how to structure an a level politics essay

How to Structure Your A Level Politics Essay

Are you struggling to write your next politics essay? Hundreds of thousands of students take their A-levels each year, all of them aim to get the best possible grade. But how do you get started getting the best Politics A-level grade you can? Read on for our guide to structure the perfect A Level politics essay, useful for both AQA and Edexcel boards.

Understand the Politics Essay Question

First, you need to understand your essay question to formulate a proper response to it. Read the question very carefully, and don’t make assumptions about what you’re reading. It’s easy to answer the question that isn’t in front of you. Circle any keywords that appear in the question, and make sure you understand the command word (such as evaluate, analyse or to what extent).

Get Planning

Be sure to start your politics essay by making a plan. This involves gathering your thoughts about what could ‘support’ or ‘oppose’ the argument. You should also plan what case studies you need to bring in, alongside planning which side of the argument you sit on. There are up to 33% of marks available for your conclusions and which side of the essay you are on, so make sure to include this!

You can also look at past papers  to help you get an idea of what you should aim for when writing your own essay. A Level Politics past papers are a very useful resource as they allow you to see what the structure of the exam is, and the style of questions you could be asked.

Start Your Layout

The general layout of your politics essay should be as followed:

• Introduction: give definitions, the general outline of your argument, and the side you support.
• Point (AO1)
• Evidence (AO1/AO2)
• Explain (AO2)
• Conclusion: bring the argument back around and firmly state your opinion on the debate.

You’ll need at least two paragraphs to argue one side of the question you’re evaluating and at least two paragraphs to argue the other side of the question. Each separate point in your essay should be its own paragraph to ensure it’s readable and clearly understood, with relevant examples/evidence and detailed explanations. Each paragraph should finish by linking back to the question in order to give strong and substantiated judgement.

And, when you’re writing a politics essay, follow the directions down to the letter. If the question has a source included, make sure you use it to form the basis of your arguments. The “rubric” on the question will include guidance such as referring to specific points or using a source.

When you use a source to support an argument, make sure you explain why the fact that this source supports you matters — why a source is authoritative, in other words.

If you’re having trouble, start by laying out your answer in a table so that you can see exactly what you need to get done over the course of your answer to support your argument. And, that way, you’ll avoid missing anything important while you write your essay.

Master the Assessment Objectives

There are three Assessment Objectives (AOs) for your A Level Politics essays:

• AO1: knowledge & understanding
• AO2: analysis
• Ao3: conclusions & evaluation

It’s important to note that a large proportion of your marks come from assessment objectives other than knowledge. This means that you need to be able to analyse and evaluate your points rather than memorise facts. It’s therefore critical to practice your exam technique to maximise your marks in these assessment objectives.

Start Your Politics Essay Today

What are you waiting for? Begin writing your A-level politics essay, and with this formatting guide, you’ll be sure to get top grades.

By becoming a member , you can get access to a range of model essays. This will allow you to see what an A* politics essay looks like.

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How to write a British Politics essay

24th March 2021

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With many students facing important assessments in the coming weeks, here are some top tips...

• Provide an introduction that shows recent awareness and also alludes to both sides of the question. It’s up to you whether you lay out a clear answer in the introduction or not - I prefer not to, and to leave this until the conclusion.
• Give a good spread of examples. Be recent, but don’t ignore really significant examples from the past.
• If the essay requires balance, try to make sure that you spend an even time on both sides.
• Seek to support your answer with evidence from academic theory, or reputable sources.
• Refer back to the question at the end of the paragraph - use the key words in the question title. (Some candidates do this at the start of the paragraph, and this works equally well.)
• Differentiate between the importance of factors, for example: “A really strong argument in favour of electoral reform according to campaigners is…” Remember the importance of factors on the side of the debate you don’t eventually agree with also matter.
• Come to a clear and definite conclusion. I think it helps if you pick out the single most important factor in support of your conclusion, especially if the debate could appear evenly balanced.
• The conclusion, of course, should not come as a surprise to the reader, and it should be signposted on the way.

9. (??) "How many sides?" an essay should be is a question I have had asked of me almost more than any other. Well, there is no hard and fast rule. But, having considered performance in public exams for the three main exam boards in terms of grades, candidates at the top end of the mark range tend to write about 80-100 words for each 5 minute block. So if you are advised to spend 40 minutes, I would be surprised if I awarded the equivalent of an A grade for something with less than 650 words or so. For an A* equivalent, responses might be even longer. In fact, I've just marked one that I think merits full marks, and it weighs in at just over 900. Personally, I doubt I could write that much in 40 minutes, but it does illustrate what is possible.

At this stage, whether you are in the first year of the A Level course and are looking at end of year assessments, or towards the end of the course, you should be able to produce work under your own steam and conduct a form of assessment and see how many of the criteria above that you fulfil.

I'll try to put something together as something of an exemplar on an A Level topic for a future posting, and we'll see how I get on!

Mike McCartney

Mike is an experienced A-Level Politics teacher, author and examiner.

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Tips for writing Politics essays

15 February 2023 by Kitty

Hiya! I’m Kitty, and I study Politics with International Relations at the University of York! In my blog post, I share the methods I’ve developed to write a good Politics essay. Academic writing is very different to anything I had done before, and it took me a while to understand how to go about developing the correct skills.

Expectations vs reality

When I started university, I felt confident that I’d have no issues with writing essays, as it was something I was well practised in thanks to my A levels. When I received feedback suggesting that my approach to academic essays and writing wasn’t quite right, I felt my confidence waver and I was unsure how to adapt my skills. Through a bit of trial and error, I have developed an approach to essays which has drastically improved my confidence and skill.

Essay preparation

Throughout first year, I noticed that my skills improved as I read more academic articles. These exposed me to academic writing, and just through reading them for seminar work, I noticed that I was becoming more accustomed to the style. When I first started writing essays, I found looking back at articles an easy way to remind myself of the style and format.

I also started putting more effort into the formative assessments, as this is the main opportunity to receive feedback on your essay style. If the feedback is ever unclear or leaves me with questions, I make sure to go to the tutor’s feedback and guidance hours. I often find verbal discussions more useful than written feedback, so I try to make a note of any important information. This way, I am able to remind myself of what was said while I’m writing the essay.

Do some wider reading

When I plan an essay, I like to start by reading some of the key resources on the topic to ensure that I have a good understanding of the central debates. I usually look through the reading list on the VLE, as this tends to have the most relevant resources. As I’m reading these, I will make a note of the resources they reference, as this is another quick way to find the relevant texts. While reading, I make notes of any nuggets of information or quotes that I think could be useful to include in my essay. I always try to note the page numbers as I go, to save myself from having to search through again later.

Give your essay some structure

Once I feel that I have read enough resources to give me a good overview of the topic, I think of how I want to structure my essay, using the existing literature to develop my own argument. I start by creating a rough structure of the essay using bullet points and brief notes of what will be said where. I then start to expand the bullet points by adding in references to resources and my own opinion. Slowly the bullet points transform into sentences, paragraphs, sections, and eventually an essay.

Often, I find that I need to adapt the essay as I write, and I always try to leave enough time to have a few days break from it. This allows me to re-read the essay with fresh eyes. Having some distance from my work helps me identify any errors in the writing or overall structure, and gives me time to make any changes I see necessary. I also try to get a friend or family member to read over the essay to ensure it’s understandable to someone who’s not as close to the topic. This is important, as sometimes I phrase something in a way which I think is digestible, but actually isn’t very clear.

I have developed this approach to essays through a lot of trial and error, but find that a methodical and steady style works best for me.

Best of luck in your future essays!

Read more student experiences of studying Politics at York.

About Kitty

I’m Kitty, and I study Politics with International Relations at the University of York! I’m in my final year, and have found the course incredibly engaging and enjoyable!

