Over the A-Level Politics course, students will develop a deep understanding of political ideologies, beliefs and institutions, as well as the range of complex power relationships that create the political systems of the UK and USA. As well as offering modules on different elements of modern politics (for instance, on voting behaviour, the role and regulation of the media, and constitutional law), the course will also set contemporary politics in the UK and USA in its historical context and will explore in depth the philosophical foundations of modern political thought. We encourage Politics students to take full advantage of our position at the heart of political activity in London, providing suggestions of events and lectures they might like to attend. For the two years, a visit to Parliament will be augmented, whenever possible, with trips to political meetings, conferences, and exhibitions. A programme of external speakers at the student-led Politics Society helps students to develop their understanding of the subject beyond the curriculum, for example giving insight into the history of the Liberal Party, National Populism or the Mexican Drug Wars. Each year, a good number of students go on to study Politics, International Relations or associated subjects at university and the department provides regular university preparation sessions for those interested, seeking to stretch the students and develop their skills of debate, analysis and independent thinking. Furthermore, as well as the Politics Society, students also run a Politics Book Club and produce an annual Politics magazine giving plenty of opportunities for super-curricular development.
For popular courses such as Economics, English Literature, History, Medicine, or Psychology, all of the competitive universities require at least grade AAA at A Level or, usually, a score of 37-39 IB points; the most competitive require A*AA (or even occasionally A*A*A) or 7 points in one or more HL subject. Universities such as Bath, Bristol, Durham, Imperial, Manchester, UCL and Warwick may also require A*AA or 7 points in an HL subject for courses in Sciences, Engineering or Mathematics; a few of these courses will require IB students to have 7 points in a specific HL Science or Mathematics and A Level students to have A* in a specific Science or Mathematics. Cambridge currently requires a minimum of A Level grades of A*AA for all Arts courses and for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, and A*A*A for all Science courses, Computer Science and Economics. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 40-42 points, including 776 in the three Higher Level subjects. In practice, however, higher (or lower) offers are sometimes made to both A Level and IB students; these are decided on an individual basis. Oxford currently requires A Level grades of AAA for all Arts courses and for Human Sciences, A*AA for most Science courses, Economics and Management, Geography, and Psychology, Philosophy & Linguistics, and A*A*A for Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics courses. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 38-40 points with 666-776 in the three Higher Level subjects. Unlike at Cambridge, these entry requirements are standardised across the university and are rarely raised or lowered.
UK Politics (Papers 1 and 2, Lower Sixth) Those modules establish a foundational understanding of how the UK’s political system functions, as well as consider debates of contemporary significance, for example, whether the House of Lords should be abolished, or whether a new voting system is needed at Westminster. We will consider how Parliament functions, analysing the laws and conventions which limit Parliament’s power. Work on Elections, Electoral Systems, and Referendums will add a further technical dimension to this study. On a more philosophical level, the ideologies of the different parties will be discussed and set in their historical contexts. Politics in the UK is a fast-moving target: as new parties rise, and the old order faces new and potentially transformative challenges from forces such as social media, populism, and globalisation, the academic study of UK politics needs to evolve rapidly to keep pace. UK politics has its roots in ancient conventions and centuries-old traditions which, at first sight, can seem staid and ponderous; even the most cursory examination, however, reveals a dramatic, vivid, and intertwining tapestry. US Politics (Paper 3, Upper Sixth) The nature of government in the US is often recognisable from films and TV shows, and can seem very familiar; deeper investigation, however, brings to the fore a vibrant and unpredictable political landscape, driven by powerful currents of regional, racial, and cultural tensions that, to a European observer, can seem quite alien at times. The Constitution and the ideas which drove the Founding Fathers remain central to the study of US politics: in some ways, the political institutions they created are surprisingly adaptive, and have evolved rapidly to keep pace with modern values; yet, there are other aspects of US politics (such as the Right to Bear Arms, which has acquired an almost religious significance in some places) which might seem anachronistic at the start of the twenty-first century. The US segments of the Politics course will forensically dissect these phenomena: the legal and constitutional mechanisms of the US government will be a starting point; but students will also investigate areas such as party ideology, racial politics, the Two-Party System, and the quirks of America’s unique, indirect voting system.
