AQA A-Level Politics Paper 2 - 7152/2 7 June 2023 [Exam chat]

dm me

I don't understand the whole structural and cultural theory concept. I don't think I've come across this topic. Is it an urgent topic i should be going over?

its only a 9 marker in the exam so i wouldn't stress too much about it, but look at the mark scheme for the textbook that goes over how to answer those questions

I don't understand the whole structural and cultural theory concept. I don't think I've come across this topic. Is it an urgent topic i should be going over?

Structural is the role of political institutions and structures (Parliamentary sovereignty etc)
Rational is the role of individuals (pressure groups, individual MPs/members of congress etc)
Cultural is the role of shared culture/history (e.g., America being hostile to a monarchy, history of protest for stuff like BLM etc)
It explains it better at the start of Chapter 12 in the AQA textbook if you have access to that?

yeah I have access to it, will check it out now thank you a lot

I don't understand the whole structural and cultural theory concept. I don't think I've come across this topic. Is it an urgent topic i should be going over?

ye

yeah very possible, going to plan both, we could get a structural on PM relationship with cabinet, lobbying, party make-up etc.

Feel free to DM me and I can send you the document that I made where I'm answering every 9 marker possible really

hi, could I message you on insta for the 9 marker document? xx

hi yes what is ur social

Will pressure groups be likely to come up?

ye

yeah very possible, going to plan both, we could get a structural on PM relationship with cabinet, lobbying, party make-up etc.

Feel free to DM me and I can send you the document that I made where I'm answering every 9 marker possible really

Really hoping we get a comparative 25 on the judiciaries. Was entirely absent from Paper 1 and hasn’t come up in that way before.

I have a good feeling about Supreme Court coming up as a comparative essay ! I don't believe it has yet and like you said it didn't come up in Paper 1 annoyingly, sooo

At the beginning of the theory 9 markers, I use these, then apply them to the question.

Rational
The Rational Choice Approach theorises how individuals behave to maximise their own best interests- so it might be thought of as the 'selfish' model or consumer model. By acting rationally, individuals judge how best to achieve their aims. These aims may be winning or maintaining power within a political system or attempting to achieve ideological or policy goals.

Cultural
A cultural approach looks at how we are influenced by the groups we belong to, such as political parties, pressure groups, factions or groups of voters. It suggests that people operate as they do because of the culture of the group they are in. The group culture is the shared ideas, beliefs and values — to which members conform, and which influences individual members' actions.

Structural
The structural approach focuses on the institutions in a political system and the processes within them. A structural approach suggests that political outcomes are largely determined by the formal processes such as how laws are made, how elects are organised, how legislatures and executives are structured.

Thank you this is extremely helpful

do these questions about structural/rational/cultural definitely come up as a 9 marker every year?

I really hope so too, but it was last years paper 1 25