Government & Politics

Sixth Form Information: Politics

Yr 12 AS:

Unit 1 = People in Politics

Unit 2 = Governing the UK

Yr 13 A2

Unit 3 = Representation Processes in the USA

Unit 4 = Governing the USA

This course will help students to understand how the United Kingdom political system works and how their country is run. Whilst we do not presume any prior knowledge of British politics we do expect enthusiasm and interest, it is absolutely vital that students follow current political events in the news. Students MUST have current examples to back up their theoretical knowledge of the subject

Requirements for AS/A2 Politics

Students must have at least 5 A* - C grades at G.C.S.E, it is prefered that students have studied history or another humanities subject at G.C.S.E and gained at the very minimum a C grade preferably a B grade or above.

Politics is a very literate subject, good written communication skills are ESSENTIAL, they will be required to write essays and to structure them putting forward 2 sides of an argument with supporting evidence and a balanced judgement in the conclusion. Therefore at the very minimum students must have a C grade and preferably higher in G.C.S.E English Language and Literature. If students have poor literacy skills then this is not the subject for them.

The Examination

Politics at Coombe follows the Edexcel examination board and will involve 2 examinations in Yr 12 (one for each unit) Each unit is 50% of the total AS grade or 25% of the overall A2 grade. Students will be required to show good knowledge and understanding of the topics they have studied and be able to support the theory they have studied with contemporary political examples from the real world of British Politics. Students will also be marked on the quality of their written English.

This is equally true in Yr 13 except students will now be studying American politics

Politics and the Future!

Politics is an academically respected subject which teaches very valuable skills and which links well with a number of other subjects and can lead to a variety of worthwhile and exciting careers

Subject Combinations and Careers

Politics is a very good A level if you want to study law, history, politics, sociology, international relations, English, media studies, drama, business studies, languages etc

In terms of careers then the law, journalism, prime minister, politics, teaching, lecturing, civil service, business, management, police and much more

Links

www.ukpolitics.org.uk
www.ukpol.co.uk
www.politicos.co.uk
www.simply-info.co.uk/politicos

Online Book List

Visit Amazon to buy our recommended text books. If you choose to order books via Amazon please read their terms and conditions.

Politics in Focus
American Comparative Politics Andy Williams

The most effective reading for politics is to read a quality newspaper on a regular basis and to watch the news or listen to quality news broadcasts on the radio, again on a regular basis.

For American Politics the LRC stocks USA Today daily, again it would be advisable to read this regularly and to photocopy relevant articles and information.