, concepts, behaviour and values

Week 2 Lesson 3 and 4

Identification of differences and parallels

Students will be looking into the skills of Identifying parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied

Week 3 Lessons 5 and 6

Students will be starting to

Communication through written work in relevance and clarity

select and organise relevant material to construct arguments and explanations leading to reasoned conclusions communicate arguments and explanations with relevance, clarity and coherence, using

appropriate political vocabulary

Week 1 & 2

Lesson 1 : What are the core skills in AS Government and Politics?

Knowledge and Understanding Analyse and Evaluate Identifying parallels, connections,

similarities and differences select and organise relevant material to

construct arguments and explanations leading to reasoned

conclusions

Main: Analyse Skill Use of Hansard Source application

Lesson 2 & 3 Lesson 2 Analyse and Evaluate: Critical examination of Article on sentencing from Kenneth Clark What is the meaning of the document? What can you learn about political decisions from the document?

Main: Pupils will evaluate the meaning of the document Max Weber Article the power of politics using AO1 and AO2 skills

Week 3 & 4

Lesson 3 Lesson 3 Skill:

Identifying parallels, connections, similarities and differences select and organise relevant material to

Main: Political Activity Documentation students will be looking at two different interpretation of the role of the Prime Minister. Students must be able to identify the parallels and the differences within the documentation.

Lesson 4 Lesson 4 Skill: construct arguments andexplanations leading to reasoned conclusions

Class will

Debate “do we really need to vote” proposition or opposition arguments

Students must write their arguments based on the information on should voting be made compulsory.

Skill 1: Analyse

In AS Government and Politics the ability to analyse information is a key component of the course. Analyse is a key skill that must be mastered within Unit2 because the paper consists of source analyses. This means that students must understand the context of the source and write in detail, their interpretation of source meaning.

You will analyse in Unit 2 1. Newspapers 2. Course books3. Journals4. Documentaries

Practice: To practice this skill I would like you to read the following text it’s from

Hansard. I would like to answer the question below AS Skills used in this activity are AO1 and AO2

AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant institutions, processes, political concepts, theories and debates. (The highest percentages goes on AO1)

AO2 Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and explanations, and identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied.

Question

1. What can you learn about politics from this source? 2. What is the source about?

The Prime Minister (Mr. Gordon Brown): I am sure the whole House will join me in paying tribute to the two British servicemen who have lost their lives in Afghanistan in the past week: from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, Guardsman Michael Sweeney, and from 3rd Battalion The Rifles, Rifleman Mark Turner. We owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Both were engaged to be married, and our thoughts are with their loved ones and their families.

It is because of all our brave men and women in our armed forces that our families, our communities and our country are safer and more secure. At this time, it is right to remember all who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and all those who serve in our armed forces. I spoke to President Karzai and then President Obama yesterday. Our security forces in Sangin will be increased by about 500 from the

Afghan security forces, providing greater security for the people of the region and support to our troops.

We are also sadly reminded today of the sacrifice made by members of our emergency services. We send our condolences to the family and friends of the two brave firemen who died in Southampton last night. We pay tribute to the bravery and commitment demonstrated by all our emergency and public services.

This morning, I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further such meetings later today.

7 Apr 2010 : Column 961

Sandra Osborne: May I add my condolences to all those who have lost their lives in the service of their country?

If he is re-elected, will the Prime Minister guarantee that he will not take £6 billion out of the economy?

The Prime Minister: The big issue is whether we can secure and assure the economic recovery. To withdraw £6 billion from the recovery now would put jobs at risk, put businesses at risk and put our growth at risk. We cannot cut our way to recovery-but we could cut our way to double-dip recession. In 2011 we will use the rise in national insurance to guarantee that we fund our policing and our schooling, and to make sure that the health services guarantees of cancer care and of being able to see a GP at weekends and in the evenings are kept. Those guarantees will be kept, because of the decisions that we make.

Mr. David Cameron (Witney) (Con): I join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to Guardsman Michael Sweeney and Rifleman Mark Turner, who have been killed in Afghanistan in the past week. Two hundred and eighty British servicemen and women and Ministry of Defence civilians have now lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan. As we prepare for the end of this Parliament, we should remember the sacrifice that they and their families have made and acknowledge the huge debt that we all owe to our armed forces for the bravery that they show, day after day.

I also join the Prime Minister in paying tribute to James Shears and Alan Bannon, the two fire fighters killed while tackling a fire in Southampton last night.

As this is the last Prime Minister's questions of this Parliament, it is the last chance for this Prime Minister to show that he is accountable for the decisions that he has made. Will he start by admitting that when British forces were sent into Helmand, they did not have sufficient helicopters to protect themselves and get the job done?

