Politics

What is the exam board and the route?

A Level Politics Edexcel code: 9PL0/3A – Comparative Politics: Government and Politics of the USA. 

Subject Entry Requirements: Minimum grade 6 in a GCSE Humanities subject advised. Politics is a discursive but essentially a prose-based subject and students are expected to read widely and have some interest in current affairs to support their learning. 

Subject outline 

Politics is the study of the state, government and the nation itself. It deals extensively with the practice and theory of political systems and political behaviour. Consequently, it intersects with other fields of study, including history, economics, anthropology and sociology. Academically it was codified in the C19th (giving the impression to the ignorant that this is a ‘newer subject’), however the study of politics originated almost 2,500 years ago with the works of Plato and Aristotle, thus making Politics one of the oldest subjects studied academically. 

How is the course assessed? 

Three 2-hour exams (one for each unit) 

Why study Politics? 

Few subjects are more central to your everyday life than ‘government and politics’. Politics dominates domestic and foreign news. Political decisions determine how you are educated, housed, cared for in hospital, kept secure from crime and, regardless of your hopes and aspirations for the future, it will shape the society you inherit as adults.  

This is a discursive subject that requires you to develop an interest in current affairs and apply it to the course. 

In Politics you’ll study a dynamic subject that analyses the real world and develops skills to make sense of that world in a mature co-educational environment that will support your preparation for undergraduate study and beyond. 

Politics is co-taught with LHS students. 

Complementary subjects 

Politics is compatible with whatever other subjects you opt to study, however History, Economics, English, Classics, Religion & Philosophy, Modern Foreign Languages and Geography are common combinations.

Possible careers 

Politics will also prepare you for many forms of employment, given you will gain analytical and practical skills that are invaluable in a contemporary competitive employment market. 

Occupations that view Politics students as being a real asset include – Researchers, Broadcasters, Journalists, Local Government Officers, Civil Servants, Pollsters, Lobbyists, Teachers, Lawyers, Financiers & Bankers, the Health Service, Public Relations, the Police and Military, Management Training, Advertising and a wide range of Business opportunities.

Subject enrichment available 

• Politics Society – Cross Foundation  
• Model UN/EYP 
• Year 13 Congress-to-Campus (Conference) 
• Year 12 Parliament/Supreme Court trip 
• Oxbridge application and interview preparation

Politics is the practical exercise of the art of self-government, and somebody must study it… Otherwise, confusion will result either in dictatorship or anarchy.
Elihu Root