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16 August 2023 at 2.00 pm

this is really helpful thank you 🙂

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A-level Politics

• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources
• Introduction
• Specification at a glance
• 3.1 Government and politics of the UK
• 3.2 Government and politics of the USA and comparative politics
• 3.3 Political ideas

Scheme of assessment

• General administration

Find past papers and mark schemes, and specimen papers for new courses, on our website at aqa.org.uk/pastpapers

This specification is designed to be taken over two years.

This is a linear qualification. In order to achieve the award, students must complete all assessments at the end of the course and in the same series.

A-level exams and certification for this specification are available for the first time in May/June 2019 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.

All materials are available in English only.

Our A-level exams in Politics include questions that allow students to demonstrate their ability to:

• recall information
• draw together information from different areas of the specification
• apply their knowledge and understanding in practical and theoretical contexts.

Our A-level exams in politics include three broad question types.

9 mark questions require students to explain and analyse different political institutions, processes, concepts, theories and issues prescribed in the specification. Students are required to develop and substantiate at least three points in a structured, analytical answer, making use of appropriate political vocabulary and examples to substantiate their answer.

25 mark extract based questions require students to comprehend and interpret the argument(s) contained in political information, using their knowledge and understanding of the issue to analyse and evaluate the argument(s) put forward. The answer should be balanced, maintain a sustained line of reasoning and lead to a reasoned conclusion, communicated with relevance, clarity and coherence. The political information used in exams may take the form of political publications, government publications, newspaper extracts, manifestos, visual material and data.

25 mark essay questions require students to analyse and evaluate a given statement using their knowledge and understanding of the issue under discussion. The question may draw from different sections of the specification, requiring students to identify and substantiate parallels, connections, similarities and differences between aspects of politics studied. The answer should take the form of a structured and balanced argument, maintaining a sustained line of reasoning, communicated with relevance, clarity and coherence and leading to a reasoned conclusion. The 25 mark essay questions for comparative politics (component 2, section C), will require students to make explicit comparisons between UK and US government and politics.

Courses based on this specification must encourage students to:

• develop knowledge and an informed understanding of contemporary political structures and issues in their historical context, both within the UK and globally
• develop a critical awareness of the changing nature of politics and the relationships between political ideas, institutions and processes
• develop knowledge and an informed understanding of the influences and interests which have an impact on decisions in government and politics
• develop knowledge and an informed understanding of the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups
• develop the ability to critically analyse, interpret and evaluate political information to form arguments and make judgements
• develop an interest in, and engagement with, contemporary politics.

Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all A-level Politics specifications and all exam boards.

The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.

• AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts, theories and issues.
• AO2: Analyse aspects of politics and political information, including in relation to parallels, connections, similarities and differences.
• AO3: Evaluate aspects of politics and political information, including to construct arguments, make substantiated judgements and draw conclusions.

Assessment objective weightings for A-level Politics

Assessment weightings.

The marks awarded on the papers will be scaled to meet the weighting of the components. Students’ final marks will be calculated by adding together the scaled marks for each component. Grade boundaries will be set using this total scaled mark. The scaling and total scaled marks are shown in the table below.

The Politics Shed- A Free Text Book for all students of Politics.

How to answer a source question Edexcel UK politics, papers 1 and 2

Examiners' advice edexcel.

Some did not discuss the source content sufficiently which is not ideal, as the source content needs to be the basis of the answer.

• Students should be more explicit in their use of the source so examiners can be sure that they are basing their answer on the source.

• Better responses cited the source regularly, making effective use of quotes to guide the direction of the discussion.

• At the lower end of the scale were students who did little more than use the source as a comprehension exercise, explaining both sides of the arguments.

Some students simply agreed with one side in the contested source debate and failed to provide evaluation to reject the opposing view.

• Candidates were unable to offer a clear line of argument throughout, instead just summarising both sides of the argument, and suffered accordingly with their A03 marks.

• So the key weakness here (and across all 30-mark answers) was a failure to commit to one side and say why that side was the stronger.

