Politics

Applications Open: 27/11/25

Applications Close: 31/01/26

Entry Requirements: 4 GCSE passes at grade 6 or above including grade 5s in Maths and either English Literature or Language.

How to Apply: Online application using Applicca - https://rochestergrammarschool.applicaa.com/applicaa.com/Year12

Paper 1: UK Politics

• Democracy and participation- What is democracy? What types of democracy are there? What affects people’s participation in politics?

• Political parties- The “mainstream” UK political parties and two smaller parties- what are their main ideas? What accounts for their levels of support?

• Electoral systems- What different methods are there for electing representatives? How are they used in the UK? Should our election system change?

• Voting behaviour and the media- What affects the way people vote? How has this impacted UK general elections?

• Core ideologies: conservatism, socialism and liberalism.

Paper 2: UK Government

• The UK Constitution- What are the component parts of the UK Constitution? What are the sources of the UK Constitution? Should it be reformed?

• Parliament- What are the functions of the UK Parliament? How effective is it at carrying these out? Should the House of Lords be abolished?

• The Prime Minister and government- What is cabinet government? How powerful is the PM? What factors affect their power?

• Relations between the branches of state- How do Parliament, government and the courts interact? Who has the most power? Who should have the most power?

• Non-core ideology: feminism

Paper 3: Global politics and comparative politics

• The state and globalisation- What is a state? Are states undermined by globalisation?

• Global governance: political and economic- What are IGOs? How powerful is the UN? How powerful are NGOs?

• Global governance: human rights and environmental: What are human rights? Why are they promoted? Can the current system save the environment?

• Power- What types of power are there? How has the application of this changed over time?

• Regionalism and the EU- How powerful is the EU? What other regional organisations are there?

• Comparative theories of politics: What is realism? What is liberalism? What is international anarchy? How can we apply these ideas?

Examination only

Paper 1: 2 hr written examination worth 33.33% of the A-Level

Paper 2: 2 hr written examination worth 33.33% of the A-Level

Paper 3: 2 hr written examination worth 33.33% of the A-Level

GCSE Grade 6 in English (Literature or Language) or a humanity