Political Parties | Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0)
Political Parties
- 60 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Component 1: UK politics
- Component 1
Covers what parties are for and how they are paid for, the ideas and internal divisions of the established parties, the smaller parties that shape policy without governing, and whether the UK still has a two-party system..
It covers political parties and their funding, established political parties, emerging and minor political parties and party systems and parties in context.
Sample questions from Political Parties
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Political parties and their funding
What is meant by a party’s role in "making government accountable"?
Show the answer
The governing party can be held responsible for its record at elections, while opposition parties scrutinise and offer an alternative government. -
Political parties and their funding
What did the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) establish?
Show the answer
It established the Electoral Commission and introduced requirements for parties to declare donations above a threshold and report their spending. -
Established political parties
What are the traditional policy priorities of the Conservative Party?
Show the answer
Free-market economics, lower taxation, individual responsibility, law and order, and a cautious approach to constitutional change. -
Established political parties
What did the Liberal Democrats propose on welfare in their 2024 manifesto?
Show the answer
Scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap, free personal care in England, and raising Carer's Allowance and extending who can claim it. -
Emerging and minor political parties
What is the "importance of other parties" argument in UK politics?
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Smaller parties widen voter choice, represent interests the main parties neglect, and can determine outcomes in hung parliaments or devolved government. -
Emerging and minor political parties
Why has Plaid Cymru had less electoral success than the SNP?
Show the answer
Support for Welsh independence has been consistently lower than for Scottish independence, Labour has remained dominant in Wales, and Welsh devolution began with weaker powers, so the platform for a nationalist party was smaller. -
Party systems and parties in context
Which two parties dominate government formation at Westminster?
Show the answer
The Conservative Party and the Labour Party. -
Party systems and parties in context
How does leadership authority affect internal party unity?
Show the answer
A leader with strong authority can command loyalty and suppress dissent, while weak leadership allows factions to challenge party positions and reduces cohesion.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Political parties and their funding | Recall questions on the functions of a party, where party money comes from, the case for state funding, and the rules that govern donations. | 11 |
| Established political parties | Recall questions on the origins of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, New Labour and Clause IV, each party’s traditional policy profile, the Liberal Democrats in coalition and in their 2024 manifesto, and the welfare and foreign policies of Starmer’s Labour and Badenoch’s Conservatives. | 23 |
| Emerging and minor political parties | Recall questions on why minor parties have grown in importance, what counts as a minor party, the aims of the Greens and the SNP, why Plaid Cymru has won less than the SNP, how UKIP changed policy without power, and minor parties in the devolved legislatures and under first past the post. | 12 |
| Party systems and parties in context | Recall questions on two-party and multi-party systems, the party system at Westminster and in the devolved bodies, the factors that decide internal party unity, and the divisions within the Conservative and Labour parties. | 14 |
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.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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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.
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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.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Politics Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,101 questions with their answers.