Government and Politics

GOVERNMENT and POLITICS

AS Level Edexcel 8GP01
6GP01
People and Politics
25%
1h 20m
6GP02
Governing the UK
25%
1h 20m
A Level Edexcel 9GP01
6GP03
Key Themes: Representative processes in the USA
25%
1h 30m
6GP04
Extended Themes: Governing the USA
25%
1h 30m
www.edexcel.org.uk

The Nature of the course

The major themes of the AS course are People and Politics and Governing the UK. In the
first of these students are introduced to the study of politics by looking at the central ideas
of citizenship, democracy and participation, and by examining the representative
processes in the UK. In the second they look more closely at the major institutions of UK
government, examining their relationships with one another and considering their
effectiveness. Aspects of government such as The Constitution, including devolution and
our membership of the EU, Parliament, the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Judiciary
are all investigated.

In contrast to the focus in Y12 on the system of government in the UK, we offer Route C –
Politics in the USA, in Y13.

In the first A2 unit we examine the representative processes of the US political system
and consider their adequacy in terms of popular participation and full democracy. We
investigate elections and voting, political parties, pressure groups, and racial and ethnic
politics. The second A2 unit examines the institutional framework of US government and
considers the interrelationships between its legislative, executive and judicial processes
and the health of US federalism. We examine the Constitution and Supreme Court, the
Congress, Presidency and Federal bureaucracy, and investigate the nature of the federal
system.

Special features

Politics offers the opportunity for students to bring current affairs into the classroom and
debate ideas in the news. To enhance their understanding of politics and reflect the
topical nature of events it is hoped that students will have the opportunity to visit
Parliament or meet with an MP. When a general election is held the Department
organises a Mock Election in school.

Skills demanded and developed

Students must be prepared to:
 see relationships between different aspects of government and politics;
 comprehend, synthesise and interpret information in a variety of forms;
 analyse and evaluate;
 select and organise relevant material to construct arguments and explanations
leading to reasoned conclusions;
 communicate arguments and explanations with relevance, clarity and coherence;

– English skills are vital.

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Careers and Higher Education implications

Politics goes well with both science and arts based subjects. Admissions tutors at
university have expressed a strong interest in the subject for students who wish to
study law, media studies, journalism and history. Increasingly, modern language
degrees contain elements of politics, and students who wish to work in the EU will gain
a valuable insight into political processes. Students of social sciences, psychology and
business will, of course, find that the skills developed in politics are of great value in
their studies. Students who want to pursue a career in the Armed Forces may find
politics useful. Many university courses involve international relations, a vital skill for
the military in current theatres of conflict. Politics adds breadth to a student‟s sixth form
studies, and offers flexibility in career options.

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