A-level POLITICS Paper 1 Government and politics of the UK

A-level POLITICS Paper 1 Government and politics of the UK Tuesday 21 May 2024 Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours Materials For this paper you must have: • an AQA 12-page answer book. Instructions • Use black ink or black ball-point pen. • Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7152/1. • Answer all questions from Section A and Section B. • Answer one question from Section C. • Do all rough work in your answer book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked. • Do not tear out any part of the book. All work must be handed in. • If you use more than one answer book, check that you have written the information required on each book. Information • The marks for questions are shown in brackets. • The maximum mark for this paper is 77. Section A – Short Questions Answer questions 1, 2 and 3. Explain and analyse three ways in which Labour Party ideology has changed under its different leaders. [9 marks] Explain and analyse three ways in which backbench MPs can influence policy within the legislative process. [9 marks] Explain and analyse three ways in which pressure groups promote democracy in the UK. [9 marks] Section B – Extract Question Read the extracts below and answer question 4 that follows. The impact of referendums upon democracy in the UK Extract 1 Referendums bypass the procedures designed to optimise decision-making Representative democracy is indirect democracy. The ignorance, self-interest and emotion, which almost all of us are capable of, are filtered out by the institutions and procedures of representative democracy. These are designed specifically for that purpose and allow mature intelligence to be focused on the business of government. Referendums bypass the institutions and procedures designed to optimise decision-making, and go straight for the opposite, posing a simplified question to a body of people among whom very few have given the matter much thought. In handing decision-making over to a referendum, politicians thereby abandon responsibility, and there is little guarantee that the outcome will be the most considered possible alternative. The example of the EU referendum is likely to make future thinking about referendums more cautious and sensible. Phrases such as ‘the will of the people’ do not bear scrutiny in referendums without the safeguards of full franchises and threshold requirements. Extract adapted from an article by AC Grayling for the politically independent magazine Prospect, February 2017. AC Grayling is an academic at Northeastern University and Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford. Extract 2 A report on the use of referendums in the United Kingdom In 2010, the House of Lords Constitution Committee published a report on the use of referendums in the United Kingdom and considered arguments from witnesses. Some expressed the view that referendums could legitimise policy decisions and help restore public faith in democracy. Referendums give the public an opportunity to think deeply about an issue and often this improved knowledge and understanding. Others argued that referendums tend to be dominated by elite groups rather than being about the views of the public. Some believed that referendums improved public engagement with politics overall, as people could see that their active participation had real policy implications. However, others argued that there were increasing signs of public apathy to votes, and that low turnout in referendums could question the legitimacy of the result. There were contrasting views among the Committee’s witnesses over whether referendums can settle a policy issue. Extract adapted from a House of Lords Library Briefing that was prepared in advance of a July 2018 House of Lords debate on the impact of referendums upon parliamentary democracy. Analyse, evaluate and compare the arguments in the above extracts regarding the impact of referendums upon democracy in the UK. [25 marks] Turn over for Section C Turn over ► Section C – Essay Question Answer either question 5 or question 6. In your answer you should draw on material from across the whole range of your course of study in Politics. Either 0 5 ‘UK political parties should be funded by the state.’ Analyse and evaluate this statement. [25 marks] or ‘Social class is still the main influence on voting behaviour in the UK.’ Analyse and evaluate this statement. [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after each live examination series and is available for free download from Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.