Government and Politics Edexcel Exam Question prediction

The marking on these edexcel politics papers is so harsh. It's like your answers have to mirror the mark scheme.

I found it easier that way, like it didnt matter what you actually knew just so long as you jumped through the hoops haha.

Reply 102

CreativeSkyline

Would you start off with answering the 25 mark part c) question before answering the 10 and 5 mark.

My politics teacher suggests this, but I would be so annoyed if time was up and I couldn't complete an easy 5 mark question because I had started off with the essay

Reply 103

srascal8

14

Original post by CreativeSkyline

Would you start off with answering the 25 mark part c) question before answering the 10 and 5 mark.

My politics teacher suggests this, but I would be so annoyed if time was up and I couldn't complete an easy 5 mark question because I had started off with the essay

Usually parts a) and b) help get you thinking for part c) but for example, as im so well briefed for liberal democracy IF and its a big IF it came up, I'd start off with that and nail it in 17minutes

Reply 104

Gontak

Original post by CreativeSkyline

Would you start off with answering the 25 mark part c) question before answering the 10 and 5 mark.

My politics teacher suggests this, but I would be so annoyed if time was up and I couldn't complete an easy 5 mark question because I had started off with the essay

Original post by srascal8

Usually parts a) and b) help get you thinking for part c) but for example, as im so well briefed for liberal democracy IF and its a big IF it came up, I'd start off with that and nail it in 17minutes

I'm like srascal, I'll read all the questions to start with and then do them chronologically. So I'll be thinking about the third question while writing out the answers to the 5 and 15 mark questions. I think it's a viable tactic to do the 25 marker question first, but only if you struggle and tend to stay on the early questions too long which some people do. There was one guy in my class who spent half of the exam going into massive detail on the 5 marker, filling a page and a half.

So long as you stick to the mark a minute rule roughly and you're not prone to spending too much time on the early questions then don't start with question 3. Read al lthe questions, then as you do each question you'll be thinking about the next one and you'll have a better answer because of it.

Reply 105

CreativeSkyline

For the part A) 5 mark question, if it asks to define, does it simply require a straight definition and an example? I'm not sure if I'll get the full 5 if I do this.

Reply 106

srascal8

14

Original post by CreativeSkyline

For the part A) 5 mark question, if it asks to define, does it simply require a straight definition and an example? I'm not sure if I'll get the full 5 if I do this.

I've been told to write 5 sentences on it, or 4 points and an example. And from looking at edexcel's mark scheme, thats what they're looking for. A one line definition might only get 2 marks

Reply 107

CreativeSkyline

Cool. Any ideas to what questions may come up for pressure groups??

Reply 108

srascal8

14

Original post by CreativeSkyline

Cool. Any ideas to what questions may come up for pressure groups??

to what extent have pressure groups become more powerful in recent years?

to what extent do pressure groups make effective and efficient government impossible?

Reply 109

peachesandcream77

1

How would you answer to what extent do pressure groups make effective and efficient government impossible??

Also I saw a 25 mark solely on how size is a factor of pressure groups.. i really hope this kind of questino doesnt come up, having to solely write a 25 mark just on size,,,,, or one of the factors, not much to write about'1!

Reply 110

SLSmith

To what extent are political parties declining in importance?

What points would you put for this?!

Reply 111

srascal8

14

Original post by SLSmith

To what extent are political parties declining in importance?

What points would you put for this?!

Yes - falling membership, they are all the same, the main ones are more consensual, pressure groups are favoured more amongst the young, hence higher membership, this has meant parties are less powerful and need to consult PGs.

No - we have a system of party government, where parties rule. they have the power to carry out their policies so long as they have a majority/mandate from the people. representatives of political parties (MPs) play a crucial role in connecting constituents to government.

Would that be a parties question? thats nasty

Reply 112

srascal8

14

Original post by peachesandcream77

How would you answer to what extent do pressure groups make effective and efficient government impossible??

Also I saw a 25 mark solely on how size is a factor of pressure groups.. i really hope this kind of questino doesnt come up, having to solely write a 25 mark just on size,,,,, or one of the factors, not much to write about'1!

yes - trade unions and large business oriented ones like CBI have undue amounts of influence due to their financial resources and membership levels, government is based on majority rule, if govt needs to take into account minority interests, then governing can be tricky. governments are elected, whereas PGs are unaccountable, mixing the two could mean the government appeasing a PG whilst implementing something the people didn't vote for.

no - they provide a check on govt. they represent minority views which otherwise would not have been represented. they scrutinise govt. policy, making them more effective. due to their functional representation of society, it is a powerful tool to gage public opinion and see a spectrum of different groups of society. they provide representation between elections, a chance for people to air views of discontent.

Reply 113

peachesandcream77

1

How did everyone find it?
I'm wishing I revised for elections now as the questions were so much better than pressure groups or democracy..

Reply 114

Aepyx

Wrecked it for myself, I'd read two essays the night before on the 25 mark questions for pressure groups and why we should keep fptp but forgot it all when I was in the exam. Even forgot the negatives of fptp :frown:

Think it's cos I got really nervous at the start when the guy said my name wasn't down for the exam so I wouldn't be able to do it and he kept saying it for about 10 minutes :mad:

Oh well, there's always summer

Reply 115

peachesandcream77

1

Original post by Aepyx

Wrecked it for myself, I'd read two essays the night before on the 25 mark questions for pressure groups and why we should keep fptp but forgot it all when I was in the exam. Even forgot the negatives of fptp :frown:

Think it's cos I got really nervous at the start when the guy said my name wasn't down for the exam so I wouldn't be able to do it and he kept saying it for about 10 minutes :mad:

Oh well, there's always summer

I'm sure you did better than you thought! How much did you write for the 25 marks? I don't think I put enough points in, and definately did the pressure group ones wrong...
Felt like I was making it all up... at least theres always summer but it was my retake so I don#t think I can do it again!

Reply 116

srascal8

14

Original post by peachesandcream77

How did everyone find it?
I'm wishing I revised for elections now as the questions were so much better than pressure groups or democracy..

I thought it was a very good paper. Elections was a no brained and democracy was basically for/agt representative democracy and apply it to current mood.

Reply 117

rebeccasarah

Original post by peachesandcream77

How did everyone find it?
I'm wishing I revised for elections now as the questions were so much better than pressure groups or democracy..

i hated it :| i did pressure groups and democracy and the 25 mark for democracy completely threw me :\ my third advantage for compulsory voting was pretty weak too.

any predictions on grade boundaries? :/

Reply 118

srascal8

14

Original post by rebeccasarah

i hated it :| i did pressure groups and democracy and the 25 mark for democracy completely threw me :\ my third advantage for compulsory voting was pretty weak too.

any predictions on grade boundaries? :/

I think they are generally low for January, also a lot of people foind it tough