Politics A level
Asking to any students who study/studied politics A level for advice!!!
As a year 12 how would you recommend me to revise/ study !! Or prepare for exams.
Also I just did my first 30 marker essay and I ended up getting 20/30, what can I do to get 30/30.
Also where to get researching resources for politics, currently I follow all parties in social media.
How can I be the best in class or boost my ideas yk?
I joined in politics a month late bc I decided to switch from Rs a level, tried asking my teacher for help and advice but he’s so busy😭😭
Reply 1
1.
I would suggest making like end of unit summaries with examples in them. these are REALLY useful for revising when you have all of them to go over. Also you should do essays and read essays!
2.
Remember (i'm guessing you do edexcel) you only really need 22-23/30 to get an A* but do you have the essay because its easier to suggest once reading. General advice: use 'PACO'. In your introduction, put the definition of the key word in the question, set out the opposing argument and then funish with YOUR view then Point, what you are saying, give thea argument you agree with less, Argument, specific examples like a turnout percentage or theories, Counter, give the view YOU think and an explaination of that and Overall, weigh up just those points in a sentance, do that 3 times and then intro and conclusion. this should cover the 3 aos!! At the moment I am an A* student and i only get 24-26 in my 30 markers so 30/30 isnt neccisary. If you want examples, I have a few of my essays I can give you but idk if you want them.
3.
If podcasts are good for you I suggest: Rest is Politics, News Agents, Newscast (a bit boring but good) and definatley check out Page 94: Private Eye Podcast (a bit more fun and has Ian Hislop) and tv shows I suggest documentaries, Have I Got News For You, its a comedy but its fun and does have some good stuff. The Parliament youtube channel is great too, watch PMQs every week- they are so useful for examples and just understanding the system- and other more boring things like the budget ect. you should be interacting with these!! The Politics Shed is a great website with loads of stuff on the spec and Alan History Nerd is amazing for topic summaries.
4.
For this, i really suggest reading political memoirs, they LOVE that and in ideologies the exam board LOVES quotes from the key thinkers. You could also go further by watching shows on political history in the UK, interesting stuff imo and it is really good as a way to feed into your knowlege historically. Also if your teacher has like extra luchtime/ afterschool sessions these are also great
Reply 2
1.
I would suggest making like end of unit summaries with examples in them. these are REALLY useful for revising when you have all of them to go over. Also you should do essays and read essays!
2.
Remember (i'm guessing you do edexcel) you only really need 22-23/30 to get an A* but do you have the essay because its easier to suggest once reading. General advice: use 'PACO'. In your introduction, put the definition of the key word in the question, set out the opposing argument and then funish with YOUR view then Point, what you are saying, give thea argument you agree with less, Argument, specific examples like a turnout percentage or theories, Counter, give the view YOU think and an explaination of that and Overall, weigh up just those points in a sentance, do that 3 times and then intro and conclusion. this should cover the 3 aos!! At the moment I am an A* student and i only get 24-26 in my 30 markers so 30/30 isnt neccisary. If you want examples, I have a few of my essays I can give you but idk if you want them.
3.
If podcasts are good for you I suggest: Rest is Politics, News Agents, Newscast (a bit boring but good) and definatley check out Page 94: Private Eye Podcast (a bit more fun and has Ian Hislop) and tv shows I suggest documentaries, Have I Got News For You, its a comedy but its fun and does have some good stuff. The Parliament youtube channel is great too, watch PMQs every week- they are so useful for examples and just understanding the system- and other more boring things like the budget ect. you should be interacting with these!! The Politics Shed is a great website with loads of stuff on the spec and Alan History Nerd is amazing for topic summaries.
4.
For this, i really suggest reading political memoirs, they LOVE that and in ideologies the exam board LOVES quotes from the key thinkers. You could also go further by watching shows on political history in the UK, interesting stuff imo and it is really good as a way to feed into your knowlege historically. Also if your teacher has like extra luchtime/ afterschool sessions these are also great
I forgot Electoral Disfuncion!! Another amazing podcast
Reply 3
Have you got any advise for ao2 (analysis relly struggling with that
Reply 4
1.
