Politics revision notes

Whats the best way to write politics revision notes?

Politics is hard to revise because there is a big emphasis on up-to-date knowledge. However I advise that you strategically make notes and prioritise details that won't change. I'd split possible note-making into three categories:

Static areas
Key details that will definitely be used in your exam.
Dynamic areas
Emerging details you need up-to-date knowledge on.
Hybrid areas
Details you'll use in the exam that might have small modern developments.

Below is some guidance for what to make notes on in each area:

STATIC AREAS
Key Thinkers
Remember key thinkers and their ideologies e.g. Edmund Burke 'trustee' model, Thomas Hobbes traditional conservatism.
20th Century Figures (18th Century for USA)
You have to study a Prime Minister from the 20th century e.g. Margaret Thatcher, so make notes on them. Also make notes on 18th century American key figures e.g. James Madison, as these will always be relevant.

HYBRID AREAS
Significant Legislation/Law
Legislation stays relevant for many years. Watch out for changing issues e.g. human rights and Europe. Focus on legislation that is likely to last e.g. House of Lords Act 1999 (UK), Civil Rights Act 1964 (USA).
Recent General Election Results
There may be a new general election before the exam, but past results will always be relevant for making comparisons. Memorise facts that you find surprising e.g. UKIP getting 12.6% of the vote share in 2015.

DYNAMIC AREAS
It's not necessary to make notes on dynamic areas in general. Just keep up-to-date by watching the news, reading political magazines or following informative and neutral social media accounts. However there are some areas where interesting key details emerge:
Public Scandals
It is useful to record a name, year and monetary figure for public scandals e.g. Lord Drayson peerage 2004 £600,000. This will give you specific and up-to-date knowledge in the exam (maybe use a more recent example than 2004).
New Policies
Policies can take a while to be executed so it is worth looking at some new partisan policies before the exam. Memorise what it is, and one detail about it e.g. Conservative manifesto commitment for 50,000 new police.

Wondering what is a key/specific detail?
Key details in politics can include:
Names of people e.g. Rishi Sunak
Names of organisations/bodies e.g. Supreme Court
Monetary figures e.g. £100,000
Names of policies, laws and agreements e.g. European Convention on Human Rights
Political 'slang' or phenomena e.g. pork barrel
Terminology about systems or ideologies e.g. proletariat
Dates in history e.g. 1945
Percentages e.g. 85%

Hopefully this helps. :biggrin: