Key term
WJEC AS-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
Citizenship and Rights
- 12 subtopics
- 36 things to know
- AS Unit 2
What Citizenship and Rights covers
Citizenship and Rights is examined in AS Unit 2, Living and participating in a democracy — citizenship and rights. It covers the meaning of citizenship, global citizenship, freedom, equality and active citizenship, the rule of law and protection under the law, the rights of minorities, positive discrimination and positive action, the sources of rights in the UK, equality legislation on race and gender, freedom of expression, association and religion, privacy, liberty and the right to a fair trial, conflicts between rights and debates over a British Bill of Rights.
The 12 subtopics
Each one has its own page. WJEC AS Government and Politics students sit this topic in the first year.
- The meaning of citizenshipThree elements of citizenship identified by T H Marshall and what Marshall meant by social rights.Open →
- Global citizenshipRecall questions on cosmopolitanism, the 1948 declaration and the covenants that followed, the problems said to require it, the nationalist objection, and the Welsh statutory duty.Open →
- Freedom, equality and active citizenshipFreedom is secured simply by the absence of interference, residual freedom and equality before the law.Open →
- The rule of law and protection under the lawDue process, presumption of innocence and rule against double jeopardy.Open →
- The rights of minoritiesHow judicial protection of rights guards minorities and two statutes that extended legal recognition to same-sex couples.Open →
- Positive discrimination and positive actionPositive discrimination, positive action and all-women shortlists.Open →
- The sources of rights in the UKFive sources of rights for a UK citizen, common law rights and status of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Open →
- Equality legislation on race and genderSix of the nine protected characteristics, public sector equality duty and gender pay gap reporting.Open →
- Freedom of expression, association and religionPrior restraint, freedom of association and right to petition.Open →
- Privacy, liberty and the right to a fair trialRight to privacy, open justice and closed material procedure.Open →
- Conflicts between rightsFreedom of expression conflicting with privacy, public interest test in privacy cases and conflict between free expression and protection from hate speech.Open →
- Debates over a British Bill of RightsRecall questions on what such a measure would change, the 2012 commission, the arguments on both sides, the devolution and Northern Ireland complications, and why entrenchment is difficult.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Explain the tension between liberty and equality as political values.
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Define citizenship.
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Define global citizenship.
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Give three qualities a law must have if the rule of law is to be satisfied.
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Why is majority rule alone an insufficient basis for rights?
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Define positive discrimination.
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Which 1215 document is traditionally cited as the origin of English liberties?
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What did the Equal Pay Act 1970 require?
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Why are freedom of expression, assembly and religion classed as qualified rights?
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How has the law of privacy developed since the Human Rights Act came into force?
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Why do rights conflict with each other?
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Why does devolution complicate the repeal of the Human Rights Act?
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Distinguish citizenship from nationality.
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Which 1948 document is most often cited as the foundation of global citizenship?
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Which remedy protects a person against unlawful detention?
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Why can a democratic majority itself be a threat to rights?
Numbers
Which statute sets out what positive action employers may lawfully take?
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Why did the Convention not automatically give rights in UK courts?
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What did the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 prohibit?
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Why is freedom of expression treated as fundamental to democracy?
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Which statute governs the handling of personal data in the UK?
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What is a super-injunction?
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Why would entrenching a British Bill of Rights be constitutionally difficult?
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Which statute defines the main categories of British citizenship?
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What is cosmopolitanism?
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What kind of freedom is secured simply by the absence of interference?
Process
Define due process.
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Explain how judicial protection of rights guards minorities.
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In what narrow circumstance may an employer prefer a candidate from an under-represented group?
Who and when
What did the Human Rights Act 1998 do to the Convention?
Numbers
Which inquiry led to the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000?
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What test must a claimant meet under the Defamation Act 2013?
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Which official enforces data protection and freedom of information law?
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Which inquiry into press standards reported in 2012?
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How would a bill of rights affect the role of judges?
Take Citizenship and Rights further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Equality of opportunity vs Equality of outcome
Equality of opportunity: everyone competes on the same terms from the same starting point. Equality of outcome: it means resources or results are levelled between people.
Direct discrimination vs Indirect discrimination
Direct discrimination: treating a person worse because of a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination: applying an apparently neutral rule that disadvantages a whole group.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Define citizenship.
Model answer
Citizenship is full legal membership of a state, carrying a settled set of rights against that state and duties owed to it.
- 2
Distinguish citizenship from nationality.
Model answer
Nationality is the formal link between a person and a state recognised in international law, while citizenship is the bundle of legal rights and duties that membership carries at home.
- 3
Which statute defines the main categories of British citizenship?
Model answer
The British Nationality Act 1981 defines them.
- 4
Give three ways a person can acquire British citizenship.
Model answer
A person can acquire it by birth in the UK to a parent who is a citizen or settled here, by descent from a British parent, or by naturalisation after a qualifying period of residence.
- 5
Name three requirements an adult must satisfy to be naturalised as a British citizen.
Model answer
The applicant must complete a qualifying period of lawful residence, satisfy a good character requirement, and demonstrate knowledge of language and of life in the UK.
- 6
What happens at a citizenship ceremony?
Model answer
The new citizen swears or affirms allegiance to the monarch and pledges loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect for its rights, freedoms and laws.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Citizenship and Rights revision questions
- Is Citizenship and Rights examined at AS in WJEC Government and Politics?
- Yes. It sits in AS Unit 2, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does Citizenship and Rights cover in WJEC AS-Level Government and Politics?
- 12 subtopics: the meaning of citizenship, global citizenship, freedom, equality and active citizenship, the rule of law and protection under the law, the rights of minorities, positive discrimination and positive action, the sources of rights in the uk, equality legislation on race and gender, freedom of expression, association and religion, privacy, liberty and the right to a fair trial, conflicts between rights and debates over a british bill of rights. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Citizenship and Rights organised?
- By the WJEC 603-1979-3 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Citizenship and Rights, 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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