Sixth Form : Politics - A Level
From September 2001 students choosing Advanced Level Government and Politics will follow the AS Level in lower sixth and then progress on to the Advanced Level (A2) in upper sixty. Students will study three modules in lower sixth and three more in upper sixth.
| Module |
Topic |
Value |
| (1) |
Government and Politics of Northern Ireland |
15 % |
| (2) |
The Executive, Legislature and Judiciary in the UK |
20 % |
| (3) |
Political Behaviour |
15 % |
| Module |
Topic |
Value |
| (4) |
Government and Politics of the USA |
12 % |
| (5) |
Government and Politics of the UK and USA |
18 % |
| (6) |
Political Power |
20 % |
The course will follow the specifications outlined by CCEA. Module examinations will be no longer than 1½ hours and the tasks involved will focus on the use of sources and short responses to questions. There will be a number of short essay questions and one essay-style answer in Module 6. There will be no coursework in Government and Politics.
There are no course requirements for Government and Politics. Students taking the subject should be interested in current affairs and should be aware of political developments. Politics students should be self-motivating and they should be prepared to work a lot on their own.
Students will be expected to read widely and prepare thoroughly for class using a variety of texts, magazines and newspapers. Here the emphasis will be on informed discussion and debate.
Students will have to be prepared to read widely beyond textbooks, using library and Internet resources. They will have the opportunity to take part in wider debates and to attend Politics conferences throughout the province. Classes in the last two years have visited Stormont.
Government and Politics encourages logical thinking and good written and oral communication skills. In recent years successful students have followed careers in politics, law, business, marketing, public relations, leisure management, journalism, accountancy, social work, psychology, teaching, and public administration.
Employers value skills taught in Government and Politics because Politics students can:
| work on their own and make independent decisions; |
|
| offer a variety of solutions to a problem; |
|
| communicate your ideas clearly and argue a case well; |
|
| handle and interpret a lot of information when carrying out investigative work; |
|
| analyse situations and write reports which are concise, relevant and well supported; |
|
| understand and appreciate different points of view |
home | about our school | news | links | uniform | sixth form | parents area | contact us