• Where candidates did try to contrast arguments from the source, quite often they were unrelated arguments, so the comparison was hard to assess.

Better responses compared the opposing arguments directly, rather than in separate halves of the essay.

• The best answers were able to consider opposing arguments in conjunction with one another before reaching a judgement as to which was the stronger argument.

• These responses also made evaluative judgements throughout their essay with sustained evaluation throughout, so their concluding paragraph flowed from what had been argued throughout, but this was rare.

The source provided in the exam question must be at the heart of your answer — it is not just a prompt. Some students see the topic in the source and ignore the specific content. For example, if the source is on referendums, the student may decide to write a pre-planned essay on the subject, with little or no reference to the source. Even if this essay is excellent, such an approach will be disastrous in terms of receiving marks.

With two highlighter pens, pick out the arguments for and against the view suggested in the question. Then decide which argument you find most convincing. If you are not sure, pick the one you think will be the easiest to justify. Next, see if you can connect the arguments for and against in a logical way in your plan. It is unwise to start writing your answer without doing this.

Source questions can be frustrating, as you need to expand and explain the arguments in the source, rather than adding from your own knowledge. For example, in an essay on referendums, if the source does not mention the issue of public understanding/lack of education but you think this is a major drawback, you should not introduce this issue unless you can link it to a point in the source (for example, by using it to contradict a point on how referendums widen participation), or your point will get little or no credit.

Note that all questions include the line ‘only using the information presented’. Using short quotes from the source will help you stay focused on it, so make sure there are some in each paragraph. If you are studying A-level history, you will be used to source analysis and can use some of the same evaluative skills. However, you do not need to examine provenance, origin or purpose.

Awareness of assessment objectives (AOs)

This is your starting point: if you do not have good knowledge and understanding , then it is difficult to move on to receive a high mark in the other AOs. You need to make sure you have learnt the facts and figures: the key arguments, with supporting examples such as election result statistics, how a particular voting system works, or party policies.

Analysis — this is where you explain and develop your points and add examples. What is the significance of something? What does it show? In a source question, what is the writer suggesting?

Evaluation (reaching a judgement) is arguably the most difficult area, particularly when you first start to study politics. AO3 is all about weighing up arguments, deciding and clearly stating which argument you find most convincing and why (don’t expect the examiner to ‘read between the lines’). If you don’t have a strong view, pretend that you do! To get a high mark for AO3 you need to think about essay structure. If you write the first half of your essay arguing for the claim in the question and the second half arguing against it, and then tell the examiner in the conclusion which side you agree with, there will only be AO3 in the conclusion. This is not enough: you need to show it in every paragraph, and that means having a debate within each section of your essay.

Essay structure and planning

Here is an example of an exam-style question:

Evaluate the view that first-past-the-post is no longer fit for purpose. 30

· First, write your plan: four arguments in favour of first-past-the-post (FPTP) and four against.

· Next, see if you can match each for argument to an against argument in a logical way. Now you have four paragraphs to write. Once you add your introduction and conclusion that makes six paragraphs.

· Start each paragraph with the argument you find less convincing. Then around halfway through, challenge this argument with the stronger view, using wording such as However, this view is limited because… Finish each paragraph by stating which point is the strongest, e.g. The argument that FPTP is unrepresentative because it favours larger parties is clearly more convincing, because election statistics show how smaller parties with a geographically spread vote always receive a much lower percentage of seats than votes.

· This essay structure can be used for both source and essay questions.

Introductions and conclusions

In your introduction, define any terms — this will help you focus your mind and make sure you understand the question. If you realise that you don’t really understand the term, it may be wise to change to the other option. You should put your line of argument into the introduction to show your AO3 skills. Instead of explaining that there are arguments for and against the view in the question, simply state your view. In your conclusion, return to your line of argument. There should be no surprises here — the examiner should be able to guess what is coming.