The Prime Minister: I do not accept that in any operation to which we sent our troops our commanding officers gave wrong advice; they told us that they were properly equipped. Every time, in every operation, we ask our commanding officers, "Are we able to do this operation?" and our commanding officers have said yes, they can. So I have to say to the right hon. Gentleman that we have done our best to equip

our troops, and we will continue to do so. It is right that I take full responsibility, but I take the advice of our commanding officers, and the advice of our commanding officers is very clear.

Mr. Cameron: That answer sums up this premiership. The Prime Minister takes no responsibility and always blames somebody else. Why can he not just admit something that everybody knows to be true-that there were not enough helicopters? Let us listen to Colonel Stuart Tootal, former commander of 3 Para. He said:

"repeated demands for more helicopters fell on deaf ears. It increased risk for my paratroopers, but",

as he put it,

"the decision-makers"-

yes, the Ministers-

"were not the ones driving into combat when we should have been flying in."

7 Apr 2010 : Column 962

The Foreign Office Minister that the Prime Minister appointed, Lord Malloch-Brown, said as late as last year:

"We definitely don't have enough helicopters."

Presumably, the Prime Minister is going to tell us that all those people were just deceived.

The Prime Minister: We have increased the number of helicopters in Afghanistan. We have increased the flying time by more than 100 per cent. I think that the right hon. Gentleman should recognise that the Merlins were adapted, and are now in Afghanistan. He should also recognise that the Chinooks were also adapted, so that they, too, can be in Afghanistan. He should recognise that we have other helicopters in Afghanistan that are working, and we are part of an international operation in Afghanistan, where we share equipment with our coalition partners. I have to say to him that the amount of money spent in Afghanistan now is £5 billion a year; that is 1,000 extra vehicles, and twice the number of flying time hours for our helicopters. I think that he should accept that our troops, for the operations that they are asked to undertake, have been given the equipment that they need. That is the right position.

Mr. Cameron: Again, no answer. [Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker: Order. Government Back Benchers must calm down.

Mr. Cameron: Why should anyone believe this Prime Minister, when he was the first in history to go in front of a public inquiry and not give accurate information about defence spending? Let me ask about another decision for which this Prime Minister ought to be accountable. In the last 13 years, he has robbed pension funds of £100 billion. His own welfare Minister said:

Evaluate

Skill used: AO2 Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and explanations, and identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied.

To evaluate is to summarise the information

Example

Kenneth Clarke delays announcement of sentencing reforms

The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has postponed plans to announce his sentencing reforms, including the controversial move to increase discounts for early guilty pleas, until after the Whitsun break.

Clarke had hoped to announce the sentencing package designed to stabilise the record prison population next Tuesday, but that has been delayed for a few weeks while ministers look again at the impact of the controversial proposal.

Downing Street expressed its full confidence in Clarke, who promised on Thursday to "choose my words more carefully in the future". But David Cameron was privately furious with Clarke for what No 10 regarded as his "tin ear" when he appeared to suggest on Wednesday that some rape cases are more serious than others.

Clarke once again apologised on Thursday night for his choice of words. In an appearance on BBC1's Question Time, filmed in the chapel of Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London, he said: "I obviously upset a lot of people by what I said and I'm sorry if I did, by the way I put it. All rape is serious. It's one of the gravest crimes. My choice of words was wrong. It's because I got bogged down in a silly exchange.

"As a politician I made a mistake by allowing myself to get drawn into a great long argument about exactly what the gradations of rape were."

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty who was also a panellist on the programme, offered qualified support for the substance of Clarke's original remarks. "All rapes are horrific but some are particularly aggravated," she said.

Clarke, who had initially refused to say sorry, wrote late on Wednesday to apologise to Gabrielle Brown, the victim of an attempted rape who confronted him in a live radio interview. Sir George Young, the Commons leader, announced to MPs that Clarke would meet Brown next week. She said she would "reserve judgment" on whether he should resign until then.

The justice secretary is standing firm behind his plan to increase the maximum discount available for offenders who plead guilty at the earliest opportunity from 33% to 50% in an effort to boost conviction rates and save £130m a year. He told Question Time, filmed for the first time inside a prison with eight inmates in the audience, that his plans would apply to "every crime".

A Ministry of Justice impact assessment of Clarke's green paper on sentencing and rehabilitation has disclosed that the sentence discount plan is due to provide the lion's share of the reduction in demand for prison places that Clarke needs to stabilise the jail population, which will enable a new drive to cut reoffending rates.

Justice ministry official estimates show that 3,400 of the overall saving of 6,000 fewer prison places that will be needed as a result of his sentencing package will come from the plan to increase the maximum available discount from 33% to 50%. In practice the MoJ estimates that the average actual discount in sentences for early guilty pleas will increase from the current 25% to 34%.

