A-level Politics essay planner
Edexcel A-level Politics
Three themes in 45 minutes
1Representation
2024's disproportionality versus the constituency link.
2Government
Single-party majorities versus 2010 and 2017 hung parliaments.
3Alternatives
AMS in Scotland and the 2011 AV result.
- Theme, argument and counter-argument
- 0 to 5 minPlan: three themes, the evidence for each side, and your line.
- 5 to 8 minIntroduction: define the key term, name the criterion and state your line.
- 8 to 18 minTheme 1: argument with evidence, the strongest counter-argument, mini-judgement.
- 18 to 28 minTheme 2: the same.
- 28 to 38 minTheme 3: the same.
- 38 to 43 minConclusion: your judgement, the criterion that decides it and when it holds.
- 43 to 45 minCheck dates, names and figures.
- Weigh the view and the alternative in balance. A one-sided essay is held at Level 2: 12 marks at most.
- On Paper 2, draw on Paper 1 (parties, elections, democracy or the core ideas), or Level 5 is out of reach.
- Judge in every paragraph, not only at the end.
Questions people ask
How are the marks split on a 30-mark answer?
Ten marks each for knowledge (AO1), analysis (AO2) and evaluation (AO3). A 24-mark ideas answer splits 8, 8 and 8.
What happens if I only argue one side?
A source answer that does not use both views in a balanced way, or an essay that does not weigh the alternative, is held at Level 2: 12 marks at most.
How long should I spend?
About 45 minutes on each 30-mark answer and 30 minutes on the 24-mark ideas question, which fits the two-hour paper.
Do I need thinkers in an ideas answer?
Yes. Without an appropriate specified thinker, or with only one side considered, an ideas answer is held at Level 2: 9 marks at most.
Keep going
How we work this out
What it does
Pick the question type, choose or type a question, and get three themes, a minute-by-minute plan and the rules that cap marks.
The extended questions on Edexcel A-level Politics Papers 1 and 2: the 30-mark source question, the 30-mark essay and the 24-mark ideas question.
Method
- Each question type carries Pearson's split of marks between knowledge (AO1), analysis (AO2) and evaluation (AO3).
- The rules come from Pearson's question-specific guidance: the balance rule for source questions and essays, and the thinker rule for ideas questions.
- A question from the course uses the themes of its own plan. A typed question is matched to a topic by its key words, and the topic supplies three themes, each with an argument and a counter-argument.
- The timing splits the suggested 45 or 30 minutes into planning, three themed paragraphs and a conclusion.