Politics A Level

According to MP Edmund Burke (1729-1797) society is ‘a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born’. He believed it was vital that knowledge was passed down to different generations. Politics A Level will allow you to understand and engage with the world around you whilst understanding how we got to where we are. There has never been a more important time to study Politics and to understand the societies in which we live, work and study.

How does the UK government differ from other democratic and non-democratic countries? How well are rights protected in the UK and USA? Vital questions about how democracy functions in the UK and USA and what powers are held by those who govern us are just small parts of the course, alongside wider ideas such as Liberalism, Socialism, Nationalism and Conservatism that have shaped the modern world in both positive and negative ways.

Across both years of the course, we will study political ideologies and both UK and US Politics and government, covering democracy, political parties, pressure groups and electoral systems alongside the UK and US Constitutions, Parliament and Congress, Prime Minister and President, as well as rights and the role played by the Supreme Courts in both countries. We will study how these systems emerged and how they have changed with recent challenges.

You will have the opportunity to attend a range of trips, talks and workshops by visiting speakers. This year these have included talks from local MPs Anthony Browne and Daniel Zeichner, virtual exchange with American students from Troy High School in Michigan, and even a trip to 10 Downing Street!

This is an excellent subject for anyone looking to study Law, Economics, Politics or International Relations at university and opens doors to career paths in local government or the wider Civil Service. Former students have gone on to have successful careers working with the Welsh Parliament and even setting up and directing “Centre”, a cross-party think tank!

Year 1 Modules

Politics and Government of the UK

Politics and Government of the USA and Comparative Politics

Political Ideas

Year 2 Modules

Politics and Government of the UK

Politics and Government of the USA and Comparative Politics

Political Ideas

100% Exam

Exam Board: AQA

Five GCSEs at Grade 5 including:

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language

Grade 5 in another GCSE Humanities subject (e.g. GCSE History, full GCSE Religious Studies / Philosophy and Ethics), GCSE Sociology

Grade 4 in GCSE Maths

Politics students can go forward to study at university with a number of options open to them, including: Politics, Politics and International Relations, History and Law, as well as Politics studied alongside a foreign language. Recent students have progressed to study Politics at UEA, History and Politics at University of Sheffield, Philosophy and Politics at University of Liverpool.

The subject is a useful A level for those wishing to progress onto further studies in History, Law, Economics or Sociology and the skills developed throughout the course would be a benefit to students wishing to work in law, journalism, local government or the wider civil service.