Relations Between the Branches | Edexcel A-Level Politics (9PL0)
Relations Between the Branches
- 54 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Component 2: UK government
- Component 2
Covers how the courts, Parliament and the executive check one another: the Supreme Court and judicial review, executive dominance of the Commons, the effect of EU membership and its ending, and where sovereignty now sits..
It covers the Supreme Court, judicial independence and judicial review, parliament and executive dominance, the European Union and its impact on the UK and the location of sovereignty in the UK.
Sample questions from Relations Between the Branches
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The Supreme Court, judicial independence and judicial review
What does judicial independence mean?
Show the answer
The judiciary must be free from interference or pressure from the executive and legislature when making decisions. -
The Supreme Court, judicial independence and judicial review
What does the term 'ultra vires' mean?
Show the answer
Acting beyond one's legal powers or authority. -
Parliament and executive dominance
What happens if a government loses a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons?
Show the answer
The government can be removed from office. -
Parliament and executive dominance
Who coined the term 'elective dictatorship' and when?
Show the answer
Lord Hailsham in 1976. -
The European Union and its impact on the UK
How did EU membership affect UK parliamentary sovereignty?
Show the answer
The UK had to accept the supremacy of EU law in areas of EU competence, limiting parliamentary sovereignty. -
The European Union and its impact on the UK
How did EU membership change the role of UK courts?
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UK courts became obliged to give effect to EU law and, where domestic legislation conflicted with it, to disapply the domestic provision. The Factortame litigation established that even an Act of Parliament could be set aside on that basis. -
The location of sovereignty in the UK
How have referendums affected sovereignty in the UK?
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They have shifted political sovereignty to the people on major constitutional questions, even though Parliament retains legal sovereignty. -
The location of sovereignty in the UK
What does it mean that no body can override or set aside parliamentary legislation?
Show the answer
No court, institution, or other body has the authority to invalidate an Act of Parliament.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The Supreme Court, judicial independence and judicial review | Recall questions on the creation of the Supreme Court, what judicial independence and neutrality require, judicial review, ultra vires and declarations of incompatibility. | 16 |
| Parliament and executive dominance | Recall questions on question time, select committees, the whip system, the elective dictatorship thesis and what a small majority changes. | 14 |
| The European Union and its impact on the UK | Recall questions on the aims of the EU, how membership affected parliamentary sovereignty and the courts, and what has replaced EU law since withdrawal. | 12 |
| The location of sovereignty in the UK | Recall questions on legal and political sovereignty, the three parts of the sovereignty doctrine, and how devolution, referendums and the Miller cases have changed the picture. | 12 |
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.