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WJEC A-Level Government and Politics 603-1979-3
The British Constitution
Topic overviewThe nature of the constitution: uncodified, unitary and flexibleStatute law as a source of the constitutionCommon law and works of constitutional authorityConstitutional conventionsParliamentary sovereigntyThe rule of lawParliamentary government and constitutional monarchyConstitutional reform since 1997The debate on a codified constitutionThe UK, the European Union and BrexitThe UK, NATO and the United Nations
The Judiciary and the Supreme Court
Topic overviewThe constitutional role of the Supreme CourtThe Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the creation of the CourtThe Supreme Court as the highest court of appealThe separation of powers in the UKJudicial independenceJudicial neutrality and the appointment of judgesJudicial review and the doctrine of ultra viresSupreme Court rulings on constitutional mattersA separate legal jurisdiction for Wales
The UK Executive
Topic overviewThe core executiveThe roles of the Prime MinisterThe powers and resources of the Prime MinisterThe royal prerogativeThe composition of the CabinetThe roles and functions of the CabinetCollective ministerial responsibilityIndividual ministerial responsibilityPrime ministerial government and its limitsThe civil service
Parliament and the Accountability of Government
Topic overviewThe composition of the House of CommonsThe House of Lords: composition and powersThe functions of ParliamentThe legislative processPrivate members' bills and delegated legislationSelect committeesQuestions, debates and confidence in the governmentBackbench MPs and peersThe role of the OppositionParliamentary privilegeParliamentary sovereignty in practiceExecutive dominance and where power lies
Government and the Senedd in Wales
Topic overviewThe First Minister of WalesThe Welsh Government and its CabinetCollective and individual ministerial responsibility in WalesThe powers and resources of the Welsh GovernmentThe origins and structure of the SeneddThe composition and election of the SeneddThe legislative competence of the SeneddThe legislative process in the SeneddPlenary and the business of the SeneddSenedd committeesMembers of the Senedd and the OppositionDebates over the effectiveness of the Senedd
Devolution and the United Kingdom
Topic overviewThe nature and forms of devolutionThe origins of devolution in the UKThe Scottish Parliament and Scottish GovernmentThe Northern Ireland Assembly and ExecutiveDevolution in EnglandAsymmetry in the devolution settlementThe West Lothian question and English votes for English lawsFunding devolution and the Barnett formulaDevolution, sovereignty and the unionDebates over the future of the union
Citizenship and Rights
Topic overviewThe meaning of citizenshipGlobal citizenshipFreedom, equality and active citizenshipThe rule of law and protection under the lawThe rights of minoritiesPositive discrimination and positive actionThe sources of rights in the UKEquality legislation on race and genderFreedom of expression, association and religionPrivacy, liberty and the right to a fair trialConflicts between rightsDebates over a British Bill of Rights
The Protection of Human Rights
Topic overviewThe courts and the protection of rightsJudicial review: grounds and remediesJudicial review in practiceThe Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe European Convention on Human RightsThe European Court of Human RightsThe Human Rights Act 1998The Human Rights Act in the courtsEnforcing equality lawOmbudsmen and commissionersPressure and campaigning for rightsDebates over the protection of rights in the UK
Democracy and Participation
Electoral Systems in the UK
Topic overviewThe functions of elections and the language of electoral systemsFirst Past the Post: how it worksFirst Past the Post: advantages and criticismsThe Additional Member System and Senedd electionsThe Single Transferable VoteParty list systemsThe supplementary vote and the alternative voteProportionality, fairness and effects on party systemsCoalition and minority governmentKey elections in WalesReferendums in Wales and the UK
Voting Behaviour in the UK
Topic overviewThe sociological model and social classParty identification and partisan dealignmentThe rational choice modelThe valence model and governing competenceAge, gender, ethnicity and educationRegion, nation and voting in WalesElection campaigns and party leadersThe media and voting behaviourTurnout, tactical voting and volatility
Political Parties in Wales and the UK
Topic overviewThe functions of political partiesThe Labour Party: origins and ideologyThe Conservative Party: origins and ideologyThe Liberal Democrats and the centre groundPlaid Cymru and the Welsh party systemSmaller and minor partiesParty organisation and the role of membersLeadership selection in the main partiesCandidate selection and representationManifestos, platforms and the mandateParty funding, cash for influence and reform
Pressure Groups and Social Movements
Topic overviewPressure groups and how they differ from partiesSectional and promotional groupsInsider and outsider groupsAccess points in Wales and the UKLobbying and direct contact with decision-makersDirect action and public campaigningUsing the media and new technologiesFactors in pressure group successPressure groups and the health of democracySocial movements: nature, membership and methodsThe women's movement and the environmental movement
Liberalism
Topic overviewOrigins of liberal ideasHuman nature, reason and progressIndividualism, liberty and natural rightsToleration, pluralism and justiceThe social contract and the liberal stateConstitutionalism, the rule of law and liberal democracyNegative and positive freedomClassical liberalism and laissez-faire economicsModern liberalism and the enabling stateThe New Right and libertarian views of the marketEquality of opportunity and equality of outcomeLiberalism and Welsh political parties and movementsLiberal ideas in global politics
Conservatism
Topic overviewOrigins of conservative ideasHuman imperfection, pragmatism and traditionOrganic society, hierarchy and natural inequalityAuthority, order and propertyTraditional and one-nation conservatismAuthoritarian conservatismMoral conservatism, the family and the churchThe New Right: neo-liberalism and neo-conservatismConservative debates on immigration and integrationConservative debates on minority rights and welfareEconomic conservatism, the market and state interventionConservatism and Welsh political parties and movementsConservative ideas in global politics
Socialism and Communism
Topic overviewOrigins of socialist ideasHuman nature, community and cooperationClass, class conflict and the proletariatEquality and social justiceMarxism and historical materialismCommunism in theory and in practiceRevolutionary and parliamentary roads to socialismSocial democracy, revisionism and the Third WayDemocratic socialism and ethical socialismSocialist views of capitalismPublic ownership and the means of productionCollectivism and the redistribution of wealthSocialism and the Welsh labour movementSocialist ideas in global politics
Nationalism
Topic overviewOrigins of nationalist ideasDefining the nation and the nation stateNational consciousness and the role of historyLanguage, culture and national symbolsNational sovereignty and self-determinationCivic nationalismEthno-cultural nationalismLiberal nationalismConservative nationalismChauvinism, xenophobia and expansionist nationalismPolitical nationalism, citizenship and the stateSeparatism, secession and anti-colonial nationalismNationalism and Welsh political parties and movementsNationalist ideas in global politics
The US Constitution and Federalism
Topic overviewThe Declaration of Independence and the founding principlesWriting the Constitution and its compromisesSeparation of powers and checks and balancesThe amendment processEnumerated, implied and reserved powersTheories of federalismThe changing balance of federal and state powerFiscal federalism and federal grantsFederalism before the Supreme CourtDebates about the Constitution
Rights and Liberties in the USA
Topic overviewThe Bill of Rights: origins and importanceThe First Amendment: speech, press and assemblyThe First Amendment: religionThe Second Amendment and gun ownershipRights of the accused and due processThe death penalty and the Eighth AmendmentPrivacy and the ConstitutionThe Fourteenth Amendment and incorporationCivil rights and the struggle for racial equalityAffirmative action and contemporary equality debates
The US Congress
The US Presidency
Topic overviewThe constitutional office of PresidentThe powers of the PresidentThe President as chief executiveThe President and legislationThe President, foreign policy and the armed forcesExecutive orders and unilateral actionThe CabinetThe Executive Office of the PresidentConstraints on presidential powerThe imperial presidency debate
The US Supreme Court
Topic overviewThe constitutional role of the Supreme CourtJudicial review and Marbury v MadisonJurisdiction and how a case reaches the CourtNomination and appointment of justicesTenure and proposals for reformJudicial activism and judicial restraintOriginalism and the living ConstitutionPrecedent and legal reasoningThe Court and the protection of rightsThe political significance of the Court and its composition
US Elections and Voting Behaviour
Topic overviewThe invisible primaryPrimaries and caucusesThe national nominating conventionsThe ticket and the general election campaignThe electoral collegeCongressional and midterm electionsMoney in US electionsPACs, super-PACs and campaign finance lawThe media and social media in campaignsLong-term determinants of voting behaviourShort-term factors, swing states and independents
Political Parties in the USA
Topic overviewThe American political spectrumThe Democratic partyThe Republican partyFactions in the Republican partyFactions in the Democratic partyParty organisation and candidate-centred campaignsWhy two parties dominateThird parties and independent candidatesRealignment, decline and polarisation
The US Supreme Court
- 10 subtopics
- 30 things to know
- A2 Unit 4
What The US Supreme Court covers
The US Supreme Court is examined in A2 Unit 4, Government and politics of the USA — government of the USA. It covers the constitutional role of the Supreme Court, judicial review and Marbury v Madison, jurisdiction and how a case reaches the Court, nomination and appointment of justices, tenure and proposals for reform, judicial activism and judicial restraint, originalism and the living Constitution, precedent and legal reasoning, the Court and the protection of rights and the political significance of the Court and its composition.
The 10 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The constitutional role of the Supreme CourtCourt's function in the constitutional system and slow compliance with a Supreme Court ruling.Open →
- Judicial review and Marbury v MadisonJudicial review and dispute in Marbury v Madison.Open →
- Jurisdiction and how a case reaches the CourtWrit of certiorari, rule of four and amicus curiae brief.Open →
- Nomination and appointment of justicesStages of a Supreme Court appointment, three criteria a President weighs in choosing a nominee and american Bar Association's role in the process.Open →
- Tenure and proposals for reformTenure during good behaviour, strategic retirement problem and most commonly proposed alternative to life tenure.Open →
- Judicial activism and judicial restraintJudicial activism, judicial restraint and strict constructionism.Open →
- Originalism and the living ConstitutionLiving Constitution approach and why no justice applies a single method consistently.Open →
- Precedent and legal reasoningStare decisis, binding precedent and distinguishing a precedent.Open →
- The Court and the protection of rightsRecall questions on why an unpopular minority turns to the Court, the rulings that expanded rights and those that failed them, a right later withdrawn, and what Congress can do instead.Open →
- The political significance of the Court and its compositionRecall questions on the swing vote, the narrow backgrounds justices are drawn from, the first women and minority appointments, public confidence, and why justices disappoint those who chose them.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
State the logic by which Marshall justified judicial review.
Numbers
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court, and what fixed that number?
Key term
Distinguish original from appellate jurisdiction.
Key term
What does tenure during good behaviour mean in practice?
Key term
What is judicial activism?
Key term
What is originalism?
Key term
What is stare decisis?
Key term
Why is the Court often the only realistic forum for an unpopular minority?
Key term
What is a swing justice?
Key term
How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
Key term
What does judicial review mean in the United States?
Key term
Give two categories in the Court's original jurisdiction.
Key term
Who must approve a Supreme Court nomination?
Key term
What is the strategic retirement problem?
Key term
What is judicial restraint?
Key term
Distinguish original intent from original public meaning.
Key term
What is a binding precedent?
Numbers
Give two rulings that expanded rights.
Key term
Give one reason the swing justice's importance can diminish.
Key term
How is the Supreme Court's dependence on others a real limit on its power?
Key term
Is judicial review mentioned in the Constitution?
Key term
What is a writ of certiorari?
Key term
Which Senate committee holds confirmation hearings?
Key term
What is the most commonly proposed alternative to life tenure?
Key term
What is loose constructionism?
Key term
Which version of originalism is now more widely defended, and why?
Key term
What is distinguishing a precedent?
Numbers
Give two rulings criticised for failing to protect rights.
Key term
Why does the religious and educational background of justices attract comment?
Take The US Supreme Court further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Which article of the Constitution establishes the judiciary?
Model answer
Article III.
- 2
What does Article III say about the number of justices?
Model answer
Nothing; it leaves the size of the Court to Congress.
- 3
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court, and what fixed that number?
Model answer
Nine, set by an Act of Congress in 1869.
- 4
How long do Supreme Court justices serve?
Model answer
During good behaviour, which in practice means for life or until they choose to retire.
- 5
Why does Article III protect judicial salaries from reduction?
Model answer
To prevent Congress from punishing or pressuring judges through their pay, which secures judicial independence.
- 6
What is the Court's function in the constitutional system?
Model answer
To interpret the Constitution and federal law authoritatively, resolving disputes between citizens, between the branches and between the federal government and the states.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The US Supreme Court revision questions
- What does The US Supreme Court cover in WJEC A-Level Government and Politics?
- 10 subtopics: the constitutional role of the supreme court, judicial review and marbury v madison, jurisdiction and how a case reaches the court, nomination and appointment of justices, tenure and proposals for reform, judicial activism and judicial restraint, originalism and the living constitution, precedent and legal reasoning, the court and the protection of rights and the political significance of the court and its composition. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The US Supreme Court organised?
- By the WJEC 603-1979-3 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in The US Supreme Court, 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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