Numbers
CCEA A-Level Government and Politics 4830
The Northern Ireland Assembly
Topic overviewThe Good Friday Agreement: origins and principlesThe three strands of the AgreementRights, equality, policing and prisoners under the AgreementImplementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspensionSubsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New ApproachComposition, elections and designationCross-community voting and the petition of concernThe Assembly's representative functionThe Assembly's legislative functionThe Assembly's scrutiny functionThe Assembly's independence of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive Committee
Topic overviewThe composition of the Executive CommitteeAppointing the Executive and the d'Hondt formulaThe First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Office of the First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Pledge of Office and the Ministerial CodeHow the Executive determines legislationThe Programme for Government and the budgetDivisions within the ExecutiveEvaluating the Executive's policy makingThe Executive as a power-sharing governmentCollapse, restoration and reform of the Executive
The Northern Ireland Political Parties
Topic overviewThe role and functions of political partiesThe Northern Ireland party systemThe Democratic Unionist PartySinn FéinThe Ulster Unionist PartyThe Social Democratic and Labour PartyThe Alliance PartySmaller parties and independentsChanging party strategies since 1998Changing electoral support since 1998Explaining electoral change
The UK Parliament
Topic overviewRepresentation in the House of CommonsLegislation and the passage of a bill through the CommonsScrutiny of government on the floor of the CommonsSelect committees and the scrutiny of governmentThe effectiveness of the House of CommonsComposition and representation in the House of LordsThe House of Lords and the legislative processScrutiny and committee work in the House of LordsThe effectiveness of the House of LordsThe fusion of powers and executive control of ParliamentParty discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege
The UK Executive
Topic overviewThe role of the Prime MinisterThe powers of the Prime MinisterThe Cabinet and its roleCabinet committees, the Cabinet Office and the core executiveMinisterial responsibilityLimitations on the powers of the Prime MinisterThe Executive and its control of the legislaturePrime ministerial government or cabinet governmentThe civil service, special advisers and the centre of government
Option: The British JudiciaryJudiciary
Topic overviewThe judiciary, the rule of law and the separation of powersThe courts and the United Kingdom Supreme CourtJudicial review and its groundsJudicial review and the Human Rights ActLandmark rulings against the ExecutiveJudicial inquiriesWhat secures judicial independenceTensions between the judiciary and the ExecutiveThe effectiveness of the judiciary in holding the Executive to account
Option: Pressure Groups in the UKPressure groups
Topic overviewThe concept of a pressure groupCause and sectional pressure groupsInsider and outsider pressure groupsSocial movementsPressure groups and the policy-making processInsider tactics: lobbying, consultation and the courtsOutsider tactics: protest, direct action and the mediaWhat makes a pressure group successfulPluralist, elitist and New Right interpretations of impactRegulating lobbying and the debate about influence
USA Option: The Legislative BranchUSA
Topic overviewThe constitutional basis of CongressMembership, elections and termsThe representative role of CongressThe legislative processThe committee systemScrutiny, oversight and impeachmentThe exclusive powers of the SenateParties, leadership and polarisationAssessing the effectiveness of CongressPressure and lobby groups and CongressCongress and the President
USA Option: The Executive BranchUSA
Topic overviewThe constitutional role of the PresidentThe roles the President performsThe formal and informal powers of the executiveThe Cabinet and the executive departmentsThe Executive Office of the PresidentExecutive orders, agreements and unilateral actionConstraints on the exercise of executive powerHow amendments and the courts have shaped the presidencyLobby groups and the executive branchThe executive and CongressPower, responsibility and accountability in the American executive
USA Option: Comparative Government and PoliticsUSA
Topic overviewSeparation of powers and fusion of powersStructures of the two legislatures comparedPowers of the two legislatures comparedParty discipline and the operation of the two legislaturesRepresentation compared across the four chambersLegislation compared across the four chambersScrutiny compared across the four chambersEvaluating the effectiveness of the four chambersAppointment and removal of the two executives comparedThe powers of the two executives comparedConstraints, accountability and the effectiveness of the two executives
Ireland Option: The Legislative BranchIreland
Topic overviewBunreacht na hÉireann and the role of the OireachtasDáil Éireann: composition, election and termSingle transferable vote in multi-seat constituenciesSeanad Éireann: composition and selectionHow a bill becomes law in the OireachtasThe Oireachtas and representationScrutiny, questions and the committee systemThe effectiveness of Dáil Éireann and Dáil reformThe effectiveness of Seanad Éireann and the reform debateThe judiciary, the courts and the legislative branchThe Oireachtas and the executive
Ireland Option: The Executive BranchIreland