Synopticity

Don’t get worried about synopticity — it just means that you need to refer to Paper 1 topics in Paper 2 UK politics answers (not in the political ideas question). So in an essay comparing the Lords and the Commons, you can discuss the democratic deficit and lack of legitimacy of the peers (Paper 1 democracy), or the significance of FPTP (Paper 1 elections) on the make-up of the Commons. You must stay focused on the question and avoid being sidetracked by synopticity. It is not necessary to state In Paper 1 or A synoptic point is… . When revising, make a list that links Paper 1 and Paper 2 topics.

Using examples

You need to be as up to date as possible with your examples. Inevitably, your textbook will not be completely current. This shows the great importance of keeping up with current affairs. For example, in a question on the significance of opinion polls, writing about the accuracy of the exit poll in the 2019 general election could significantly improve the quality of your essay. Examples should be relevant and explained, but not too long.

Be aware of spending too long on the source question — do not use up more than 45 minutes of exam time on it, as it is not worth more marks than the second question. However, that does not mean that you should not write a plan, as this is always something worth doing.

Practice Question

Using the source, evaluate the view that the outcomes of general elections are stable and predictable.

1(a) The source below considers the factors which deliver success for political parties in general elections it reflects on whether the outcomes of general elections are predictable or whether the electorate can spring surprises, making the results more unpredictable.

Some people claim that success in a general election for a political party depends on stable and predictable farces. Few seats change hands in a general election and voting patterns are predictable and constant. In studies of voting behaviour factors such as an individual’s class and family background combined with the area in which they live all merge together to provide a clear indication of the way an individual will vote. On this basis, opinion polls accurately indicate the outcome of a general election. When many people are asked, they readily identify with both a specific class and endorse the policies of a major political party. The dice is loaded from the start and outcomes of general elections are all too predictable and fixed.

However, many now doubt the idea of predictability and the assumptions on which it is based. Instead of predictability they infer unpredictability and volatility with an inability to forecast accurately the outcome of how the public will vote. In fact in 2015 111 seats changed hands and in 2017, 70. General elections and success in them is built around capturing ideas and having media support. What the political parties say in new policies and their manifestos matters greatly. Opinion polls, as the general election in 2017 showed, are no longer good indicators of the outcome. If anything, the 201 7 general election illustrated the importance of age and education as indicators of how people vote. The media can make and break a political party.

Riding the wave of media attacks, a political party must have a good leader who can weather any storm and connect with the masses. This is what Blair and Thatcher did and was the basis of their success. Policies and leaders are the crucial factors and, as such, they are the leading indicators for success at the polls.

Student introduction

This introduction directly addresses the sources and sums up the arguments. Tip Use ' This source argues.... According to the source......'

It also shows the direction or view the answer will be taking.ie that elections are more unpredictable. This will earn AO3 marks from the beginning rather than leaving it until the conclusion. Show you are making a judgement- use

'Nevertheless ......Therefore.......

Student Example 2019

However the concept of social factors dictating how people vote is no longer a convincing concept due to the fact that according to the source that new factors are taking over and finding new way to influence voting. This is partly to do with the the idea that the country is going through a period of partisan dealignment giving way for factors such as 'capturing ideas and having media support' as well as '2017 illustrating the importance of age and education' these variable factors which are less stable and predictable. However a limitation of this argument in the source is the fact that 2015 General Election saw 111 seat changes and 2017 had 70. 111 is over 1 sixth of the seats in the House of Commons. This massive change was mainly due to the Scottish National Party acquiring 56 out of 59 seats. This statistic clearly shows the weakness of the argument that voting patterns are predictable and constant, therefore decreasing the validity of the view at hand. This is given further emphasis by the source stating that 2017 showed that opinion polls 'are no longer good indicators'.

This and example of a counter-point paragraph where the student shows that they are using the source effectively by referencing it to illustrate their point. Also, the student is considering the different opinion of social factors (comparative analysis – AO2). to the view they considered in the first paragraph (not shown). Additionally, in the opening sentence they add an AO3 judgement. Tip- use ' However....' to begin counter points. Also remember that counter augments are in agreement with the overall argument of your essay, so you are showing a critical response to the points you consider weak.

