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Government & Politics

Why study A-level Government and Politics?

The study of Government & Politics has increased by 17% nationwide in the last year, reflecting the exciting period of political change in UK and World Politics, particularly among young people. At Loxford, the new Edexcel Government & Politics A-level offers students the chance to develop their understanding of UK Politics – looking at developments in the 20th Century right up until the news that happens during the weeks of your lessons.

Students will study:

Unit 1: UK Politics

  • Democracy & Participation (Has there been a decrease in turnout and what do we do about it? Should we make greater use of referendums or are they bad for democracy?)
  • Political Parties
  • Voting Behaviour (What makes people vote a certain way? Has this changed with the shift in political landscape in recent years? What is the role of class, gender, ethnicity, age?)
  • Electoral Systems (Is our current First-Past-the-Post system unfair? Should we reform it and how?)
  • Pressure Groups and Pluralism (Do groups outside of Parliament help or hinder democracy? Do they allow free expression, or give power to wealthiest?)
  • The Media (What role does the media have on the people? Does it shape opinion or merely reflect it?)

Core Ideologies:

  • Liberalism
  • Conservatism
  • Socialism

Unit 2: UK Government

  • The Constitution (How is the UK Constitution different, and does it need changing?)
  • UK Parliament (What is the role of Parliament, and does it carry these out effectively?)
  • Prime Minister & Cabinet (Is the PM becoming more like a president, and can the Cabinet control the government, or is it just a talking-shop?)
  • Relations between Branches (How does the Government, Parliament and Judiciary work together? What is the role of the EU in British Politics?  Where does sovereigny lie nin the UK political system?

Non-core ideologies:

  • Nationalism

Unit 3: Global Politics:

  • Theories of International Relations (Explanations of Realism & Liberalism)
  • Sovereignty and Globalisation (The role of the Nation-State and different types of globalisation)
  • Global governance: Political and Economic (United Nations, NATO, EU, IMF, World Bank & WTO)
  • Global Governance: Human Rights and the Environment (How have world powers dealt with  human rights breaches and environment concerns?)
  • Power and Developments (Different types of states)
  • Regionalism and the EU

Why study A-level Government and Politics?

The study of Government & Politics has increased significantly nationwide in the last few year, reflecting an exciting period of political change in UK and World Politics, particularly among young people. At Loxford, the Edexcel Government & Politics A-level offers students the chance to develop their understanding of UK Politics – looking at developments in the 20th Century right up until the news that happens during the weeks of your lessons. 

What skills will you develop?

Universities and employers like Government & Politics because it shows that students are engaged in the world around them – essentiall for a range of career paths – from City firms in the corporate sector to journalism and charity work.

As well as being able to situate yourself in the present political environment, studying Government & Politics offers students a range of valuable practical skills essential for further studies and future employment.

Students will develop their ability to apply knowledge in a critical way, evaluate the strengths of arguments, and hone their ability to write precisely and convincingly. They will learn to use knowledge of real-world events to make, and defend, their claims.

These skills form the basis of any degree in the humanities or social sciences, particularly the ability to construct well-written essays, research independently and use information effectively. Government & Politics is also one of the best subjects for shaping student’s soft-skills – increasingly important in today’s labour market – including their verbal communication and academic fluency.

A Level Results 2023

Congratulations to the Year 13 students on achieving

 

70% grades A* - C

 

Best of luck in your future pursuits and well done on all the hard work

A Level Results 2022

100% A-D including 39% A and A* 

Which subjects go well with Government & Politics:

As a social science, Government & Politics overlaps with a number of other subjects, often providing a different lens through which to view them, which can strengthen any UCAS application. In particular:

  • Sociology
  • Psychology
  • Economics
  • Law
  • History
  • English
  • Media Studies

However, having a social science alongside more science-related subjects can also show universities and employers that students have an additional string to their bow, and that they are well-rounded individuals.

