A Level Politics
Complete Revision Notes
Pearson Edexcel Papers 1, 2 & 3 Code 9PL0
· ·
, How to Use These Notes
These notes cover the complete Pearson Edexcel A Level Politics speci
cation (9PL0), Issue 3
(2022), matching all three components including all
ve non-core political ideas and both
Component 3 options (USA and Global Politics).
Colour Code Key
■ Blue Key concepts and explanations
■ Green De
nitions (learn these precisely)
■ Orange Exam technique and question guidance
■ Red Thinkers and their key ideas
■ Purple Evaluation points and debates
Assessment structure (9PL0):
Component 1 (33.3%): UK Politics & Core Political Ideas 2 hours, 84 marks
Component 2 (33.3%): UK Government & Non-core Political Ideas 2 hours, 84 marks
Component 3 (33.3%): Comparative Politics (USA or Global) 2 hours, 84 marks
Assessment Objectives:
AO1 (35%): Knowledge and understanding of institutions, processes, concepts, theories and
issues
AO2 (35%): Analysis, including parallels, connections, similarities and dierences
AO3 (30%): Evaluation, constructing arguments and making substantiated judgements
Exam tip: AO1 and AO2 are equal at 35% each. You must both know the content and be able
to analyse and compare. For 30-mark questions use a structured argument: claim → evidence →
analysis → counter-argument → conclusion. Thinkers must be used in political ideas answers.
,Contents
1 Democracy and Participation 4
1.1 Direct and Representative Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Widening the Franchise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Pressure Groups and Other In
uences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Rights in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Political Parties 6
2.1 Functions and Features of Political Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2 The Three Main Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3 Emerging and Minor Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4 The Multi-party System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Electoral Systems 7
3.1 Dierent Electoral Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Referendums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Electoral System Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4 Voting Behaviour and the Media 8
4.1 Factors Explaining Election Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.2 The In
uence of the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5 Core Political Ideas: Conservatism 9
5.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.2 Diering Views Within Conservatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.3 Conservative Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6 Core Political Ideas: Liberalism 10
6.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.2 Diering Views Within Liberalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.3 Liberal Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7 Core Political Ideas: Socialism 12
7.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7.2 Diering Views Within Socialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7.3 Socialist Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8 The Constitution 14
8.1 Nature and Sources of the UK Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
8.2 Constitutional Change Since 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8.3 Devolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8.4 Debates on Further Reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
9 Parliament 16
9.1 Structure of Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.2 Functions of Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.3 Comparative Powers of the Two Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.4 Parliament and the Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
10 Prime Minister and Executive 17
10.1 Structure of the Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.2 Ministerial Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.3 The Prime Minister and Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11 Relations Between the Branches 18
11.1 The Supreme Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.2 Executive vs Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.3 The EU and Sovereignty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.4 Location of Sovereignty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2
, Edexcel A Level Politics Complete Notes 9PL0
12 Non-core Political Ideas 19
12.1 Feminism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.2 Nationalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.3 Ecologism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.4 Anarchism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
12.5 Multiculturalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
13 The US Constitution and Federalism 23
14 US Congress 23
14.1 Structure and Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
14.2 Functions of Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
15 US Presidency 24
15.1 Formal Powers (Article II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
15.2 Informal Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
16 US Supreme Court and Civil Rights 25
16.1 Nature and Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
16.2 Race and Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17 US Democracy and Participation 25
17.1 Presidential Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17.2 Campaign Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
17.3 US Parties and Voting Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
17.4 Interest Groups in the USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
18 Comparative Theories (USA & UK) 26
19 The State and Globalisation 28
20 Global Governance: Political and Economic 28
20.1 Political Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
20.2 Economic Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
21 Global Governance: Human Rights and Environmental 29
21.1 Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
21.2 Environmental Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
22 Power and Developments 30
23 Regionalism and the European Union 30
24 Comparative Theories: Realism and Liberalism 31
3
Complete Revision Notes
Pearson Edexcel Papers 1, 2 & 3 Code 9PL0
· ·
, How to Use These Notes
These notes cover the complete Pearson Edexcel A Level Politics speci
cation (9PL0), Issue 3
(2022), matching all three components including all
ve non-core political ideas and both
Component 3 options (USA and Global Politics).
