AQA A-Level Politics guide FAQ (7152)
Guide overview All 33 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA A-Level Politics: questions and answers
Specification 7152. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
Which ideology do I do?
Liberalism, conservatism and socialism are compulsory. One further ideology is chosen by your school from nationalism, feminism, multiculturalism, anarchism and ecologism.
All five options are in the guide. Work yours and skip the other four.
Is the comparative section really examined?
Yes, on Paper 2. Constitutions and legislatures, the executives, the judiciaries, electoral and party systems, pressure groups and civil rights are each compared, and the three theoretical approaches are examined alongside them.
How current does my knowledge need to be?
Current enough to use recent examples. The guide covers the institutions, processes and debates, which do not change year to year. Keep your own file of recent examples on top of it, because examiners credit current ones.
Are the key thinkers covered?
Yes. Paper 3 names specific thinkers for each ideology and the guide asks who they are, what they argued and where they differ from others in the same tradition.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 19 to 136 questions, so work by subtopic.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. The essays are marked on specific evidence and on distinguishing between positions precisely, and step 2 is where a loose version gets corrected. The method page sets out the evidence.
When should I start?
7152 is linear, so all three papers are sat at the end of Year 13. UK politics is normally taught first and is a third of the A-level on its own.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. Past papers train the extract question, the comparative essay and the thirty-minute clock on a twenty-five mark answer. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 2,215 exam-style questions covering the whole of AQA A-Level Politics including all five optional ideologies, with the answers printed after each topic.
Is politics not just opinion?
Not as examined. The marks are for institutions, processes, named cases, named thinkers and the ability to weigh evidence. An opinion without that evidence scores little.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA A-Level Politics is 7152.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£8.00 for the whole specification. An endorsed A-Level Politics textbook is usually £25 to £35 and covers one of the three papers.
How much time does the whole course take?
169 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 56 hours for everything, and closer to 47 once the four unused ideologies are skipped.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, which AQA publishes free, and a habit of following current politics for recent examples.
AQA A-Level Politics Active Recall Guide
2,215 questions with their answers, 169 subtopics, one file.