A-Level Politics: What You Need to Know to Succeed

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Revising A-Level politics requires a different approach to any other A-Level subject. And, this year more than ever, it's so important that A-Level politics students stay up to date with what’s going on in the world of politics. 

I interviewed Zoe Holland, one of my academic coaches and an A-Level politics teacher with 21 years of experience teaching. She shared some of her advice for  A-Level politics students who want to achieve the best grade they possibly can. 

Zoe has also been on the podcast a few times before to offer her fantastic advice for revising A-Level Sociology and A-Level history . 

Read on for a summary of my conversation with Zoe or listen to the full conversation using the podcast player above. You can also listen on The School Success Formula podcast on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

What do A-Level politics students find hardest about the subject?

Many A-Level politics students struggle with answering essay and source exam questions. For essay questions, the struggle is with structuring paragraphs that are worthy of an A*/8 or 9. For source questions, it's how to make the best use of the source material possible in order to earn maximum marks. 

However, one of the biggest difficulties is keeping up to date in today’s political climate. Things are changing very quickly and A-Level politics students need to keep up to date with all the new developments.

Zoe is leading the How to Revise A-Level Politics Masterclass on Saturday the 26th of February 2022. During the masterclass, Zoe is going to ease this problem by giving you some up to date case studies and examples that you can use in your examinations this year. 

How to cope with information overload

Today’s A-Level students have so many sources of information available to them with the availability of the internet. It is very helpful in many ways but it can lead to an overload of information.  

There is so much information out there coming from a range of sources and not all of them are reputable or even factually accurate. Students really need to ensure that the sources they’re using are legitimate and reliable. However, given the time constraints students are under, it’s very difficult for them to sort through all the available information.

A good starting point is doing very good quality reading to set you off in the right direction. Zoe highly recommends Tim Marshall’s books, The Power of Geography and  Prisoners of Geography . They show why the world is as it is today and why world leaders and politicians behave in the way that they do.

It’s vital that you can show you understand different views. One of the pitfalls that A-Level politics students fall into is that they can get too carried away with their own views and bring them into their exam answers. At A-Level politics, that should be avoided. 

To access the top marks, A-Level politics students need to  make judgments and evaluate in an unbiased manner in their exam answers. This means not writing in first person and discussing your personal views on the topic. Instead, you need to show that you are aware of some of the other views that exist and explore them.

Zoe will be covering this in more depth in the masterclass . She'll be giving some really helpful pointers for finding and identifying relevant information quickly, and using Twitter effectively so that you're not bombarded with lots of information that you haven't got time to read and sift through.

What do students get wrong in A-Level politics exams? 

With the essay questions, the biggest thing students do to lose marks is changing their minds halfway through their answer. 

Politics examiners are looking for students to make their points, show their judgement and actually answer the question in the introduction. The rest of the essay should consist of a series of paragraphs that follow that judgement through in a logical and well-argued manner. Assessment Objective 3 (AO3), which is evaluation, has to be present all the way through the essay answer. Evaluations should be solid throughout and your conclusion should refer specifically back to them. 

Another issue is focusing on regurgitating knowledge. Many A-Level politics students know a lot about politics because it’s the sort of subject that attracts those who are naturally interested in it. Therefore, many students have a lot of knowledge about politics that they’re eager to get across in the exam. However, it’s important not to include too much knowledge (which is Assessment Objective 1) and not focus enough on analysis (AO2) and evaluation (AO3). 

Because schools concentrate on teaching the subject content, skills like analysis and evaluation are often not covered thoroughly. 

So, how can you make sure you display analysis and evaluation in your answers?

In lower school years, teachers often teach the PEEL acronym for structuring paragraphs in essay question answers. PEEL stands for point, evidence, explanation and link. For A-Level politics, Zoe suggests a more refined version of this structure: PEA, which stands for point, evidence and explanation, and application. Application is about referring back to what the question is actually asking. That displays to the examiner that you have hit AO3 and that you have made substantiated judgments throughout.

