[JDWhite1995]

I found GCSE History hard. Will I find this hard because they are both related being humanities subjects and all....

[justanotherindigo]

(Original post by JDWhite1995)
I found GCSE History hard. Will I find this hard because they are both related being humanities subjects and all....

A-Level Politics is not as hard as it initially may seem.
I choose Politics as an A-Level and I'm also doing GCSE History
What do you seem to find hard?
Just ask and I'll be able to help!

[JDWhite1995]

(Original post by justanotherindigo)
A-Level Politics is not as hard as it initially may seem.
I choose Politics as an A-Level and I'm also doing GCSE History
What do you seem to find hard?
Just ask and I'll be able to help!

The answer technique. Is Politics the same?

[justanotherindigo]

(Original post by JDWhite1995)
The answer technique. Is Politics the same?

Do find difficult when you analyse the sources?
I don't think that Politics is the same

[berryripple]

I actually consider it my most difficult subject - my others are English lit, chemistry and economics.

[JDWhite1995]

(Original post by justanotherindigo)
Do find difficult when you analyse the sources?
I don't think that Politics is the same

I thought it was the same answer structure.

Yes I suck at sources I went to every revision session - revised every hour at night and got a 'D'.

[parryw]

A bit of advice, do not do politics! It's boring and pretty difficult (I'm doing geography, maths and economics and this is the most difficult) and even then it isn't regarded highly by universities. That's just my opinion (shared by most other people in my group who are dropping it this year), but if I could choose again I would've done a science or something!

[Obfuscator]

A2 govpol student here.

Personally I've not found it that hard at all. If you have an interest in the political world, you should find it interesting as you can bring in stuff you see in the news because the exams are really open to up to up to date examples and discussion. I personally found the politics a lot more interesting, and when given a choice I do politics questions over government ones, but I know people who're the opposite .

Course content is relatively easy, nothing mind bending or anything. You have to learn a fair few examples and stuff but it's not notably difficult compared to other subjects.

Exam... this is the hard part. It's a hell of a lot of writing. I do OCR, so I can't speak for other exam boards, but really it's pretty brutal the amount you should be writing in the time. That said, the actual essay writing technique is really pretty simple: Make a point, explain it, give an example, examine the alternative point of view, give an example. Bam. In my AS exam I got an A on the government side despite messing up the times so badly that I had to write two essays in 20 minutes...

So yeah, the only really hard part is the time constraints of the exam. Other than that, it's my easiest A level (I also do English Lit and Biology, dropped Psychology after AS)

[AverageExcellence]

easy as pie

[Aylish]

Well it will be challenge go for it you might surprise yourself good luck if you do take it.

[starkrush]

I never looked forward to my politics lessons and I dropped it after AS. I decided to take it because I'm very interested in politics in the world and half the course seemed really good (elections, democracy etc). And while that half was very interesting, the content only lasted about a term(!) and after that it was just writing essays and remembering examples. The government side I just didn't really find interesting and we took ages to finish that half of the course.

It's not actually that difficult, I'd say. The mark schemes are absolutely terrible in my opinion, I got 43/80 when both me and a senior examiner/teacher at my school didn't really see all that much wrong with it (sure, not perfect, but no reason to lose 37 marks!). The UMS conversion is silly to make up for it (5 per 10 UMS, so it's very easy to gain/lose a lot).

Some people may like it as shown above but I didn't enjoy it .

[JollyGreenAtheist]

AS student here, I don't find it too taxing.

With Edexcel, I found there to be quite a bit of flexibility in what you learn. You get 2 sets of questions per paper, but out of a choice of 4. What this meant was that I could be strong on 3/4 units, and be pretty much covered.

As it happened, one unit had a terrible question (despite me feeling quite good about it) and the other unit I had completely given up on, because it was too confusing for me. I got 96% UMS in that paper on the remaining two questions.

Writing the essays isn't especially hard at AS. It's a matter of writing coherently and analytically - there isn't much room for description (unlike history, where many fall into the narrative trap) because everything you learn will be pretty relevant. You usually need to present two sides of an argument, and make a judgement at the end. That's about the extent of it - nothing you won't really pick up at GCSE.

