Skills You Need to Demonstrate (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

How the three skills are assessed

• Every question on the Edexcel A Level Politics papers is marked against up to three assessment objectives (AOs)

  • These are the skills the examiner is looking for, explained in detail below

  • The table shows how many marks each skill is worth in each question type

• Across the A Level, AO1 and AO2 are each worth 35% and AO3 is worth 30%

  • AO3 is lower because the 12-mark questions on Paper 3 do not assess it

• Every question rewards the skills together, so an answer that shows them one at a time will not reach the top levels

• To see the skills working together in full answers, see How to Answer a 30-Mark Source Question, How to Answer a 30-Mark Essay Question, How to Answer a 24-Mark Political Ideas Question and the 12-mark ‘Examine’ and 12-mark ‘Analyse’ pages

Example question used on this page

Evaluate the view that select committees are effective in holding the government to account.

In your answer you should draw on relevant knowledge and understanding of the study of Component 1: UK Politics and Core Political Ideas.

You must consider this view and the alternative to this view in a balanced way.

[30 marks]

AO1: Knowledge & understanding

• The specification describes AO1 as: "Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts, theories and issues."

• You gain AO1 marks by showing accurate knowledge and using it to support your argument

  • Define the key terms in the question precisely

  • Use specific, up-to-date examples, such as a named committee, inquiry, Act or election

  • In political ideas questions, use named thinkers from the specification accurately

• At the top level, your knowledge is "effectively selected in order to underpin analysis and evaluation"

  • Knowledge that is accurate but does not support your argument earns little

Examples

A weak response

"Select committees are groups of MPs who look at what the government does."

• This is too vague to support an argument

  • It gives no example and does not show how committees hold the government to account

A stronger response

"Departmental select committees are cross-party groups of MPs that scrutinise the work of government departments. Since 2010, their chairs have been elected by MPs, which has given them more independence from party whips."

• This shows precise knowledge

  • The definition is accurate, and the point about elected chairs gives the answer something to build on

AO2: Analysis

• The specification describes AO2 as: "Analyse aspects of politics and political information, including in relation to parallels, connections, similarities and differences."

• You gain AO2 marks by building logical chains of reasoning that explain why a point matters for the question

  • A useful pattern is: point → reason → what it means for the question

• Analysis also means comparing:

  • the arguments on each side of the debate

  • the opinions in a source, in a 30-mark source question

  • the two countries or theories, in Paper 3 12-mark questions

• At the top level, chains of reasoning are "sustained" and make "cohesive and convincing connections between ideas and concepts"

Examples

A weak response

"Select committees have elected chairs, so they are effective."

• This is basic analysis

  • It jumps from a fact to a conclusion with no steps in between

A stronger response

"Because chairs are elected by all MPs rather than chosen by party whips, they can question ministers without fearing for their careers. This makes committees more willing to criticise their own party's government, which means their scrutiny is harder for ministers to dismiss as partisan."

• This is stronger analysis

  • Each step follows from the last: elected chairs → independence → willingness to criticise → scrutiny that carries weight

AO3: Evaluation

• The specification describes AO3 as: "Evaluate aspects of politics and political information, including to construct arguments, make substantiated judgements and draw conclusions."

• You gain AO3 marks by judging which arguments are stronger and why, and reaching a conclusion that follows from your argument

• Evaluation is not just for the conclusion

  • Top-level answers make judgements throughout, for example a short judgement at the end of each paragraph

• A judgement with no reason behind it earns little credit

• AO3 is not assessed on 12-mark questions, so do not spend time reaching a judgement there

Examples

A weak response

"Overall, select committees are effective."

• This is an assertion

  • It gives no reason and does not deal with the other side

A stronger response

"Select committees are effective at exposing problems, as the Business and Trade Committee's hearings on the Post Office Horizon scandal showed. However, they cannot force the government to act, because their recommendations are not binding. They are therefore effective at holding the government to account in public, but much less effective at changing what it does."

• This is stronger evaluation

  • It weighs a strength against a limit and reaches a clear, qualified judgement that answers the question

Going beyond the basics

• Three features are typical of top-level politics answers

Synoptic links

• Synoptic means drawing on knowledge from other parts of the course

• The specification assesses this in particular places:

  • Paper 2 Section A essays: draw on Component 1, UK politics and core political ideas

  • Paper 3A Sections A and B: draw on UK politics and UK government when comparing the US and the UK

  • Paper 3B Section B: draw on core political ideas from Component 1

• In the example question, a synoptic link might connect committee scrutiny to the debate about representative democracy from Component 1

Named thinkers and theories

• 24-mark political ideas questions: use named thinkers from the specification, accurately and to support a point

  • An answer with no thinkers from the specification cannot go above Level 2 (9 marks)

• Paper 3 12-mark 'Analyse' questions: use at least one comparative theory on 3A, or link realism and liberalism to a core political idea on 3B

  • Naming a thinker or a theory earns nothing on its own, so use it to move your argument forward

Current, precise examples

• Specific, dated examples strengthen all three skills

  • "The 2024 general election" or "the Post Office Horizon hearings" is stronger than "recently" or "in some cases"

• Link older examples to the present, so your judgement is about politics now