These official estimates show why Clarke is loathe to give up the proposal as it would knock the heart out of his prison reform plans. But ministers are now looking at excluding the most serious offences, such as attempted murder and rape, from the proposed new maximum discount. Support for this move came from the Association of Chief Police Officers who said the level of discount for offenders who pleaded guilty to the most serious crime should not be the same as for those who admit less serious offences.

"We have not set out but support the view taken by others that such discounts should not apply at the same level to more serious crimes, such as murder," an Acpo spokeswoman said. "Acpo supports the concept of sentence reduction for early guilty pleas, with a maximum reduction applying from the point a suspect is first asked if they committed an offence in a police station. Such admissions save victims and witnesses from further distress and the traumatic process of having to go through a trial at court."

But the pressure on Clarke was highlighted when a senior Liberal Democrat backbencher questioned whether it would be right to apply the discount plan to rapists. Sir Alan Beith, chairman of the Commons justice select committee, told Radio 4's The World at One: "There's a very serious risk that the level at which the

offence is treated will not be commensurate with the general public view of how serious it is."

Amid fears among Lib Dems that Cameron may be tempted to sack one of their most supportive members of the cabinet, Beith warned those on the centre-left to temper their criticisms of the justice secretary: "I think Ken used some foolish words which did not reflect what I believe is his own view and certainly is the government view and mine about the seriousness of rape. But I think some of those who are joining in the hue and cry to get rid of Ken Clarke ought to be careful what they wish for, because he is someone that recognises that the agenda in criminal justice has got to be about how you cut reoffending not how you sound tough."

New Sentencing Council research published this week shows there is very little public support for increasing the maximum discount with only 22% backing the move. A small number of victims surveyed did however say they would be supportive if it spared them having to testify in court. The Sentencing Council, which sets guidelines for judges, said they had seen little evidence to show a 50% discount would actually encourage more criminals to plead guilty.

A joint letter from the End Violence Against Women Coalition and Rape Crisis England and Wales demanded the government publicly confirm that there is no such crime as "date rape" and that "all non-consensual sex is serious".

Cameron's greatest anger was directed at Crispin Blunt, the junior prisons minister, who singled out rape suspects to illustrate the government's plans to increase the discount for early guilty pleas from a third to half the sentence

Question 1:

Using the boxes provided can you summarise the article below

How would you summarise this article using 4 sentences?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Task 2 Evaluation

Read Politics as the study of power

Question

What does the sociologist Max Weber define as the politics of power?

Tip

Question 2

1. Using Item A on page 3 write a paragraph explain what is meant by the Politics?

2. Using Item B Which of Weber’s three types of authority in Item B best describes the British political system today? Give reasons for your answers?

3. Can you think of examples to illustrate the other two types of authority?

Skills used in AS Politics are

AO1Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant institutions, processes, political concepts, theories and debates.(The highest percentages goes on AO1)AO2Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and explanations, and identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of the political systems studied.

AO3Construct and communicate coherent arguments making use of a range of appropriate political vocabulary.

This question is asking you to evaluate the different point of view stressed within the passage. You are expected a AS level to what the author means in their view. Its also a good idea to develop this skill through the course in lessons time and at home.

Tip: Its very important for you to demonstrate knowledge but also to construct and communicate coherent arguments in your answers

AO1 Skill

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant institutions, processes, political concepts, theories and debates

Task read the source below

Source 1‘For too long the big political decisions in this country have been made in the wrong place. They are not made around the Cabinet table where they should be, but they are taken on the sofa in Tony Blair’s office. No notes are kept and no one takes the blame when things go wrong. That arrogant style of government must come to an end. I will restore the proper process of government. I want to be Prime Minister of this country not a President.’(Source: David Cameron, The Times, 5 October 2006)

1. (a) What criticism is David Cameron making of Tony Blair’s style of decision making?

This question is asking you to demonstrate understanding of what David Cameron is saying regarding Tony Blair. It is also asking you to understand the relevant political institutions.

The question above would appear in Section A of paper one. The amount of marks awarded would be 5. This means that your expected to only use the source for your answer and you will need to answer the question using the P.E.E.L system

1. Point2. Evidence 3. Explain 4. Link back to the question

As an introduction to politics students on the Unit 2 course will be looking into What is politics? The reason is quite simple, students before they can access the course must understand its meaning.

Included within this booklet on Unit 2 the first resources regarding what is politics. I have also included within this booklet British Prime Ministers and key words of this unit.

Politics keywords

Constitution

Federal

Executive

Legislature

Conventions

Judiciary

A set of rules and principles that help to run a country

A system of government where power is divided. Some powers are held by central (federal) government and others by state governments.

The branch of government responsible for initiating policies and laws.

The branch of government responsible for debating and agreeing to new laws.

Unwritten traditions that help with the running of government

The branch of government responsible for interpreting and enforcing laws

Unit 4