Taking Citizenship Action (AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies): Revision Note

An introduction to the investigation

• As a part of your course, you must take part in carrying out a Citizenship Investigation that leads to you taking some citizenship action

  • This work can be done alone, with others or as a whole class exercise

• You will be asked some questions about your Investigation in Part A - Active Citizenship of Paper One

  • These questions are worth 15% of the marks of the whole GCSE

The investigation: deciding and researching the Issue

• At the start of your Citizenship Action, you must choose an issue that matters and clearly links to the GCSE Citizenship course

  • The issue can be local, national or global, but it must be realistic and safe to investigate

• You should turn your issue into a clear question and decide your aims

  • Your aim explains what you want to change or improve.

• You may also decide on a hypothesis

  • This is your main idea or belief that you want to test using evidence

An example issue, question, aim and hypothesis

• Once you have chosen your issue, you must carry out research.

  • Secondary research is information that already exists, such as:

    • News articles

    • Government or charity websites

    • Statistics and reports

  • Primary research is information you collect yourself, such as:

    • Surveys

    • Interviews

    • Petitions or opinion polls

• You should use a range of sources, including some that may disagree with your original ideas

• After researching, you should use your research to decide whether your question or hypothesis needs to be changed based on the evidence you have found

The investigation: planning

• Before taking action, you must plan carefully

• You should decide:

  • What action (or actions) will best help you achieve your aim

  • Why you have chosen this action

  • Who will be involved and what their roles are

  • When the action will take place

• This should be written as a clear Action Plan, showing the order of actions and how they link back to your aims

  • Your teacher must approve your plan before you begin

• You should also think about:

  • Possible problems or barriers, such as

    • What you will do if part of the plan cannot go ahead

    • Whether the action is realistic within the time available

    • Whether you have the resources, time and information required

• Example actions include

  • Writing to an MP or local pressure group

  • Running a school awareness campaign

  • Organising a petition

  • Creating posters or presentations

  • Supporting a local organisation

The investigation: taking action

• This stage is where you carry out your planned action.

• You should

  • Follow your Action Plan

  • Be prepared to adapt if something does not go as expected

  • Communicate clearly with anyone involved

  • Consider and record the views of others

• It is important to record evidence of what you do

  • This might include:

    • Photos

    • Emails or letters

    • Survey results

    • Attendance numbers

    • Screenshots of online activity

• Examples of evidence

  • If you organised a petition, record how many people signed it and what feedback you received

  • Keep copies of letters, emails or other correspondence

  • Take photos or keep an attendance list of the event or participants involved

  • Ask teachers or other adults for witness statements

• Even if your action does not fully succeed, this is still valid citizenship action, as long as you can explain what happened and why

The investigation: assessing the impact and evaluation

• After completing your action, you must assess its impact and evaluate the whole process

• To assess impact, you should ask:

  • Did the action achieve your aims?

  • Did it make a difference to people, a group or the community?

  • What evidence shows this?

• To evaluate, you should reflect on:

  • What worked well

  • What was less successful

  • What you would change if you did the project again

  • What you learned about citizenship, democracy and participation

• You should also explain:

  • How your skills improved

    • For example research, teamwork or communication

  • How the investigation helped you understand how citizens can make a difference

• This reflection is very important, as exam questions in Paper 1 Section A will ask you to apply and evaluate what you did during your citizenship action