Unit AS 1
The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland
- THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY
- THE NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- THE NORTHERN IRELAND POLITICAL PARTIES
CCEA AS Government and Politics, memorised in year one.
Everything the AS examines and nothing from the second year. Drill the 7 topics you are actually sitting in Northern Ireland this summer.
- AS of 4830
- 7 topics
- 72 subtopics
CCEA AS-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
What CCEA AS Government and Politics covers, and what it leaves out
CCEA AS Government and Politics is the first year of the 4830 course and a qualification in its own right, examined in 2 units, AS Unit 1 and AS Unit 2. This page holds only what the AS examines: 7 topics across 72 subtopics, 941 active recall questions, starting with The Northern Ireland Assembly, The Northern Ireland Executive Committee and The Northern Ireland Political Parties. The 14 topics kept back for the second year are not shown, so nothing here is content you have not been taught yet.
Starting the second year? The full CCEA A-Level Government and Politics page adds the A2 topics on top of everything here.
CCEA GCE Government and Politics, subject code 4830, qualification number 601/8375/5 (A level), first teaching September 2016. Read the CCEA specification ↗
How it is assessed
Unit AS 2
The British Political Process
- THE UK PARLIAMENT
- THE UK EXECUTIVE
- OPTION: THE BRITISH JUDICIARY
- OPTION: PRESSURE GROUPS IN THE UK
The full specification
7 topics, 72 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.
01The Northern Ireland Assembly11 subtopicsOpen topic
- The Good Friday Agreement: origins and principles
- The three strands of the Agreement
- Rights, equality, policing and prisoners under the Agreement
- Implementing the Agreement: referendums, devolution and suspension
- Subsequent agreements from St Andrews to New Decade, New Approach
- Composition, elections and designation
- Cross-community voting and the petition of concern
- The Assembly's representative function
- The Assembly's legislative function
- The Assembly's scrutiny function
- The Assembly's independence of the Executive
02The Northern Ireland Executive Committee11 subtopicsOpen topic
- The composition of the Executive Committee
- Appointing the Executive and the d'Hondt formula
- The First Minister and deputy First Minister
- The Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister
- The Pledge of Office and the Ministerial Code
- How the Executive determines legislation
- The Programme for Government and the budget
- Divisions within the Executive
- Evaluating the Executive's policy making
- The Executive as a power-sharing government
- Collapse, restoration and reform of the Executive
03The Northern Ireland Political Parties11 subtopicsOpen topic
- The role and functions of political parties
- The Northern Ireland party system
- The Democratic Unionist Party
- Sinn Féin
- The Ulster Unionist Party
- The Social Democratic and Labour Party
- The Alliance Party
- Smaller parties and independents
- Changing party strategies since 1998
- Changing electoral support since 1998
- Explaining electoral change
04The UK Parliament11 subtopicsOpen topic
- 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
- Party discipline, backbench independence and parliamentary privilege
05The UK Executive9 subtopicsOpen topic
- The role of the Prime Minister
- The powers of the Prime Minister
- The Cabinet and its role
- Cabinet committees, the Cabinet Office and the core executive
- Ministerial responsibility
- Limitations on the powers of the Prime Minister
- The Executive and its control of the legislature
- Prime ministerial government or cabinet government
- The civil service, special advisers and the centre of government
06Option: The British JudiciaryJudiciary9 subtopicsOpen topic
- The judiciary, the rule of law and the separation of powers
- The courts and the United Kingdom Supreme Court
- Judicial review and its grounds
- Judicial review and the Human Rights Act
- Landmark rulings against the Executive
- Judicial inquiries
- What secures judicial independence
- Tensions between the judiciary and the Executive
- The effectiveness of the judiciary in holding the Executive to account
07Option: Pressure Groups in the UKPressure groups10 subtopicsOpen topic
- The concept of a pressure group
- Cause and sectional pressure groups
- Insider and outsider pressure groups
- Social movements
- Pressure groups and the policy-making process
- Insider tactics: lobbying, consultation and the courts
- Outsider tactics: protest, direct action and the media
- What makes a pressure group successful
- Pluralist, elitist and New Right interpretations of impact
- Regulating lobbying and the debate about influence
How you work through it
Pick the mode that fits the time you have.
Try three questions
No account needed. Answer from memory first.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Why was policing reform so contested between the two traditions?
Key term
Why does the change made at St Andrews raise the stakes at every Assembly election?
Key term
Name three things agreed in the Stormont House Agreement of December 2014.
Spaced Repetition Schedule
How reviews are timed
Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.
Interval sequence
- 1 day
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 4 months
- 8 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material
Government and Politics revision questions
Common questions about revising CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics. Tap any to open it.
What is on CCEA AS Government and Politics?
7 topics across 72 subtopics, examined in AS Unit 1 and AS Unit 2. They are all listed on this page, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it. The full topic list is The Northern Ireland Assembly, The Northern Ireland Executive Committee, The Northern Ireland Political Parties, The UK Parliament, The UK Executive, Option: The British Judiciary and more.
Does AS Government and Politics count towards the full A level?
Yes. In Northern Ireland the AS units are marked as a standalone AS qualification and also carry forward into the full CCEA A level, which is why the first year matters more here than it does in England. Check the current weighting on the 4830 specification, as it is set by the board rather than by us.
What is the difference between AS and A level Government and Politics?
AS is the first-year units only. The A level adds 14 further topics, among them USA Option: The Legislative Branch, USA Option: The Executive Branch, USA Option: Comparative Government and Politics, and expects you to connect them back to the AS material. Work the AS content here, then move up to the full A level page when you start the second year.
When do you sit CCEA AS Government and Politics?
Normally at the end of Year 12, in the summer series. That gives you one year to memorise 941 questions' worth of material, which is roughly 5 questions a day across an academic year if you start in September.
How should you revise for AS Government and Politics?
By retrieval, not rereading. Cover the answer, pull it from memory, then check. Levo runs that loop across all 7 AS topics and brings each question back on a spaced schedule, so what you learn in September is still there in June.
Is it worth revising AS content again for the A level?
Yes, and it is the mistake most students make. The second-year papers assume the first year, and in Northern Ireland the AS marks usually count towards the final grade as well. Keeping the AS material on a spaced schedule through Year 13 costs far less time than relearning it.
How many questions are there for CCEA AS Government and Politics?
941, written from the 4830 subject content and grouped into 72 subtopics so you can work one small area at a time rather than a whole topic at once.
Can you use Levo for just the AS year?
Yes. Pick your subject, choose the AS topics on the topic screen, and every mode — the 3-step method, Cram, Blank Blitz, Build It and Test It — works only that material. Add the second-year topics when you get to them.
Every question in Government and Politics, 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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