Government and Politics
Specification – AQA
Government and Politics is a four-unit A level provided by the AQA board. In the first year,
students study for two papers lasting ninety minutes each. The first paper covers electoral
systems, elections, parties and pressure groups within the UK, and in general. The second
paper covers the British Constitution and the governance of the United Kingdom and its
constituent parts. In the second year, students have a choice of studying the politics, law
and government of the United States of America, or political ideologies and perspectives in
two further papers.
These papers again last ninety minutes. Teaching groups are small,
and an emphasis is placed on group discussion, interaction, and argument.
Government and politics is of great use to those who are ‘politically minded’, or who want
an introduction to political science. It requires a good deal of essay-writing and helps
develop skills of precise argument, writing, and proportion which are of use in other studies
and in life in general.
The A-level also offers students a way of becoming informed about
some of the debates, outlooks and traditions which shape the lives of everyone in the
twenty-first century.