Government and Politics

Course summary

Politics looks at the very heart of how Britain and the USA are governed and who truly has power. In this A Level we follow the Edexcel specification. Paper 1 looks at UK politics, examining the main political parties, the systems we use to vote and the way we make our decision to vote – or not – in the first place. In a world where the EU referendum shocked the political establishment, where Corbyn continues to divide Labour supporters, and where the government of Boris Johnson has upended constitutional norms and procedures, it is crucial to understand the principles underlying these arguments and the shifts in the traditional patterns. Paper 2, entitled UK government, considers the roles of Parliament and the Prime Minister, examining how the relationship between the two has shifted, and whether our constitution is fit for purpose in the 21st century. Paper 3 adds a study of International Relations, considering the interactions between different countries around the world, and all papers also examine the contribution of key thinkers, past and present, to current political arrangements.Politics is an ever changing subject that is based upon the party conferences, manifestos and newspapers as much as it is the core textbooks and key words of the specifications.