Year 11-12 Transition Work

POLITICS at George Spencer

Read…

• Politics for beginners
• The Prime Ministers: reflections on leadership from Wilson to May
• The Politics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

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Watch…

• The Iron Lady (2011)
• The Special Relationship (2010)
• Brexit: the Uncivil War (2018)

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Listen to…

• Politics Weekly podcasts (The Guardian)
• Westminster Hour (BBC Radio 4)
• FiveThirtyEight podcasts (USA)
• The Rest is Politics (Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart)

Task 1 - keeping up with the news

Welcome to A Level Politics! You’ve made a great decision.

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One word of warning, however: as a Politics student, you must keep up with the news. Your teachers will help you with this, by sharing key stories, but you must take ownership of this, too.

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Over the summer, you need to complete the template for four stories of your choice. You will need to read an article, listen to a podcast, watch a documentary/TV news segment and one free choice. Ensure you have added in all the key details!

Task 2: writing analytically

One of the key things you need to master with A Level Politics is the ability to write in an analytical manner.

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Choose two of the following questions (one from each section) and write a response to each. You should aim for around two sides of A4 per question. If you need any more paper, attach it to the booklet.

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YOU WILL NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC AREAS YOU HAVE SELECTED - don’t write from a position of ignorance!

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You should structure it as follows:

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• An introduction, setting out the two opposing views on the question and your judgement
• The argument that supports the view - ensure you have evidence to back up the claims you make, and link your evidence back to the question - explain why it matters
• The argument that opposes the view - ensure you have done the same as the previous paragraph
• A conclusion that weighs up the two views and explains why one is stronger and why the other one is weaker - consistent with your answer as a whole

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Choose one question from Section A:

• Would votes at 16 enhance democracy in the UK?
• Are the tactics that pressure groups use the main reason for their success or failure?
• Do Labour and the Conservatives have more in common with each other than what divides them?
• Do referendums have more advantages than disadvantages?
• Is First Past the Post the best voting system to use in general elections?
• How far can the media influence the outcomes of general elections?

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Choose one question from Section B:

• Should the UK have a written constitution?
• Is Parliament able to successfully scrutinise the government?
• Should the House of Lords be abolished?
• Has Tony Blair been the most successful Prime Minister since 1945?
• Has Brexit been a success for the UK?
• Is the UK’s Supreme Court too powerful?

Section A

Question selected:

Section B

Question selected: