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
The British Constitution
- 11 subtopics
- 33 things to know
- AS Unit 1
What The British Constitution covers
The British Constitution is examined in AS Unit 1, Government in Wales and the United Kingdom — sovereignty, power and accountability. It covers the nature of the constitution: uncodified, unitary and flexible, statute law as a source of the constitution, common law and works of constitutional authority, constitutional conventions, parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy, constitutional reform since 1997, the debate on a codified constitution, the UK, the European Union and Brexit and the UK, NATO and the United Nations.
Where it is assessed
AS Unit 1
Government in Wales and the United Kingdom.
Check the WJEC specification ↗The 11 subtopics
Each one has its own page. WJEC AS Government and Politics students sit this topic in the first year.
- The nature of the constitution: uncodified, unitary and flexibleUnitary constitution, one advantage claimed for a flexible constitution and one danger of constitutional flexibility.Open →
- Statute law as a source of the constitutionRecall questions on the Acts that carry constitutional weight, from the seventeenth-century settlement through the Parliament Acts to devolution and rights legislation, and why none of them is entrenched.Open →
- Common law and works of constitutional authorityCommon law, judicial precedent and residual right.Open →
- Constitutional conventionsConstitutional convention, convention governing royal assent and salisbury convention.Open →
- Parliamentary sovereigntyDicey's definition of parliamentary sovereignty, legal sovereignty and crown in Parliament.Open →
- The rule of lawDicey's three elements of the rule of law, equality before the law and why access to justice matters to the rule of law.Open →
- Parliamentary government and constitutional monarchyParliamentary government, fusion of powers and responsible government.Open →
- Constitutional reform since 1997Recall questions on devolution, reform of the second chamber, the separation of the highest court from Parliament, fixed-term legislation, and how much of the programme was left unfinished.Open →
- The debate on a codified constitutionCodified constitution, clarity argument for codification and flexibility objection to codification.Open →
- The UK, the European Union and BrexitPrinciple of the supremacy of European law, retained EU law and one constitutional consequence of Brexit for the devolved nations.Open →
- The UK, NATO and the United NationsUnited Nations Charter and UK's position on the United Nations Security Council.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Set out the United Kingdom's standing in the United Nations and how it makes treaties.
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Why is it misleading to call the British constitution unwritten?
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What is statute law?
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What is common law?
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Define a constitutional convention.
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State Dicey's definition of parliamentary sovereignty.
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What is meant by equality before the law?
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Which devolution statutes were passed in 1998?
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What is a codified constitution?
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Which two opt-outs did the UK secure at Maastricht?
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Define a unitary constitution.
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Why is statute the supreme source of the constitution?
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What is judicial precedent?
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State the convention governing royal assent.
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What is meant by legal sovereignty?
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Explain why access to justice matters to the rule of law.
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What is meant by a fusion of powers?
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What did the Freedom of Information Act 2000 introduce?
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How does codification usually relate to entrenchment?
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What was the result of the 2016 referendum on EU membership?
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When was NATO founded, and by which treaty?
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Explain why devolution has led some writers to describe the UK as a union state rather than a purely unitary one.
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What was the outcome of the 2011 Welsh referendum on law-making powers?
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Explain the principle established in Entick v Carrington (1765).
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What convention governs the appointment of the Prime Minister?
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Distinguish legal sovereignty from political sovereignty.
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Why are court fees a rule of law question rather than a question of cost?
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What is responsible government?
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Why was the Fixed-term Parliaments Act repealed?
Evaluation
Explain the clarity argument for codification.
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How did Wales vote in the 2016 referendum?
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What does Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty provide?
Take The British Constitution further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does it mean to say the British constitution is uncodified?
Model answer
Its rules are not gathered into a single authoritative document but are spread across statutes, common law, conventions and works of authority.
- 2
Why is it misleading to call the British constitution unwritten?
Model answer
Most of it is written down, in Acts of Parliament, court judgments and authoritative texts; what it lacks is codification into one document.
- 3
Define a unitary constitution.
Model answer
A unitary constitution places ultimate legal authority in a single central body, from which every other tier of government derives its powers.
- 4
Explain why devolution has led some writers to describe the UK as a union state rather than a purely unitary one.
Model answer
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have legislatures exercising powers Westminster does not use in practice, so authority is shared in fact even though it remains legally centralised.
- 5
What makes the British constitution flexible?
Model answer
It can be changed by an ordinary Act of Parliament passed on a simple majority, with no special amendment procedure.
- 6
State one advantage claimed for a flexible constitution.
Model answer
It allows the constitution to adapt quickly to new circumstances without the delay of a special amendment process.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
The British Constitution revision questions
- Is The British Constitution examined at AS in WJEC Government and Politics?
- Yes. It sits in AS Unit 1, 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 The British Constitution cover in WJEC AS-Level Government and Politics?
- 11 subtopics: the nature of the constitution: uncodified, unitary and flexible, statute law as a source of the constitution, common law and works of constitutional authority, constitutional conventions, parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, parliamentary government and constitutional monarchy, constitutional reform since 1997, the debate on a codified constitution, the uk, the european union and brexit and the uk, nato and the united nations. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is The British Constitution 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 British Constitution, 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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