Government and Politics

Assessment

In the Lower Sixth, students study American government and politics, with special emphasis on the office of the Presidency, foreign and domestic policy, the Supreme Court, Congress, political parties and race issues, to name a few key areas. Key questions which students debate and discuss could be: To what extent are Prime Ministers presidential? Which is more powerful, Congress or the Presidency? Are American pressure groups detrimental to democracy? In addition, students will be expected to compare and contrast UK and US politics. In the Upper Sixth, students study UK politics which includes units focusing on the role and powers of the key branches of government including Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. We also study representative processes and democracy, especially the importance and role of referenda, elections and pressure groups in enabling citizens to participate and influence decision-making at Westminster. A key component of the new A Level specification is the requirement to learn about political ideas which have shaped political thinking over the last 200 years, including the writings of Karl Marx, Edmund Burke, Betty Friedan, Michael Oakeshott and Mikhail Bakunin as examples. In both the Lower and Upper Sixth, you will learn progressively how to assemble and deploy evidence, form judgements, and construct lucid, cogent arguments on a range of content. Of course, at the end of each topic, there will be a formal test based on examination criteria, which remains the key form of assessment