Summary CEA GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AS1 The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland

Government and Politics Assessment Unit AS 1 assessing The Government and Politics of Northern Ireland [SGP11] FRIDAY 17 MAY, AFTERNOON MARK SCHEME General Marking Instructions Introduction The main purpose of the mark scheme is to ensure that examinations are marked accurately, consistently and fairly. The mark scheme provides examiners with an indication of the nature and range of candidates’ responses likely to be worthy of credit. It also sets out the criteria which they should apply in allocating marks to candidates’ responses. Assessment objectives Below are the assessment objectives for GCE Government and Politics. Candidates 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. Quality of candidates’ responses In marking the examination papers, examiners 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 candidates 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 candidates may produce. In the event of unanticipated answers, examiners are expected to use their professional judgement to assess the validity of answers. If an answer is particularly problematic, then examiners should seek the guidance of the Supervising Examiner. Positive marking Examiners are encouraged to be positive in their marking, giving appropriate credit for what candidates know, understand and can do rather than penalising candidates for errors or omissions. Examiners 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 candidate. 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. Types of mark schemes