A Level Politics Paper 1 Essay Plans Edexcel (Used to achieve a high A* in 2024 exams)
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Course
UK Politics (8PL0)
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
I created and used these essay plans (with-up to-date until June 2024 examples) throughout my year 13 A Level Course and achieved a high-level A* (77/84 in paper 1, 75/84 in paper 2, 78/84 in paper 3). They cut right to the core of the structure and mark schemes that Edexcel A Level Politics examin...
–All the questions are here sorted into each spec point, and cover all questions unless they
throw a proper curveball. Questions in bold have a plan written for them, if there are any not in
bold that means no plan was made for them but the question is still possible (though this is rare
that I haven’t answered all of them).
–All examples are highlighted in yellow. Some paragraphs have multiple examples just because
its good to have as much knowledge as you can. Some essays require multiple examples in
each point (e.g. Do conservative and labour parties agree more than they disagree) but for most
essays you just need to do one example for the “On the one hand” point, and another for the
“however, it is a stronger argument” point.
–All plans are structured with three themes (if there are more that is because the question lends
itself to having a large choice of factors, such as reforms to democracy) and on the left side is
almost always the ‘on the one hand’ weaker argument which you then counteract with the right
side stronger argument. Each theme for each plan is clearly labelled at the top of each box.
Some plans have introduction boxes, some do not, this is because some essays, in order to
score higher, require some kind of criteria that you set out in the intro and link back to, which
would often be put in these introduction boxes.
1.1 Democracy and Participation
- Evaluate the view that representative democracy is superior to direct democracy
- Evaluate the view that UK democracy is facing a participation crisis
- Evaluate the view that pressure groups enhance democracy
- Evaluate the view think tanks, corporations and lobbyists enhance democracy
- Evaluate the view that group politics is effective at creating change in the UK
- Evaluate the view that wealth is the most significant factor in ensuring pressure
group success
- Evaluate the view that rights are well-protected in the UK
- Evaluate the view that reforms would enhance democracy in the UK
- Evaluate the view that reforms to suffrage have not gone far enough
1.2 Political parties
- Evaluate the view that the Labour party is more influenced by New Labour than
Old Labour
- Evaluate the view that the Conservative party is more influenced by Thatcherism
than One Nation Conservatism
- Evaluate the view that the main political parties in the UK agree more than they
disagree
- Evaluate the view that the UK is a two party system
, - Evaluate the view that … is the main factor in determining a party's success
- Evaluate the view that political parties in the UK support democracy
- Evaluate the view that the time has now come for state funding of political parties
in the UK
1.3 Electoral systems
- Evaluate the view that FPTP is fit for purpose
- Evaluate the view elections promote democracy in the UK (do it participation via
participation crisis, party system for representation, and electoral system for
legitimacy)
- Evaluate the view that proportional representation needs to be used in UK general
elections (refer to one system in use in your answer)
1.4 Voting Behaviour and the Media
- Evaluate the view that the role of the media is important in determining the
outcome of general elections
- Evaluate the view that long term factors are more important than short term
factors in determining voting behaviours in elections
- Evaluate the view that social factors are still important in determining outcome of
general elections
- Evaluate the view that short term issues are significant in determining voting
behaviour
- Evaluate the view that opinion polls support democracy in the UK
- Evaluate the view that the media supports democracy in the UK
Conservatism
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on the state?
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on the economy?
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on society?
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on human nature?
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on paternalism?
- To what extent do Conservatives agree on tradition?
Liberalism
- To what extent do liberals agree on the state?
- To what extent do liberals agree on society?
- To what extent do liberals agree on the economy?
- To what extent do liberals agree on human nature?
- To what extent do liberals share a commitment to democracy?
- To what extent do liberals agree on freedom?
- To what extent do liberals agree on equality
- To what extent do liberals agree on the individual
Socialism
, - To what extent do socialists agree on the state?
- To what extent do socialists agree on the economy?
- To what extent do socialists agree on human nature?
- To what extent do socialists agree on society?
TOPIC 1: Democracy and participation
Evaluate the view that representative democracy is superior to direct democracy
To consider whether one form of democracy is superior to another, it must be more effective in
achieving three essential principles of democracy: participation, legitimacy and political stability.
Given this, it will be argued to a compelling degree that representative democracy is superior to
direct democracy.
Participation Participation
- On the one hand, direct democracy must be - On the other hand, the stronger argument
considered superior to direct democracy states that representative democracy is more
because it is more effective in mobilising the effective in mobilising participation of the
participation of the electorate. electorate, in the long run.
- Direct democracy reduces the vote to `yes` or - Whilst in the immediate term direct
`no`, and therefore means no vote is `wasted`, democracy encourages higher levels of
unlike representative democracy, due to FPTP, participation due to its `yes or no` nature, the
whereby one party often dominates a particular regular use of direct democracy can in the
constituency, meaning that elections are long run cause voter fatigue and therefore
foregone conclusions that dissuade reduce participation levels, as the electorate
participation. Contrary to General Elections, can feel overburdened with complex decisions,
direct democracy guarantees every vote is which might be left better to elected
equal, and this encourages higher levels of representatives.
participation.
- For example, the Brexit vote in 2016 in
- As Dahl argues, high levels of participation are Scotland had a 67% turnout, compared to a
crucial in securing the political legitimacy for a UK average of 72%. This has been ascribed to
state`s decisions. This is the case because a voter fatigue from the Independence
higher turnout is a greater reflection of referendum in 2014.
democratic majority will of society.
- Representative democracy mobilises a
, - In the 2014 Scottish Independence consistent 68-70% turnout, and with elections
referendum, for example, there was an 84.5% every 5 years reduces the possibility of voter
turnout, suggesting that people participate when fatigue.
they think their voice will be heard. Therefore, it
can be strongly argued that referendums
increase participation and subsequently, provide
legitimacy for government decisions.
–Whereas, in the 2019 election, only 67%
turnout in the general election, suggesting a lack
of participation.
- On the one hand, direct democracy is superior - Despite this, the more convincing argument
over representative democracy because it is is that direct democracy creates more
able to ensure political harmony, by putting an problems than it solves, because it polarises
issue to the public which is frequent in political decisions and leads to the ‘tyranny of
representative discourse. Public opinion can the majority’ in decisions, whereas
resolve issues in ways which politicians cannot representative democracy ensures consensus
do because politicians tend to be whipped by from politicians and much more debate over
party lines and therefore not represent the issues.
people in their votes, contributing to disharmony.
- For example, where the Renters Reform Bill
- Representative democracy is unable to ensure in 2024 sought to ‘balance the interests of
stability on major political issues in society, renters and landlords’, a direct decision on that
because politicians lack the mandate to legislate from the electorate, in giving a majority to one
on such divisive issues. Therefore, direct group over another, allows the oppression of
democracy is needed to effectively gage public minority groups and interests and polarises
opinion to grant elected officials the democratic decisions.
mandate to legislate in line with the will of the
people. - Representative democracy allows this debate
in a practical manner with politicians employed
- For example, British political discourse directly to consider issues technocratically by
preceding 2016 was dominated by the UK's consulting a range of views, whereas direct
relationship with the EU, and whether our future democracy is not only binary in its impact on
as a country was better outside the union. politics but also impractical by ensuring the
However, the referendum allowed the uneducated masses come out to vote
referendum to resolve this question and regularly.
provided a majority ruling of 52%. This then
gave Parliament the mandate to trigger article - The Brexit referendum produced a vote of
50, and formalise the UK's withdrawal from the 52% leave, and 48% stay, clearly a close
European Union. result, but the process to leave the EU does
not reflect this, and is deeply complicated, as
- The notion of euroscepticism prior to 2016 shown by long negotiations conducted by the
divided not only political parties but also society. government for the Northern Ireland protocol.
Now this issue has been put to bed, and is one
example of how referenda and direct democracy
can restore political stability to discourse in
society.
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