Topic overviewBunreacht na hÉireann and the executive powerThe Taoiseach: appointment, powers and constraintsThe Tánaiste, ministers and the shape of the GovernmentCabinet government and the executive processThe President and the executive branchCoalition government and how it shapes the executiveMinisterial responsibility and accountabilityThe executive and the OireachtasThe judiciary and the executive branchFormal constitutional amendment and the executiveInformal constitutional change and the executive
Ireland Option: Comparative Government and PoliticsIreland
Topic overviewCodified and uncodified constitutions comparedThe structures of the Oireachtas and Parliament comparedElecting the Dáil and the Commons: PR-STV and first past the postSeanad Éireann and the House of Lords comparedRepresentation comparedMaking law: the legislative process comparedScrutiny and accountability comparedAppointing the two executivesThe powers of the two executives comparedConstraints on the two executives comparedEvaluating the power, accountability and effectiveness of the two executives
Political Power: The Exercise of Political PowerPolitical Power
Topic overviewPower, authority and influenceLegitimacy and the grounds of obedienceSocial, economic, religious and international factors in legitimacyCreating and maintaining legitimacy across political systemsCoercion and its effectivenessDictatorship, authoritarianism and oligarchyThe nature and effectiveness of authoritarian ruleDemocracy and democratic legitimacyHuman and civil rightsState survival and state collapse
Political Power: Theories of Political PowerPolitical Power
Topic overviewStudying the origin, nature and distribution of powerPluralism and the diffusion of powerCriticisms of pluralism and elite pluralismMarxism, the ruling class and the capitalist stateNeo-Marxism, hegemony and the relative autonomy of the stateClassical elite theoryModern elite theory and elite ruleFeminism, patriarchy and political powerThe theories applied to different political systemsEvaluating the four theories of power
Political Ideas: Mill, on LibertyPolitical Ideas
Topic overviewMill, On Liberty and the one very simple principleThe harm principleSelf-regarding and other-regarding conductThreats to individual libertyThe tyranny of the majorityLiberty of thought and discussionIndividuality and experiments of livingHuman rationality, progress and Mill's exceptionsThe role of the state in On LibertyCriticisms of On Liberty
Political Ideas: Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in FrancePolitical Ideas
Topic overviewBurke, the Reflections and the occasion of the bookBurke's view of human natureReason, prejudice and prescriptionCustom, tradition and the partnership between generationsThe attack on abstract rightsGradual change and the case for reformSocial inequality, property and natural aristocracyPolitical authority, religion and the role of the stateBurke's critique of the revolutionaries' methodCriticisms of the Reflections
Political Ideas: Marx and Engels, the Communist ManifestoPolitical Ideas
Topic overviewThe Manifesto, its authors and its occasionClass struggle and the materialist view of historyThe bourgeoisie as a revolutionary classThe nature of capitalism and its crisesThe exploitation of the working classSocial divisions, the other classes and class consciousnessThe demise of capitalism and the proletarian revolutionPrivate property and the ten measuresThe nature of socialism and the role of the stateCriticisms of The Communist Manifesto
Political Ideas: LiberalismPolitical Ideas
Topic overviewThe core ideas of liberalismThe liberal view of human nature and human reasonNegative and positive freedomThreats to individual libertyLiberal equalityThe liberal stateClassical liberalismModern liberalismLiberalism and democracyEvidence for and criticisms of liberal principlesLiberalism compared with conservatism and socialism
Political Ideas: ConservatismPolitical Ideas
Topic overviewThe core ideas of conservatismThe conservative view of human natureCustom, tradition and prescriptionThe need for gradual changeThe organic societyAuthority, hierarchy and social inequalityOne-nation conservatismLibertarian conservatism and the New RightEvidence for and criticisms of conservative principlesConservatism compared with liberalism and socialism
Political Ideas: SocialismPolitical Ideas
Topic overviewThe core ideas of socialismThe socialist view of human natureThe socialist critique of capitalismSocialist equalityIndividual liberty in socialist thoughtFraternity, community and co-operationThe role of the state in socialist thoughtRevolutionary socialismReformist socialism and social democracyEvidence for and criticisms of socialist principlesSocialism compared with liberalism and conservatism
The UK Parliament
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS Unit 2
What The UK Parliament covers
The UK Parliament is examined in Unit AS 2, The British Political Process — compulsory. It covers representation in the House of Commons, legislation and the passage of a bill through the Commons, scrutiny of government on the floor of the Commons, select committees and the scrutiny of government, the effectiveness of the House of Commons, composition and representation in the House of Lords, the House of Lords and the legislative process, scrutiny and committee work in the House of Lords, the effectiveness of the House of Lords, the fusion of powers and executive control of Parliament and party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege.