Colour Code Key
■ Blue Key concepts and explanations
■ Green De
nitions (learn these precisely)
■ Orange Exam technique and question guidance
■ Red Thinkers and their key ideas
■ Purple Evaluation points and debates
Assessment structure (9PL0):
Component 1 (33.3%): UK Politics & Core Political Ideas 2 hours, 84 marks
Component 2 (33.3%): UK Government & Non-core Political Ideas 2 hours, 84 marks
Component 3 (33.3%): Comparative Politics (USA or Global) 2 hours, 84 marks
Assessment Objectives:
AO1 (35%): Knowledge and understanding of institutions, processes, concepts, theories and
issues
AO2 (35%): Analysis, including parallels, connections, similarities and dierences
AO3 (30%): Evaluation, constructing arguments and making substantiated judgements
Exam tip: AO1 and AO2 are equal at 35% each. You must both know the content and be able
to analyse and compare. For 30-mark questions use a structured argument: claim → evidence →
analysis → counter-argument → conclusion. Thinkers must be used in political ideas answers.
,Contents
1 Democracy and Participation 4
1.1 Direct and Representative Democracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Widening the Franchise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Pressure Groups and Other In
uences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Rights in Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 Political Parties 6
2.1 Functions and Features of Political Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2 The Three Main Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.3 Emerging and Minor Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4 The Multi-party System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3 Electoral Systems 7
3.1 Dierent Electoral Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 Referendums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Electoral System Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4 Voting Behaviour and the Media 8
4.1 Factors Explaining Election Outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.2 The In
uence of the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5 Core Political Ideas: Conservatism 9
5.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.2 Diering Views Within Conservatism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5.3 Conservative Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6 Core Political Ideas: Liberalism 10
6.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.2 Diering Views Within Liberalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.3 Liberal Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7 Core Political Ideas: Socialism 12
7.1 Core Ideas and Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7.2 Diering Views Within Socialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
7.3 Socialist Thinkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8 The Constitution 14
8.1 Nature and Sources of the UK Constitution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
8.2 Constitutional Change Since 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8.3 Devolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8.4 Debates on Further Reform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
9 Parliament 16
9.1 Structure of Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.2 Functions of Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.3 Comparative Powers of the Two Houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
9.4 Parliament and the Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
10 Prime Minister and Executive 17
10.1 Structure of the Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.2 Ministerial Responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.3 The Prime Minister and Cabinet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11 Relations Between the Branches 18
11.1 The Supreme Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.2 Executive vs Parliament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.3 The EU and Sovereignty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.4 Location of Sovereignty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2
, Edexcel A Level Politics Complete Notes 9PL0
12 Non-core Political Ideas 19
12.1 Feminism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.2 Nationalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.3 Ecologism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.4 Anarchism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
12.5 Multiculturalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
13 The US Constitution and Federalism 23
14 US Congress 23
14.1 Structure and Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
14.2 Functions of Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
15 US Presidency 24
15.1 Formal Powers (Article II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
15.2 Informal Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
16 US Supreme Court and Civil Rights 25
16.1 Nature and Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
16.2 Race and Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17 US Democracy and Participation 25
17.1 Presidential Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
17.2 Campaign Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
17.3 US Parties and Voting Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
17.4 Interest Groups in the USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
18 Comparative Theories (USA & UK) 26
19 The State and Globalisation 28
20 Global Governance: Political and Economic 28
20.1 Political Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
20.2 Economic Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
21 Global Governance: Human Rights and Environmental 29
21.1 Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
21.2 Environmental Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
22 Power and Developments 30
23 Regionalism and the European Union 30
24 Comparative Theories: Realism and Liberalism 31
3
