Politics as an A Level allows pupils to develop an awareness and understanding of the exciting, ever-changing and sometimes confusing world of Politics from both a UK and a US perspective, as well as from an ideological angle. It is a subject that reacts to the latest developments, and gives pupils the opportunities to interact with some of the big issues facing us today; such as Brexit, the United Nations and issues with the House of Lords. Both Politics teachers are experienced examiners.

Following the Edexcel Politics A Level, in the Lower Sixth, pupils will study the political systems and government of the United Kingdom. In the second half of the Lower Sixth we also study three core Political Ideologies (Conservatism, Liberalism and Socialism) and one optional Political ideology, currently Feminism.

In the Upper Sixth, pupils will study global politics, covering institutions such as the IMF, UN and NATO, environmental policies and emerging economies. Politics field trips include Parliament, the Supreme Court, political conferences and Congress to Campus. There are also regular sessions with political speakers.

A Level Politics enables pupils to develop a wide range of skills including the abilities to comprehend and interpret political information; analyse and evaluate; identify connections, similarities and differences between the areas studied; select relevant material, and construct effective arguments using appropriate political vocabulary.

As a subject this complements the study of History and Economics directly, whilst the skills and topics will also be useful for English and Religious Studies. As such, Politics will be a useful subject for many university and job applications such as Law, Journalism, PPE, Broadcasting and the Civil Service.

Politics has no coursework and is examined with three, two-hour examinations that are equally weighted and arranged as follows:

Paper 1:

UK Politics and Core Ideologies

Paper 2:

UK Government and Optional Ideologies

Paper 3:

3B – Global Politics (comparative)

Entry Requirements:

Given the nature of the subject matter and the examinations attached to this, good essay writing skills will be important. Therefore the minimum of grade 6 in GCSE English is recommended for those contemplating this course. It is expected that all pupils will stay abreast of current affairs in the UK and internationally.

Examination Board: Edexcel
Specification: 9PL0

Dr Kirsten Thomson – Head of History & Politics