I would suggest making like end of unit summaries with examples in them. these are REALLY useful for revising when you have all of them to go over. Also you should do essays and read essays!
2.
Remember (i'm guessing you do edexcel) you only really need 22-23/30 to get an A* but do you have the essay because its easier to suggest once reading. General advice: use 'PACO'. In your introduction, put the definition of the key word in the question, set out the opposing argument and then funish with YOUR view then Point, what you are saying, give thea argument you agree with less, Argument, specific examples like a turnout percentage or theories, Counter, give the view YOU think and an explaination of that and Overall, weigh up just those points in a sentance, do that 3 times and then intro and conclusion. this should cover the 3 aos!! At the moment I am an A* student and i only get 24-26 in my 30 markers so 30/30 isnt neccisary. If you want examples, I have a few of my essays I can give you but idk if you want them.
3.
If podcasts are good for you I suggest: Rest is Politics, News Agents, Newscast (a bit boring but good) and definatley check out Page 94: Private Eye Podcast (a bit more fun and has Ian Hislop) and tv shows I suggest documentaries, Have I Got News For You, its a comedy but its fun and does have some good stuff. The Parliament youtube channel is great too, watch PMQs every week- they are so useful for examples and just understanding the system- and other more boring things like the budget ect. you should be interacting with these!! The Politics Shed is a great website with loads of stuff on the spec and Alan History Nerd is amazing for topic summaries.
4.
For this, i really suggest reading political memoirs, they LOVE that and in ideologies the exam board LOVES quotes from the key thinkers. You could also go further by watching shows on political history in the UK, interesting stuff imo and it is really good as a way to feed into your knowlege historically. Also if your teacher has like extra luchtime/ afterschool sessions these are also great
Hi I ready your advice and it was really helpful. TYSMMM would you be able to show me one of your essays if it isn’t too much trouble
Reply 5
1.
I would suggest making like end of unit summaries with examples in them. these are REALLY useful for revising when you have all of them to go over. Also you should do essays and read essays!
2.
Remember (i'm guessing you do edexcel) you only really need 22-23/30 to get an A* but do you have the essay because its easier to suggest once reading. General advice: use 'PACO'. In your introduction, put the definition of the key word in the question, set out the opposing argument and then funish with YOUR view then Point, what you are saying, give thea argument you agree with less, Argument, specific examples like a turnout percentage or theories, Counter, give the view YOU think and an explaination of that and Overall, weigh up just those points in a sentance, do that 3 times and then intro and conclusion. this should cover the 3 aos!! At the moment I am an A* student and i only get 24-26 in my 30 markers so 30/30 isnt neccisary. If you want examples, I have a few of my essays I can give you but idk if you want them.
3.
If podcasts are good for you I suggest: Rest is Politics, News Agents, Newscast (a bit boring but good) and definatley check out Page 94: Private Eye Podcast (a bit more fun and has Ian Hislop) and tv shows I suggest documentaries, Have I Got News For You, its a comedy but its fun and does have some good stuff. The Parliament youtube channel is great too, watch PMQs every week- they are so useful for examples and just understanding the system- and other more boring things like the budget ect. you should be interacting with these!! The Politics Shed is a great website with loads of stuff on the spec and Alan History Nerd is amazing for topic summaries.
4.
For this, i really suggest reading political memoirs, they LOVE that and in ideologies the exam board LOVES quotes from the key thinkers. You could also go further by watching shows on political history in the UK, interesting stuff imo and it is really good as a way to feed into your knowlege historically. Also if your teacher has like extra luchtime/ afterschool sessions these are also great
Could you send me some examples of your politics essays pls
Reply 6
Hi- I am really sorry I have just seen this- do you still want them?
Reply 7
Hi, do you mind sending them to me please? Thank you💕💕
Reply 8
Tesss if that’s ok
Reply 9
I struggle to follow train of thought in exams. I understand content but when I out it onto paper it gets super muddled, either the sentences don’t make sense or my structure is unclear. Any tips other than essay plans? I don’t really understand paragraph structure. Also any ideas on how to follow my train of thought in exams/ stop waffling? Thank you!!!
