The Structure and Role of Parliament | AQA A-Level Politics (7152)

The Structure and Role of Parliament

87 questions
6 subtopics
Paper 1: government and politics of the UK
Paper 1

The two chambers, how a bill becomes law, the competing theories of what an MP is for, and the machinery — select committees, questions, the opposition — by which Parliament holds the government to account..

It covers the Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege, the Passage of a Public Bill, burke and the Models of Representation, the Roles of MPs and Peers, scrutiny of the Executive and PMQs and select Committees, the Opposition and Parliament's Influence.

Sample questions from The Structure and Role of Parliament

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege

Which Act made it possible to appoint peers for their lifetime only?

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The Life Peerages Act 1958.
The Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege

Define parliamentary privilege.

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The legal protections enjoyed by Parliament, chiefly freedom of speech in its proceedings, which cannot be challenged in the courts.
The Passage of a Public Bill

What happens at first reading?

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The bill's title is formally announced and it is printed; there is no debate and no vote.
The Passage of a Public Bill

What is a money bill, and how does it restrict the Lords?

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It is a bill certified by the Speaker as dealing only with taxation or public spending, and the Lords can delay it for no more than a month.
Burke and the Models of Representation

Give one criticism of the trustee model.

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It can be used to justify ignoring constituents entirely, which sits badly with democratic accountability.
Burke and the Models of Representation

How does the mandate model justify strong party discipline?

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MPs were elected on the party's platform, so voting with the party is what actually delivers the programme voters endorsed.
The Roles of MPs and Peers

What is the essential tension an MP faces between the three models?

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They are pulled between their own judgement, the wishes of their constituents and the instructions of their party.
The Roles of MPs and Peers

Why are peers often readier than MPs to defeat the government?

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They sit for life, no single party has a majority in the Lords, and independent crossbenchers hold the balance.

The 6 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The Two Chambers and Parliamentary Privilege	Recall questions on the make-up of the Commons and the Lords, the Speaker, life peers, the Lords Spiritual and crossbenchers, the revising role of the Lords, and parliamentary privilege and how it can be abused.	12
The Passage of a Public Bill	Recall questions on public and private members' bills, each stage of a bill from first reading to royal assent, ping-pong, money bills and the Salisbury Convention, and delegated legislation and its scrutiny.	17
Burke and the Models of Representation	Recall questions on Burke's trustee model and its critics, the delegate model, the doctrine of the mandate and party discipline, and the descriptive or resemblance model of representation.	11
The Roles of MPs and Peers	Recall questions on the roles of a backbench MP, redress of grievances and constituency work, whips and free votes, what peers add and what limits them, and how referendums sit alongside representative democracy.	18
Scrutiny of the Executive and PMQs	Recall questions on what scrutiny means, the mechanisms Parliament uses and the criticisms made of Prime Minister's Questions.	11
Select Committees, the Opposition and Parliament's Influence	Recall questions on the Public Accounts Committee and the limits of select committees, the official opposition, opposition days and Short money, votes of no confidence, and when Parliament's influence over government rises or falls.	18

The Structure and Role of Parliament is 87 of the 2,215 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.