what is a level politics like?

im thinking of taking politics for a level, along with maths, econ and geography.
this is kind of a last min choice with politics, so I hope for as much help and advice as possible

-what is politics a level like (any first hand experiences?)
- is the subject heavily essay based?
- what career paths can all 4 of my subjects lead to
- is the subject hard (my school didn't provide econ and politics for gcses so i never had contact w these two subjects)
- are the grade boundaries tight?
- DO U HAVE TO BE GOOD AT FORMING ARGUMENTS AND WRITING ESSAYS TO EXCEL IN POLITICS
thanks!

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 1

Squiggles1238

Hello, i have started AS politics this year, and i can say from personal experience that 1)it definitely was not what i was expecting, but i enjoy it none the less, 2) it is essay based, so you dont get short answer questions (at least not with Edexcel, idk about other exam boards but i think the same applies), 3)wide range of things in all honestly as its a good range of skills, others will likely be able to answer this better than I, 4) politics isnt hard as such, you just need to have good essay writing skills, and yes, you need to be good at forming arguments, as you will need to evaluate things, and often use counter arguments, and im not sure about the last point
It is slightly hard to get your head around if you dont have any prior knowledge, but if your teacher is good, they will start at the very very beginning so everyone is on the same page

Reply 2

LivQMUL

Official Rep

Hey Bryan!

I didn't take politics at A-Level but I have a close friend who did take it (AQA) so I can help you out!

He says that politics is good but make sure that you're actually interested in it otherwise you wouldn't find it as fun. If you're already generally politically engaged/active it should be fairly easy and therefore you would find it easier to do well. However, it is very essay-based but your writing style doesn't need to be as good as if you were to do a subject like English or History. Also, in his experience they have set out arguments in the teaching of the course so you wouldn't necessarily have to form them yourself but there is evaluation involved which you would have to do yourself. Doing A-Levels does help you develop these skills so I wouldn't worry if you're not amazing at this already.

In terms of careers related to your subjects, it would be useful to do a degree in something you are interested in if you wanted to go into something directly related to these subjects. I study Geography at university at the moment and studied it at A-Level as well and I know there are many career options available to me only through doing this degree. There are also many other options post-A-Levels such as working or doing something like a degree apprenticeship but this is worth looking into more yourself when you actually start your A-Levels.

I hope this helps!

- Liv, Student Ambassador and Official Rep

Reply 3

succubus666

hell i switched it to english very late around november. but thats because i didnt have a passions for politics, unless youre interested in it then go for it