How to Revise A-Level Politics
Revise A-Level Politics with practice on UK government, political ideologies, US politics, and comparative government.
Revision Strategy
Revising Politics means understanding concepts and theories well enough to apply them to real-world examples and scenarios. Start by making sure you can define and explain the key terms and theories for each topic, then practise applying them to case studies and exam-style questions. The ability to connect theory to evidence is what earns the highest marks.
Essay structure is critical in Politics. Most extended answers require you to present arguments and counter-arguments before reaching a supported conclusion. Practise writing structured responses that clearly state a point, support it with evidence or theory, and then evaluate it before moving on. This disciplined approach prevents waffling and keeps your answers focused.
Research methods and evaluation skills are tested across many Politics papers. Make sure you understand the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches, can identify bias, and can evaluate the reliability and validity of evidence. These analytical skills are transferable across topics and often provide straightforward marks in the exam.
Study Tips for A-Level Politics
- ✓ Follow UK political news daily through broadsheet newspapers, BBC Politics, and programmes like Question Time. Build a bank of contemporary examples for every topic — examiners expect you to reference recent political events, not just textbook examples from previous decades.
- ✓ Learn the key arguments and thinkers for each political ideology in detail. For liberalism, know the difference between classical liberalism (Locke, Mill) and modern liberalism (Rawls, Beveridge). For conservatism, distinguish traditional (Burke), one-nation (Disraeli), and New Right (Thatcher) strands.
- ✓ Create comparison tables for each topic — compare the powers of the PM versus the President, or the UK Supreme Court versus the US Supreme Court. Comparative analysis questions are common and require precise, structured knowledge.
- ✓ When revising for essay questions, prepare arguments on both sides of contentious statements (e.g. the PM is an elected dictator or the House of Lords should be reformed). Having pre-prepared counter-arguments saves valuable thinking time in exams.
Exam Tips for A-Level Politics
- ✓ In essay questions, engage directly with the statement or claim in the question from the very first paragraph. Take a clear position and sustain your argument throughout, using evidence and examples to support each point. Avoid sitting on the fence without committing to a view.
- ✓ Use specific, up-to-date examples to support your arguments. Referencing a specific parliamentary vote, election result, or Supreme Court ruling is far more convincing than making generalised claims about how Parliament usually works.
- ✓ In source-based questions, analyse the source critically — consider the political perspective of the author, the date it was written, and what it reveals about the political issue being discussed. Do not simply describe what the source says.
Topics to Cover
8 topics in A-Level Politics
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A-Level Politics the same as Government and Politics? +
Do I need to support a political party to study Politics? +
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