ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY (AS)
General Certificate of Education
Government and Politics
Assessment Unit AS 2
assessing
The British Political Process
[SGP21]
Assessment
MARK
SCHEME
12431.01
, General Marking Instructions
Introduction
The main purpose of the mark scheme is to ensure that papers are marked accurately, consistently
and fairly. The mark scheme provides teachers with an indication of the nature and range of students’
responses likely to be worthy of credit. It also sets out the criteria which they should apply in allocating
marks to students’ responses.
Assessment objectives
Below are the assessment objectives for GCE Government and Politics.
Students should be able to:
AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts,
theories and debates.
AO2 Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and theories; identify parallels,
connections, similarities and differences between the political systems studied.
AO3 Construct and communicate coherent arguments making use of a range of appropriate political
vocabulary.
Not all AOs are assessed in every question. In shorter, factual recall questions only AO1 may be
assessed. In longer extended writing responses all three AOs may be assessed.
Quality of students’ responses
In marking the examination papers, teachers should be looking for a quality of response reflecting the
level of maturity which may reasonably be expected of a 17 or 18-year-old which is the age at which the
majority of students sit their GCE examinations.
Flexibility in marking
Mark schemes are not intended to be totally prescriptive. No mark scheme can cover all the responses
which students may produce. In the event of unanticipated answers, teachers are expected to use their
professional judgement to assess the validity of answers.
Positive marking
Teachers are encouraged to be positive in their marking, giving appropriate credit for what students
know, understand and can do rather than penalising students for errors or omissions. Teachers should
make use of the whole of the available mark range for any particular question and be prepared to award
full marks for a response which is as good as might reasonably be expected of a 17 or 18-year-old GCE
student.
Awarding zero marks
Marks should only be awarded for valid responses and no marks should be awarded for an answer
which is completely incorrect or inappropriate.
Examples and evidence
In a subject such as Government and Politics, the use of relevant examples and evidence is crucial.
However, the amount of evidence/examples required depends upon the nature of the question.
• shorter, factual recall questions may require no evidence/examples at all.
• other short questions may require an example is given but not developed.
• some source-based questions may identify an example and the task for students is to identify and
then explain this example (and usually provide another).
12431.01 2
General Certificate of Education
Government and Politics
Assessment Unit AS 2
assessing
The British Political Process
[SGP21]
Assessment
MARK
SCHEME
12431.01
, General Marking Instructions
Introduction
The main purpose of the mark scheme is to ensure that papers are marked accurately, consistently
and fairly. The mark scheme provides teachers with an indication of the nature and range of students’
responses likely to be worthy of credit. It also sets out the criteria which they should apply in allocating
marks to students’ responses.
Assessment objectives
Below are the assessment objectives for GCE Government and Politics.
Students should be able to:
AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts,
theories and debates.
AO2 Analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and theories; identify parallels,
connections, similarities and differences between the political systems studied.
AO3 Construct and communicate coherent arguments making use of a range of appropriate political
vocabulary.
Not all AOs are assessed in every question. In shorter, factual recall questions only AO1 may be
assessed. In longer extended writing responses all three AOs may be assessed.
Quality of students’ responses
In marking the examination papers, teachers should be looking for a quality of response reflecting the
level of maturity which may reasonably be expected of a 17 or 18-year-old which is the age at which the
majority of students sit their GCE examinations.
Flexibility in marking
Mark schemes are not intended to be totally prescriptive. No mark scheme can cover all the responses
which students may produce. In the event of unanticipated answers, teachers are expected to use their
professional judgement to assess the validity of answers.
Positive marking
Teachers are encouraged to be positive in their marking, giving appropriate credit for what students
know, understand and can do rather than penalising students for errors or omissions. Teachers should
make use of the whole of the available mark range for any particular question and be prepared to award
full marks for a response which is as good as might reasonably be expected of a 17 or 18-year-old GCE
student.
Awarding zero marks
Marks should only be awarded for valid responses and no marks should be awarded for an answer
which is completely incorrect or inappropriate.
Examples and evidence
In a subject such as Government and Politics, the use of relevant examples and evidence is crucial.
However, the amount of evidence/examples required depends upon the nature of the question.
• shorter, factual recall questions may require no evidence/examples at all.
• other short questions may require an example is given but not developed.
• some source-based questions may identify an example and the task for students is to identify and
then explain this example (and usually provide another).
12431.01 2