About Education Provider
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Girls |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | £26,831 |
| Address | Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 0PG |
Over the A-Level Politics course, students will develop a deep understanding of political ideologies, beliefs and institutions, as well as the range of complex power relationships that create the political systems of the UK and USA. As well as offering modules on different elements of modern politics (for instance, on voting behaviour, the role and regulation of the media, and constitutional law), the course will also set contemporary politics in the UK and USA in its historical context and will explore in depth the philosophical foundations of modern political thought. We encourage Politics students to take full advantage of our position at the heart of political activity in London, providing suggestions of events and lectures they might like to attend. For the two years, a visit to Parliament will be augmented, whenever possible, with trips to political meetings, conferences, and exhibitions. A programme of external speakers at the student-led Politics Society helps students to develop their understanding of the subject beyond the curriculum, for example giving insight into the history of the Liberal Party, National Populism or the Mexican Drug Wars. Each year, a good number of students go on to study Politics, International Relations or associated subjects at university and the department provides regular university preparation sessions for those interested, seeking to stretch the students and develop their skills of debate, analysis and independent thinking. Furthermore, as well as the Politics Society, students also run a Politics Book Club and produce an annual Politics magazine giving plenty of opportunities for super-curricular development.
For popular courses such as Economics, English Literature, History, Medicine, or Psychology, all of the competitive universities require at least grade AAA at A Level or, usually, a score of 37-39 IB points; the most competitive require A*AA (or even occasionally A*A*A) or 7 points in one or more HL subject. Universities such as Bath, Bristol, Durham, Imperial, Manchester, UCL and Warwick may also require A*AA or 7 points in an HL subject for courses in Sciences, Engineering or Mathematics; a few of these courses will require IB students to have 7 points in a specific HL Science or Mathematics and A Level students to have A* in a specific Science or Mathematics. Cambridge currently requires a minimum of A Level grades of A*AA for all Arts courses and for Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, and A*A*A for all Science courses, Computer Science and Economics. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 40-42 points, including 776 in the three Higher Level subjects. In practice, however, higher (or lower) offers are sometimes made to both A Level and IB students; these are decided on an individual basis. Oxford currently requires A Level grades of AAA for all Arts courses and for Human Sciences, A*AA for most Science courses, Economics and Management, Geography, and Psychology, Philosophy & Linguistics, and A*A*A for Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics courses. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 38-40 points with 666-776 in the three Higher Level subjects. Unlike at Cambridge, these entry requirements are standardised across the university and are rarely raised or lowered.
UK Politics (Papers 1 and 2, Lower Sixth) Those modules establish a foundational understanding of how the UK’s political system functions, as well as consider debates of contemporary significance, for example, whether the House of Lords should be abolished, or whether a new voting system is needed at Westminster. We will consider how Parliament functions, analysing the laws and conventions which limit Parliament’s power. Work on Elections, Electoral Systems, and Referendums will add a further technical dimension to this study. On a more philosophical level, the ideologies of the different parties will be discussed and set in their historical contexts. Politics in the UK is a fast-moving target: as new parties rise, and the old order faces new and potentially transformative challenges from forces such as social media, populism, and globalisation, the academic study of UK politics needs to evolve rapidly to keep pace. UK politics has its roots in ancient conventions and centuries-old traditions which, at first sight, can seem staid and ponderous; even the most cursory examination, however, reveals a dramatic, vivid, and intertwining tapestry. US Politics (Paper 3, Upper Sixth) The nature of government in the US is often recognisable from films and TV shows, and can seem very familiar; deeper investigation, however, brings to the fore a vibrant and unpredictable political landscape, driven by powerful currents of regional, racial, and cultural tensions that, to a European observer, can seem quite alien at times. The Constitution and the ideas which drove the Founding Fathers remain central to the study of US politics: in some ways, the political institutions they created are surprisingly adaptive, and have evolved rapidly to keep pace with modern values; yet, there are other aspects of US politics (such as the Right to Bear Arms, which has acquired an almost religious significance in some places) which might seem anachronistic at the start of the twenty-first century. The US segments of the Politics course will forensically dissect these phenomena: the legal and constitutional mechanisms of the US government will be a starting point; but students will also investigate areas such as party ideology, racial politics, the Two-Party System, and the quirks of America’s unique, indirect voting system.
