Politics A Level
If you enjoy discussing and learning about political issues and current affairs, then A Level Politics will provide you with the tools to analyse and understand politics in depth.
You do not have to be an expert in politics to enjoy and succeed with this course as we take you through each stage of the specification developing your knowledge. We start by looking at what democracy means and assessing whether it could be improved and reformed. You will learn many new concepts as you progress such as the meaning of direct democracy, liberal democracy, power and participation and whether voting really counts!
We will then look at how government operates in Britain and how well it performs. This involves debates about the ‘presidential’ approach taken by Prime Ministers and an analysis of whether Parliament performs its functions adequately. We then turn our attention to the role of the courts and how well judges uphold civil liberties and discuss the nature of the UK Constitution.
Next we analyse political parties’ ideals and policies and why parties differ from each other in their approaches. You will also study the election systems used in the UK and find out why there are debates about reform. You will also look at alternative forms of political activity such as pressure groups, direct action and discuss whether there is a participation crisis in Britain.
In the second year we study the fascinating area of US politics, Trump’s Presidency and the unique character of democracy in America.
Course Details
- You must have a GCSE Grade 5(B) in English
- You must have a GCSE Grade 4(C) in Maths
- You must have 5 GCSEs at Grade 4(C) or above
Participation through the ballot box
The role of elections in a democracy
The nature of representation
The role of political parties in a democracy
"I studied the Tourism and Tourism Certificate Level 3 and loved it. I feel like I have really learnt a lot from the course about the industry and the different jobs that are out there. Since being on the course learning about all the different jobs that there is and I am now going to be a travel agent. We have really supportive teachers. I am someone that struggles with dyslexia so there has been a lot of extra support for me from the teachers. We have a lot of our teaching resources online which is really nice because you can go after the lesson and read up on something you may not have understood properly. In class, it is a very supportive environment where you feel very welcome to ask questions which are answered really well. I feel like I have learned a lot and the lessons are always really engaging; it is never a boring time on the course and is definitely very enjoyable. We also do a lot of presentations on our course. There are lots of different types of presentations and written assignments which has helped me work on my confidence with public speaking. I now quite enjoy talking in front of people. I have learned a lot of customer service skills which I think is going to really help me in my future career as a travel agent with hopes to become a manager."Liv Legg
