AQA A-Level Politics Revision

The full topic list for AQA A-Level Politics, taken from the current specification, and how to revise every topic with AI marked practice.

6 topic groups · 60 numbered specification points · 66 checklist items

Official AQA specification (opens in a new tab)

Start revising free

Politics topic list

Tick each item off as you revise. Ticks are saved on this device only.

The government of the UK
- 1.1 Government and Politics of the UK is divided into ten sections. Each has a particular focus but their interrelationships must be understood to appreciate the complexities of the system. Students will study each of the prescribed sections below
- 1.2 The royal prerogative
- 1.3 Parliaments Acts (1911 and 1949)
- 1.4 Lords
- 1.5 legislation
- 1.6 the significance of Commons and Lords:work of committeesrole of the oppositionthe extent of Parliament’s influence on government decisions:Party discipline enables the government to routinely outvote oppositiongovernment control of civil servants’ appearances before Select Committeesmembership of those committees is largely controlled by the Whips' offices
- 1.7 inner cabinet
- 1.8 government/parliament relations – accountability/interest
- 1.9 judicial influence on government
- 1.10 impact of devolution on government of the UK
The politics of the UK
- 2.1 Democracy and participation
- 2.2 how suffrage has changed since the Great Reform Act (1832) to the present
- 2.3 Key concepts and terminology
- 2.4 three key elections since 1945 should be selected for detailed study. These should include:the 1997 general electionone election from before 1997one election since 1997
- 2.5 the reasons for and the influence of manifestos on the outcomes
- 2.6 Political parties
- 2.7 the origins, ideas and development of the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat parties and how these have helped shape their current policies
- 2.8 pluralism
- 2.9 typologies of pressure groups, including a detailed study of one insider and one outsider group
- 2.10 the impact of the EU on UK politics and policy making
Core ideologies
- 3.1 Liberalism
- 3.2 classical liberalism
- 3.3 classical liberalism, modern (new/progressive) liberalism
- 3.4 Thomas Hill Green – self development/role of the State, negative and positive freedom
- 3.5 traditional conservatism
- 3.6 core conservative ideas and values concerning government, the free market and the individual
- 3.7 Ayn Rand – opposition to collectivism and statism, rational and ethical egoism/individual rights
- 3.8 revolutionary socialism
- 3.9 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels – class and class struggle, dialectical materialism
- 3.10 Anthony Giddens – rejection of traditional conception of socialism, the ‘Third Way’ in politics, combination of right wing economic and left wing social policies
Other ideologies
- 4.1 Students will study one of the following five ideologies
- 4.2 Focus
- 4.3 Johann Gottfried von Herder – importance of language and cultural traditions to create a nation, concept of nationality and patriotism
- 4.4 Students should analyse and evaluate
- 4.5 Sheila Rowbotham – oppresssion of women and the working class, socialist feminism
- 4.6 core ideas and values of multiculturalism concerning equality of opportunity, anti-discrimination, assimilation
- 4.7 Anarchism
- 4.8 Mikhail Bakunin – collectivist anarchism, syndicalism
- 4.9 light greens and dark greens
- 4.10 Murray Bookchin – communalism, anti capitalist, decentralisation, libertarian municipalism/face to face assembly democracy
Government and politics of the USA
- 5.1 Government and politics of the USA is divided into eight sections. Each has a particular focus but their interrelationships must be understood to appreciate the complexities of the system
- 5.2 debates concerning the importance of the US Constitution to the working of contemporary US government
- 5.3 The Executive
- 5.4 judicial review
- 5.5 Obergefell vs Hodges (2015)
- 5.6 debates concerning the workings, outcomes and impact of the electoral college system on campaigns
- 5.7 party decline
- 5.8 political pluralism
- 5.9 landmark rulings
- 5.10 the right to bear arms
Comparative politics
- 6.1 structural
- 6.2 See The nature and sources of the British Constitution , The structure and role of Parliament and Devolution for key concepts and terminology relevant to UK constitutional arrangements
- 6.3 similarities and differences between the devolution model in the UK and the federal model in the USA
- 6.4 See The executive branch of government: President for key concepts and terminology relevant to the US executive branch of government
- 6.5 See The judicial branch of government for key concepts and terminology relevant to the US judiciary
- 6.6 Electoral and party systems
- 6.7 debates in the UK and USA surrounding campaign and party finance
- 6.8 Pressure groups
- 6.9 Civil Rights
- 6.10 comparisons of methods, influence and effectiveness of civil rights campaigns in the UK and the USA

How OmniStudy helps you revise

Answer exam-style questions on any topic below and get marked in seconds, with feedback on how to win more marks.
Flashcards, quizzes and revision games generated for every topic.
Practise real past papers with mark schemes.
A study planner with an exam countdown, built around your weakest topics.
Everything works in English and Welsh.

Ready to start?

Free to start. Pick your subject, answer a question, and see your first mark in minutes.

Start revising free