Politics
Exam board: Edexcel (see the website for greater detail and past exam papers https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/politics-2017.html)
Entry requirements: Usually Grade 6 in History or English
Students study for two years, with three exam papers at the end of Year 13.
Paper One - UK Politics and core ideologies
Paper Two - UK Government and Nationalism
Paper one and two are taught in Year 12
Paper 3 - Comparative Politics which explores the history of the USA, and is taught in year 13.
What is it?
Politics is the study of how countries make laws, how they arrived at the ideas and values that hold their peoples together and how decisions are enforced. It is one of the oldest subjects in history with great thinkers such as Socrates and Plato spending many hours debating over what system is the best to organise human beings.
Why take it?
- A better understanding of the world
- It will develop skills that will be essential for many jobs such as debating and matching theory to practice.
- Key jobs that are reliant on politics include: Journalism, barristers, lawyers, local government, the Forces, the Civil Service, GCHQ and those hoping to work in the Unites States of America.
- Trip to Parliament in the Summer Term of Year 12
Students are encouraged to keep up to date with foreign affairs, and to do their own wider reading in order to fully understand the political concepts taught.
Click on the documents below to see the full specification and examples of all 3 papers (we study paper 3A at St. Peter’s).
