Government and Politics
Autumn CPD 2012
GP1 and GP2
Skills issues at AS level
• Better time management/
sustained responses across 2
whole questions
• Little evidence of planning (esp
part (c))
• Handwriting issues – illegibility
and informality
• Careless usage of terminology
• Accuracy issues
Skills issues at AS level
• Part (a) – many candidates earn 4
or 5 marks.
– Better on GP2 than GP1 (slightly)
• Advice remains:
– Define
– Develop
– Fact or example
About 4-5 lines in total
Skills issues at AS level
• Part (b)
• Main problems:
– Lack of range (only one point
made)
– Essay response (too long)
– Descriptive response (explanation
is needed)
– Lists without development
– Insufficient use of extract
Skills issues at AS level
• Part (b) advice remains:
– 3 factors or reasons is about right
(3 paragraphs)
– At least 1 will be in the extract
– Need to explain not just describe
PEEL formula, ‘explain’ words
(see Teacher Guide)
– No requirement for an introduction
and conclusion
Skills issues at AS level
• Part (c) – improving slowly!
• Too many candidates with good
knowledge stuck at level 2
• Too many essays that are a list of
points; no indication of how they
answer the question set
• Too much description; not
enough focus and analysis
• Incorrect assertions/
generalisations
Skills issues at AS level
• What ensures candidates reach level
3 for part (c)?
– Deal with the view in the question first
– range, arguments, focus/ structure
– Deal with counter-arguments next
– range, arguments, focus/structure
– Cover most/ all of the topic area in the
spec - range
– Relevant example for each paragraph –
range and depth
– Apply K&U to specific question set
(PEEL), no ‘model answers’ – depth,
arguments, focus
– Brief introduction, conclusion that sums
up overall answer to question set –
arguments, focus/structure
AO1
AO2
AO3
Skills issues at AS level
• Implications for teaching:
– Balance of content teaching to
skills teaching
– Progressive development of skills
– Skills practice/ use of scripts
– Clarity about what is examined in
each topic area (Teacher Guide)
– Need to build in identification of
examples
– Balance of range to depth:
candidates need to be able to
adapt and use the range of
knowledge they have, and develop
it
Issues of content – GP1
• Topic 1 – models of voting
behaviour, importance of partisan
alignment today, knowledge of
core voting for major and minor
parties
• Topic 2 – focus on systems in the
specification: FPTP, AMS, STV,
AV is not there (and not in use in
UK). Accuracy of knowledge of
how they work. Referendums are
not an electoral system (see
Teacher Guide)
Issues of content – GP1
• Topic 3 – detailed knowledge
across a range of parties,
factions, examples of parties’
impact, Wales
• Topic 4 – examples of pressure
group success (case studies?),
New Social Movements
Issues of content – GP2
• Topic 1 – the judiciary, range of
arguments about whether the UK
needs a written constitution, how
the British Constitution works in
practice
• Topic 2 – detailed K&U of the 3
functions in the specification for
both Westminster and Wales: how
they work, and how effective they
are
Issues of content – GP2
• Topic 3 – the dynamism and
interdependence of the
institutions of the Core Executive,
recent developments, examples of
special advisors at Westminster
and Wales levels
• Topic 4 – local government