Reply 10
Hi, I am not sure what subject you are studying. Is it politics? If so, I could give you a clear structure.
When it comes to the paragraphs, you should use this PEEEL – (Point, Explanation, Evidence, Explanation, and Link).
Now I know most people say PEEL, which is for Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link, but sometimes they do not give enough analysis (explanation), so they lose marks.
So let’s say the question asks you to evaluate the view that the president dominates foreign policy.
When it says *evaluate*, it is asking you to present a balanced view (for and against)
Essay structure:
**Introduction:** (This is where you define the meaning of things, e.g. who is the president, what is his role, what is foreign policy. Also, in the intro, you list the arguments for and against.)
Example: The president is the head of state and is elected by the people, through the Electoral College, for a maximum of two terms. The president has a number of powers to suit the number of roles that the president must fulfil; for example, he is the commander-in-chief, responsible for the United States military forces.
As the head of state and commander-in-chief, the U.S. president plays a central role in determining the country’s foreign policy.
Foreign policy is.....
After you have defined everything, you then in the intro also need to explain what your essay will argue — If you want to argue *for* (so you agree that the president dominates foreign policy), you still need to list the arguments against.
**Example:** It could be stated that the president does not dominate foreign policy due to..... however, many disagree, arguing that the president does indeed dominate foreign policy due to....... which is what this essay will argue.
Altogether, you need around six paragraphs
---
Paragraph structure:
The first point needs to be your weak one — the one you are arguing against (if that makes sense).
Example: In this essay, we are going to argue that the president does dominate, so I would start by explaining why people say he does *not* dominate.
•
P (1st point against) – Some say that the president does not dominate foreign policy because..... (keep it brief, i.e. one sentence).
•
E – Explain why you made that point, e.g. This is because.......
•
Evidence– Then give evidence/examples to support your point, e.g. In 2020 the president....
•
E– Explain your evidence, e.g. This shows that the president does not dominate.... (But you really need to explain your evidence — it’s almost like analysing something in an English class when the teacher says, “What does the dark cloud show?” It could show sadness, death, etc. Basically, really analyse how your evidence shows the point you’re making.)
•
L – Link it back to the question. You just need a simple line that says, “Thus, this demonstrates that the president does not dominate foreign policy.”
•
Explain
•
Evidence
•
Explain
•
L – Your link here needs to be strong because this is the side your arguing for in the essay as you stated in the intro. E.g. “Therefore, we can conclude that the president does in fact dominate foreign policy.”
Conclusion: Your conclusion should summarise what you have said in your essay.
Example: To conclude, although some say the president does not dominate foreign policy due to..... (briefly list because you have already explained), there is greater evidence to suggest that this view is false because the president..... (list your points which agree). As a result of this, the president is completely dominant in foreign policy.
I really hope this helps.
Also, to help you organise your thoughts, once you have read the question, take maybe 3 to 4 minutes just establishing what you’re going to write. Bullet point it. I did this a lot in politics because the 30-marker essays require both for and against arguments, so I would do a little bullet point plan on the question paper — three points representing for and three points representing against. Also, briefly bullet the evidence you will use for each one.
This might help ensure that you’re not waffling, because you have already semi-planned what you will say by doing the bullet points. You can then refer back to it while you write to make sure you stay on track and avoid waffling.
Reply 11
Also, to help you organise your thoughts, once you have read the question, take maybe 3 to 4 minutes just establishing what you’re going to write. Bullet point it.
I did this a lot in politics because the 30-marker essays require both for and against arguments, so I would do a little bullet point plan on the question paper — three points representing for and three points representing against. Also, briefly bullet the evidence you will use for each one.
This might help ensure that you’re not waffling, because you have already semi-planned what you will say by doing the bullet points. You can then refer back to it while you write to make sure you stay on track and avoid waffling.
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what were the essay questions for politics alevel edexcel paper 2 2024?
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