Zoe will be discussing the difficulties that students face in getting top grades in the essay questions, source questions and the political ideologies questions in more depth in the masterclass . She'll also show you a foolproof way of ensuring that every paragraph is of an A*/8 or 9 calibre.  

A-Level politics revision tips

Firstly, to revise effectively for A-Level politics, and GCSEs and A-Levels in general, you need to be applying your knowledge. P ractise past papers and get really familiar with the mark scheme so you can mark your own paper with confidence. Only then will you know what level you've achieved and what marks you've achieved. 

This is exactly what I teach inside The Extraordinaries Club too. I call it learning to think like an examiner. And you can only give the examiner what they need to see when you understand what they're looking for. 

Secondly, many students find that creating flashcards is a great way to revise politics. They're especially helpful for revising political ideologies as it’s crucial students remember to include the different strands within those ideologies. For instance, with conservatism, there’s the new rights, traditional conservatism and one nation conservatism. Flashcards can be an effective way of recording that information. 

Of course, different revision techniques work for different students. In the masterclass , Zoe is going to show you exactly where to look for revision exercises so you can stop sifting through the many resources available. This means your valuable time can be spent exploring only the best quality ones. 

Where can A-Level politics lead? 

There is never a dull moment in politics. If you have an inquiring mind a politics qualification can set you up for a fantastic career. There are so many different career opportunities for politics students, both inside and outside of a political career, such as journalism, HR and social policy. Some students enjoy studying politics and decide to continue down the research path.

Do you want more help with A-Level politics?

If you’ve found this helpful, join us for the How to Revise A-Level Politics Masterclass live on Saturday the 26th of February.  

During the masterclass, Zoe will be showing you how you can move from your current grade towards an A*/8 or 9. She'll offer invaluable guidance whether you’re sitting politics exams this year, or preparing for them next year.  

In the masterclass you'll discover:

• What examiners want to see from top grade students, and how to give them that
• How to revise A-Level Politics, including choosing which bits you need to know from this content heavy subject
• Writing techniques to access the highest marks
• Common mistakes A-Level Politics students make and how to avoid them
• And much more!

Would you like to join us? Click here to register for the How to Revise A-Level Politics Masterclass live on the 26th of February. It’ll also be recorded and will be available to watch in The Extraordinaries Club anytime after that.

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Politics Review

• Edexcel A-level Politics: tackling the 12-mark question

The nationalism of Marcus Gar vey

The rise of populism.

exam success

Edexcel A-level Politics

Tackling the 12-mark question.

With sample responses based on global politics, John Jefferies gives you some tips on how to tackle 12-mark questions effectively and achieve top-level marks

• Volume 28, 2018/ 2019
• Exam skills and revision
• Global governance - human rights and environmental
• Global governance - political and economic
• Global Politics

In Section A there will be a choice from two 12-mark questions which will both ask you to ‘Examine’ something. Six of the available marks will reward detailed knowledge (AO1) and six will be available for analysis (AO2). It is therefore vital that your answer provides lots of convincing detail as well as having a clear sense of argument. You will only have 15 minutes to answer this question so it is essential that you waste no time in immediately engaging with it.

It is important to note that you are not required to evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of any arguments in Section A. Evaluation is an AO3 requirement for the Section C essay only. This means that your task in Section A is to examine arguments, criticisms and controversies without evaluating how convincing you think they are. Your writing should thus be entirely focused on explaining the issues under consideration — you should not attempt to make judgements on them.

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A Level Politics: Global Politics Essay Plans

Subject: Government and politics

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

10 April 2024

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**** A Grade Level Resource

• 15 super detailed essay plans, covering the five topics (Global and Political Governance, Human Rights and the Environment, Globalization and the State, Power and Development and Regionalism and the EU).
• Really useful for getting specific details that will get you top marks, as as giving you an in depth understanding of global politics

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