Support for your learning

Getting Ahead:

Politics is going on all the time, and it’s important, whether you study it or not, to keep up to date with current affairs. If you know who the main political characters are, what the main issues are, and even your own opinion on those issues, you will be able to hit the round running.

Newspapers & Apps:

Almost all newspaper have apps which you can download onto your smartphone, and automatically send you updates for news stories. You can also personalise these, to show news which you find interesting. Recommended ones are:

  • BBC News (free app)
  • Guardian (newspaper & free app)
  • Telegraph (newspaper & free app)
  • The Economist (paid)
  • New Statesman (paid)
  • Spectator (paid)
  • Financial Times (paid)

All paid apps have websites, and you can access a few articles for free also. The New Statesman website (is particularly good for this.

Emails:

If you don’t want to pay for subscriptions, you can sign up to incredibly useful daily emails, which provide a summary of the news and events of the day. The best are:

Stephen Bush’s Morning Email from the New Statesman is excellent political commentary.

The Telegraph offer an excellent morning political briefing – sign up for that on http://pages.email.telegraph.co.uk/PoliticsSignUpPage/

Podcasts:

For those of you who have joined the podcast-revolution, listening to interesting debate and current affairs on the move has never been easier; there are a number of great political podcasts to take advantage of (Just use your iphone podcast app, or download apps like Overcasts or Acast for Android):

UK Politics

  • New Statesman Podcast
  • Spectator Podcast
  • FT Politics
  • FT News
  • The Guardian UK: Politics Weekly
  • Talking Politics
  • The Economist Radio

Global Politics:

  • FT World Weekly
  • Chatham House Podcasts
  • Vox Wordly

For people wanting American Politics:

  • Slate’s Trumpcast
  • Pod Save America
  • FiveThirtyEight Politics (world-class polling of US Politics)
  • NPR Politics Podcast
  • The Ezra Klein Show

Television:

The two below are the best and most thorough insights into UK and Global Politics

  • BBC News
  • Channel 4 News

There are a few bbc programmes you can watch which will help give you balanced coverage of the main political issues – here they are with their web pages:

Streaming:

It is really useful to learn about modern history as it explains a lot about why politics has developed as it has.

Also – because we do all the 20th century – watch Andrew Marr making of modern Britain – (5 episodes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tRJ1E9Ai2E&list=PLFB0ED9540B59DA99

Careers linked to Politics

A Level Politics provides a wide knowledge of the most important aspects of UK life. It also opens a lot of doors for your future due to the skills you develop in the subject. For example, as a challenging essay-based subject, being able to author essays in a timely and professional manor will serve you well when it comes to university courses.

University Courses

 

Many students who study A Level Politics progress to a university degree, and there are many degree courses that A Level Politics can suit.

  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • English
  • History
  • International Relations
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Politics
  • Philosophy
  • Sociology

Lots of the content covered in A Level Politics, for example, will come up in a Politics undergraduate degree. The background knowledge that A Level Politics provides for you will allow you to demonstrate a great understanding of the university course content.

Employment

Whether jumping straight into employment after completing your A Levels, or completing a university course first, A Level Politics can lead to some interesting careers. According to Prospects.ac.uk, some of the best jobs suited to A Level Politics include:

  • Civil Service
  • Government social research officer
  • Policy officer
  • Political risk analyst
  • Politician’s assistant
  • Public affairs consultant
  • Social researcher

There are also a range of careers in which the skills learned at A Level Politics can be particularly useful, including:

  • Business development manager
  • Charity officer
  • Detective
  • Diplomatic service officer
  • Forensic accountant
  • Human resources officer
  • Local government officer
  • Market researcher
  • Marketing executive
  • Newspaper journalist
  • Public relations officer

  • Stockbroker

  • Teaching

So, where can A Level Politics take me?

So, the honest answer to the question of where can A Level Politics take me has many answers. The range of skills learned including timely essay writing, knowledge memorisation and keeping up with the news has many benefits in the real world, and many employers of today and tomorrow are looking for these skills.