The content can be a bit daunting if you're unfamiliar with the political sphere; as such, I would recommend you try to be up-to-date with political goings-on, even if not in much detail. It's not absolutely necessary, but it will be a huge help. Your teacher will probably help you in this respect, both of my teachers discuss current events in class, which is useful. That said, people in my class have started the course with relatively little political knowledge, and adapted sufficiently to get good grades.

I really enjoy it, and if you get opinionated about highly debatable topics, I think you will too. Comparing its difficulty to other subjects, I find English Literature and History both harder, but Sociology easier, but its all subjective.

Good luck in your decision.

[CUFCDan]

History and Politics Uni student, did A Level Pol and history.

History was definitely a LOT harder. Having said that Politics isn't easy at A2. At AS you have to know your current affairs pretty well and - actually - I would suggest reading beyond your course, looking at journals, comment articles etc, to get different points of view. A lot of it is textbook work supplemented by things like that, and actually I think it prepares you pretty well for Politics at Uni. You look at the theory (such as presidential PM or something) and compare and contrast that with the current situation.

I did not enjoy AS too much, but really enjoyed A2. I got a B at AS and full marks at A2, so that speaks for itself I guess.

[berryripple]

(Original post by Obfuscator)

Exam... this is the hard part. It's a hell of a lot of writing. I do OCR, so I can't speak for other exam boards, but really it's pretty brutal the amount you should be writing in the time. That said, the actual essay writing technique is really pretty simple: Make a point, explain it, give an example, examine the alternative point of view, give an example. Bam. In my AS exam I got an A on the government side despite messing up the times so badly that I had to write two essays in 20 minutes...

Edexcel has a really awful time constraint too - think it must be that way with all the politics exam boards. 80 marks in 80 minutes.

[kayleigh.jean]

I find Alevel (edexcel) Politics quite easy if I'm being honest; I have a strong interest in current affairs and have done for years. Lessons can be dull like with any subject, but the content is interesting and just keeping up to date with the latest political stories helps no end! as people have said, the time constraints in the exams can be pretty tough but you'd be surprised at how it is possible to do well - even if you don't finish your answers! A2 > AS because the content is really relevant and the debates can be brilliant - we do Europe as one of ours so it's nice and controversial
if you're considering it, I'd definitely recommend it - it goes well with loads of subjects like languages, history, law, economics and sociology

[Forget that]

(Original post by justanotherindigo)
Do find difficult when you analyse the sources?
I don't think that Politics is the same

Wait- were you commenting on something you initially have not tried yet?

It gave that impression lol

[Forget that]

op- Poltics is great, as long as you are interested in the world around you. If you are not, then why consider it in the first place?

I choose it as an avid LBC listener, and it was that that got me the grade haha

[justanotherindigo]

(Original post by Forget that)
Wait- were you commenting on something you initially have not tried yet?

It gave that impression lol

Well I did a lot of research into the actual syllabus, and it doesn't seem that bad to be completely honest with you.
I am starting in Sep 2012 when I start all my other A-Levels, but I wouldn't class it as hard as history

[8Dom5]

I do both A2 History and A2 GovPol.

At AS, Politics is definitely easier than History because the concepts are so much easier to understand. It's a lot of learning to be honest, but it is not too bad. The exams are horrific though (Edexcel) - it is very time pressured and you need to write a ridiculous amount in 80 minutes.

Strangely enough, I find A2 Politics (USA) harder than A2 History. I find that in history, the skills needed are pretty much the same, except with more independent thought and debate. With Politics though, the concepts are harder, the essays are more irritating and there is a huge amount to memorise. Not to mention even more time pressured exams.

That said, all my friends who do both would disagree - most people tend to find it the other way round, and prefer Politics over Government (while I prefer Government!!).

[Agenda Suicide]

Politics is easy peasy as far as AQA is concerned.


History is bloody hard though!