The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Representation in the House of CommonsTrustee model of representation and doctrine of the mandate.Open →
- Legislation and the passage of a bill through the CommonsDecided at second reading, what happens at the committee stage of a Commons bill and purpose of the report stage.Open →
- Scrutiny of government on the floor of the CommonsFormat of Prime Minister's Questions, urgent question and ministerial statement.Open →
- Select committees and the scrutiny of governmentDistinctive about the Public Accounts Committee and liaison Committee.Open →
- The effectiveness of the House of CommonsPayroll vote, how control of the timetable strengthens the government's hand and programme motion.Open →
- Composition and representation in the House of LordsThree categories of member in the House of Lords and crossbench peer.Open →
- The House of Lords and the legislative processCalling the House of Lords a revising chamber, money bill and salisbury convention.Open →
- Scrutiny and committee work in the House of LordsThree investigative committees of the House of Lords, function of the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee and joint Committee on Human Rights.Open →
- The effectiveness of the House of LordsLegitimacy paradox of the House of Lords, one argument for replacing the Lords with an elected chamber and one argument against an elected second chamber.Open →
- The fusion of powers and executive control of ParliamentFusion of powers in the British system, how patronage limits parliamentary independence and doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty.Open →
- Party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilegeDifference between a one-line, a two-line and a three-line whip, free vote and parliamentary privilege.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
What is a programme motion, and why do critics object to it?
Key term
Why can peers scrutinise more freely than MPs?
Key term
Why has party discipline weakened since the 1970s?
Numbers
How many MPs sit in the House of Commons, and how is each one chosen?
Key term
Describe the format of Prime Minister's Questions.
Key term
What does a departmental select committee do?
Key term
Name the categories of member in the House of Lords.
Key term
Why does the absence of a guillotine matter in the Lords?
Key term
Summarise the case that the House of Lords is an effective revising chamber.
Key term
What is meant by a fusion of powers in the British system?
Numbers
How many members does Northern Ireland return to the House of Commons?
Key term
What is decided at second reading?
Numbers
What is an urgent question, and who decides whether one is granted?
Key term
How is the party composition of a select committee decided?
Key term
Why does the size of a government's majority matter for scrutiny?
Key term
What is a crossbench peer?
Key term
How does third reading in the Lords differ from third reading in the Commons?
Key term
How does the Lord Speaker's role differ from that of the Commons Speaker?
Key term
How does the absence of a government majority affect the Lords' behaviour?
Key term
Why does the fusion of powers make Parliament's independence harder to achieve?
Key term
What do the whips do?
Key term
How does the delegate model of representation differ from the trustee model?
Process
Describe what happens at the committee stage of a Commons bill.
Key term
Why is the power to grant urgent questions significant for scrutiny?
Numbers
Why did the change to electing chairs and members strengthen scrutiny?
Numbers
What has happened to the level of backbench rebellion since the 1970s?
Evaluation
Roughly how large is the House of Lords, and why is its size criticised?
Numbers
What did the Parliament Act 1949 change?
Key term
How are the Lords' investigative committees organised, and how does that differ from the Commons?
Key term
Explain the legitimacy paradox of the House of Lords.
Key term
Explain how patronage limits parliamentary independence.
Key term
Explain the difference between a one-line, a two-line and a three-line whip.
Take The UK Parliament further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How many MPs sit in the House of Commons, and how is each one chosen?
Model answer
The House of Commons has 650 MPs, and each is elected by first past the post in a single-member constituency.
- 2
How many members does Northern Ireland return to the House of Commons?
Model answer
Northern Ireland returns 18 MPs to the House of Commons.
- 3
Explain the trustee model of representation.
Model answer
The trustee model holds that a member is elected to exercise independent judgement on behalf of the whole nation rather than to take instructions. Edmund Burke put the argument to the electors of Bristol in 1774.
- 4
How does the delegate model of representation differ from the trustee model?
Model answer
A delegate is bound to act on the expressed wishes of those who elected them, whereas a trustee may reach a different conclusion from the voters and still claim to represent them.
- 5
What is meant by the doctrine of the mandate?
Model answer
The doctrine of the mandate holds that a party winning a general election has authority to carry out the programme set out in its manifesto.
- 6
Distinguish descriptive representation from substantive representation.
Model answer
Descriptive representation means the membership of the Commons resembles the society it serves in characteristics such as sex, class and ethnicity. Substantive representation means a member acts for a group's interests whether or not they belong to that group.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The UK Parliament revision questions
- What does The UK Parliament cover in CCEA A-Level Government and Politics?
- 11 subtopics: representation in the house of commons, legislation and the passage of a bill through the commons, scrutiny of government on the floor of the commons, select committees and the scrutiny of government, the effectiveness of the house of commons, composition and representation in the house of lords, the house of lords and the legislative process, scrutiny and committee work in the house of lords, the effectiveness of the house of lords, the fusion of powers and executive control of parliament and party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The UK Parliament organised?
- By the CCEA 4830 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The UK Parliament, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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