Numbers
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
Political Parties in Wales and the UK
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS Unit 2
What Political Parties in Wales and the UK covers
Political Parties in Wales and the UK is examined in AS Unit 2, Living and participating in a democracy — parties, pressure groups and movements. It covers the functions of political parties, the Labour Party: origins and ideology, the Conservative Party: origins and ideology, the Liberal Democrats and the centre ground, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh party system, smaller and minor parties, party organisation and the role of members, leadership selection in the main parties, candidate selection and representation, manifestos, platforms and the mandate and party funding, cash for influence and reform.
The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page. WJEC AS Government and Politics students sit this topic in the first year.
- The functions of political partiesPolitical party, five functions political parties perform and interest aggregation.Open →
- The Labour Party: origins and ideologySocial democracy, democratic socialism and trade union link.Open →
- The Conservative Party: origins and ideologyNew Right and traditional Conservative attitude to change.Open →
- The Liberal Democrats and the centre groundClassical liberalism within the party's tradition, modern or social liberalism and strategic dilemma facing a centre party under plurality voting.Open →
- Plaid Cymru and the Welsh party systemPlaid Cymru's central constitutional aim, plaid Cymru's best result at a devolved Welsh election and geography of Plaid Cymru's strongest support.Open →
- Smaller and minor partiesMinor party and main parties of Northern Ireland's two communities.Open →
- Party organisation and the role of membersFour things party members do for their party, constituency party or local association and one member, one vote.Open →
- Leadership selection in the main partiesHow the Labour Party selects its leader and tension between a leader's parliamentary mandate and their membership mandate.Open →
- Candidate selection and representationApproved candidates list, tension between central and local control over candidate selection and all-women shortlist.Open →
- Manifestos, platforms and the mandateThree purposes a manifesto serves, pledge card or key pledges document and why a government may depart from a manifesto commitment.Open →
- Party funding, cash for influence and reformMain sources of income for UK political parties, permissible donor and cranborne money.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
Why do parties argue about how binding a manifesto is?
Key term
What is meant by interest aggregation?
Key term
Which two forces combined to create the Labour Party?
Key term
Which conservative tradition holds that the privileged owe obligations to the rest of society?
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When was the Social Democratic Party founded, and by whom?
Who and when
Who was Plaid Cymru's first president?
Key term
What is a minor party?
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Why is a large membership valuable to a party beyond the money it raises?
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Describe how the Conservative Party has selected its leader since 1998.
Key term
Who normally selects a party's candidate for a constituency?
Key term
Explain the recruitment function of parties.
Numbers
What did the original Clause IV of Labour's constitution commit the party to?
Key term
Which nineteenth-century Conservative leader is associated with one-nation conservatism?
Key term
Give three long-standing Liberal Democrat commitments.
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When did Plaid Cymru first win a seat in the House of Commons?
Key term
Which party won seven regional seats at the 2016 Senedd election?
Key term
Give two explanations for the long decline in party membership.
Key term
Why do Conservative MPs narrow the field before members vote?
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Explain the tension between central and local control over candidate selection.
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What is a manifesto?
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State the main sources of income for UK political parties.
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How do parties make government possible in a parliamentary system?
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What is meant by social democracy?
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Define Thatcherism.
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What is meant by classical liberalism within the party's tradition?
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Give three policy commitments associated with Plaid Cymru beyond the constitution.
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What has been the Green Party's central appeal?
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Which party's membership rose sharply after 2015, and why is that significant?
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How can a Conservative leader be removed by the party's MPs?
Key term
What is an all-women shortlist?
Key term
Which convention protects manifesto bills in the House of Lords?
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Which Act created the statutory framework for regulating party funding?
Take Political Parties in Wales and the UK further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Define a political party.
Model answer
A political party is an organised body of people who share broad political aims and seek to win public office in order to put those aims into practice.
- 2
State five functions political parties perform.
Model answer
They recruit and select candidates, aggregate interests into a programme, contest elections, form governments and oppositions, and educate and mobilise the public.
- 3
What is meant by interest aggregation?
Model answer
Interest aggregation is the way a party gathers many separate demands into a single coherent programme that can be put to voters.
- 4
Explain the recruitment function of parties.
Model answer
Parties identify, select and train the people who become councillors, members of legislatures and ministers, so almost every officeholder reaches office through a party.
- 5
How do parties make government possible in a parliamentary system?
Model answer
Because members are elected on party labels and vote together, a party with enough seats can sustain a government and deliver a programme through the legislature.
- 6
What is the role of the official opposition?
Model answer
It scrutinises and criticises the government, offers an alternative programme, and stands ready to take office if the government falls or loses an election.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Political Parties in Wales and the UK revision questions
- Is Political Parties in Wales and the UK 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 Political Parties in Wales and the UK cover in WJEC AS-Level Government and Politics?
- 11 subtopics: the functions of political parties, the labour party: origins and ideology, the conservative party: origins and ideology, the liberal democrats and the centre ground, plaid cymru and the welsh party system, smaller and minor parties, party organisation and the role of members, leadership selection in the main parties, candidate selection and representation, manifestos, platforms and the mandate and party funding, cash for influence and reform. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Political Parties in Wales and the UK organised?
- By the WJEC 603-1979-3 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
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