I am so sorry for not updating this blog regularly, so I am well aware that a lot of the stuff on this blog is now outdated (though not too much since I completed my a levels in the summer of 2015). I'm studying at UCL and the workload is immense so I do not get much time to update the blog. However, I will post some more notes, essay plans and whatnot from one of my tutees this weekend.
Ask away!
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ReplyDeleteHi, I was wondering if you made any predictions for unit 3c and 4c for your year? If so, is it possible to make some predictions for june 2017 please?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I have hardly looked at the past papers so I cannot make any predictions based of that. Though, there is a pattern that follows with some exams, for instance, judiciary seems to come up only I believe every 3 years for 4C as a 45 marker. However, that may have changed, I'm not too sure now. The exams are written around December time (so, December 2016) I believe and it is often based around things that have happened since then. I definitely think that Electoral College could pop up, or something to do with the presidential election such as primaries as 15 markers and EC as a 45 marker. Imperial presidency as well perhaps because that's a common one and we've seen a lot of stuff from Trump's presidency already. Honestly, I'm not sure, I'll have a think about this later.
Deletefor imperial presidency can u pls updae ur blog just with recent examples x
Deleteim so stressed because im currently underachiveing and im expected to have an A/B for uni.. thats why xx
Obama's final month in power should be looked at, with his passing of executive orders including the halting of the North Dakota Pipeline. You can also look to Trump now and his use of Executive Orders to try and circumvent Congress, particularly in relation to immigration...this provides you with scope to analyse how the president is still imperilled and limited though by the judiciary.
DeleteThanks for you help so much!
DeleteCan you use your info for the 45 only?.. Since your anexaminer, if we revise these answers presented is it risky ? because I feel like Klai K's blog breaks it down so easy for us to udnerstand and ocmprehend better than the mark schemes tbhh..
I don't understand what you mean? No information is just relevant for a 45 mark or 15 mark question??? Examples are needed across all questions. You need to use a combination of this blog (which beware is out of date for examples), mark schemes, examiners reports and current, relevant examples to revise.
DeleteOkay makes sense !
DeleteMaybe if i repharse what i initally wanted to say was that , I want to know if I use information from this blog for potential exam questions with my own examples would that be suffiecient enough?
Because perosanlly I think that the teachers dont go through the points you need for exam questions enough. Thats why im findidng this blog very useful.
any chance you could help with 'how federal is the USA in practice?'
ReplyDeleteLook at how entrenched federal features in the USA are. For instance, Electoral College is still in place despite it being super old an an anachronism (imo), and it is important for federal identity in the USA. Look at things like healthcare and how arguably federalism has been eroded (e.g. power taken away from the states) under each president, look at Supreme Court cases like Obergefell v. Hodges and decide for yourself whether it's right for the federal state to say that all states have to legalise gay marriage.
DeleteHow do we get synoptic marks in the edexcel exam, is it just different political viewpoints?
ReplyDeleteDifferent political viewpoints basically, but I've noticed all teachers say differently haha.
DeleteAs a teacher and examiner, I can tell you it has nothing to do with different political views. it is about being able to branch across the course, so if the question was on the Supreme Court that you would be able to use your knowledge of the Constitution, Affirmative Action, perhaps Pressure Groups. It is about being able to piggy back your knowledge from Unit 3 and Unit 4.
DeleteObviously within your AO2a and AO2b marks you should show different perspectives as that is evaluating information.
How do you write fast in the exam and any key tips ?? X
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you can pls pls do any other 15 mark exam qs that u you haven't done and if u have time can u help with if the Supreme Court is too powerful
No idea tbh, I usually wrote 5-6 sides for a 45 marker in half an hour maybe, I just wrote incredibly fast. I guess I just kind of practiced everything and had everything already memorised so I just put it down to paper as quickly as possible. It just takes practice.
DeleteI'll upload some more 15 markers as well as Supreme Court stuff soon since that's something I have very recently covered with a tutee of mine.
Thanks Lovley!
DeleteMay you be rewarded more abundantly!
What are your best tips for politics revision to actually remember the things you are learning as the content is a lot, also do you think it is too risky to revise 3/4 on each topic?
ReplyDeleteSpider diagrams helped me a lot, once you've covered that you should just move straight onto essay planning and basically memorising everything and all possible 45 markers that can come up because they're repeated literally every single year. For 4C it can be risky yes, I personally only did three out of the four topics. I missed out the Supreme Court topics 45 markers from my revision and just focused on the 15 markers because they were easy to nail. So, if you are going to skip a topic because for instance, the 45 mark essays are horrible (like pressure groups for 3C), then at least study for its 15 markers because they're always straightforward and simple.
DeleteHey, im stuck at this situation !
Deleteat the momment I have no notes for Politics and I just thought I will just do essay plans. So is what I am doing risky because there isnt enough time to do notes and essay plans ??
I made no notes whatsoever the entire two years I studied politics. I just found them pointless because the exam is completely different and requires you to write essays, not provide a series of short answers to 20 different questions asking you to define what a primary is for example lol.
DeleteSo, I just simply stuck to making essay plans the entire year and then memorising them. I am not saying you should exclude content and contextual knowledge, it is important you understand literally everything you have studied, which I did, and hence I did not see the need to make notes because it is all pretty basic. But, I ended up doing essay plans the whole year because the exam literally just requires you to answer essays and the majority of the questions you get (seriously, look through the exam papers) are repeated every single year. There is only a certain number of 45 mark questions you can be asked for each topic and each year they are repeated, there is nothing new so there will not be any surprises. The exam pretty much tests your memory skills not you actual knowledge, just like every other A level I did :D