Exam feedback DO NOW Play the game of political Jeopardy by trying to work out the key term from its definition. You must rely on your memory. Do not consult your exercise books or any other reference materials.

An electoral system in which a simple plurality of votes cast is enough to elect a single representative from a constituency. Factors such as issues, campaigns and candidates that may help explain voting behaviour. An organised group sharing a commitment to a common set of principles regarding how the country should be governed. The tendency of people to vote unpredictably for different parties at different elections. A distribution of seats in the legislature that is significantly different from the distribution of votes in the country. The process by which the views, opinions and characteristics of the population are reflected in government. Factors such as age, class and ethnicity that may help explain voting behaviour. An election held outside of the regular electoral cycle in order to replace a serving representative from a single member constituency. A mechanism through which voters can directly express their view on a designated policy or issue. A form of proportional representation which uses preferential voting in multi-member constituencies. The tendency of people predictably to vote for the same party at different elections. A hybrid electoral system in which voters chose both constituency MPs and potential MPs from a party list.

What is the First-Past-The-Post System? What are ‘recency’ factors? What is a political party? What is voting volatility? What is disproportionality? What is representation? What are ‘primacy’ factors? What is a by-election? What is a referendum? What is the Single Transferable Vote? What is voting stability? What is the Additional Member System?

Scores 9-12 Sizeable majority 5-8 Hung Parliament 1-4 Wilderness years

Additional reading Read the Introduction and first chapter from Polly Toynbee and David Walker’s 2015 book Cameron’s Coup Summarise the authors’ case against Cameron and the coalition government in no more than four bullet points Construct a counter-argument to each of these charges. Your response is due by Friday.

How was the exam?

Trial exam takeaways www. Most students are using the agreed essay structure Most concepts covered in class seem to be well understood There is evidence of a general grasp of current affairs ebi. Students showed very varied ability to identify the focus of the question Evidence of revision and wider reading was slight to non-existent; responses lacked detail and key terms were unexplained Basic exam technique is lacking; too many students left too little time to attempt the 25 mark question(s)

Read and interpret the extract

Short answer questions: Participation and voting behaviour Explain the term by-election used in the extract. (5) Using your own knowledge and the extract, consider why voting behaviour at by-elections to the Westminster Parliament is often unpredictable. (10)

‘Stability, rather than volatility, now characterizes voting behaviour at UK general elections.’ Discuss. What is this question asking? Whether voting patterns remain stable across electoral cycles, i.e. do the same people/groups consistently vote for the same parties? What is the context of the question? Traditional voting patterns have broken down over the past two decades as a result of class ‘de-alignment’. How did most candidates answer the question? By exploring the relative importance of ‘primacy’ factors (class, age, etc.) and ‘recency’ factors (issues, candidates, etc.) in explaining voting behaviour in 2005 and 2010.

Prediction: Participation and voting behaviour Age, ethnicity or gender (10) Reforming the voting system (25)

Short answer questions: Electoral systems Explain the term representation used in the extract. (5) Using your own knowledge and the extract, explain why the first-past-the-post electoral system has rarely resulted in coalition governments at Westminster. (10)

‘The UK would benefit greatly from the wider use of referendums ‘The UK would benefit greatly from the wider use of referendums.’ Discuss. What is this question asking? Whether referendums can play a larger role in the British system of democracy. What is the context of the question? Referendums have become established over the past two decades as the preferred mechanism of resolving controversial constitutional questions, e.g. Scottish Independence, EU membership, etc. How did most candidates answer the question? By exploring the pros and cons of employing a direct democratic mechanism in a representative democracy, e.g. benefits of increased participation vs. undermining the legitimacy of representative government.

Prediction: Electoral Systems Effectiveness of referendums (10) Reforming the FPTP voting system (25)

Short answer questions: Political parties Explain the term Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) as used in the extract. (5) Using your own knowledge as well as the extract, consider the extent to which the influence of individual grass-roots members within the Labour Party has diminished since the mid-1990s. (10)

‘Evaluate the main roles and functions played by political parties in the UK political system.’ Discuss. What is this question asking? What are the typical functions of political parties at different levels in the political system? What is the context of the question? Referendums have become established over the past two decades as the preferred mechanism of resolving controversial constitutional questions, e.g. Scottish Independence, EU membership, etc. How did most candidates answer the question? By focusing on the concepts of representation and participation.

Prediction: Political Parties Policy formation in the Conservative or Liberal Democratic Party (10) Internal party democracy – poss. with a specific focus, e.g. leadership elections (25)

Cameron sought to lead the Conservatives away from those areas of policy over which the party was deeply divided (e.g. Europe) and towards those where it could gain a political advantage (e.g. the environment). He recognised the extent to which the party had come to be regarded as unelectable and set about ‘detoxifying’ the Conservative brand. The desire to challenge the perception that the Conservatives were the ‘nasty party’ was also reflected in former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith’s association with the Centre for Social Justice, whose work was a the heart of the Conservatives’ 2010 general election pledge to fix ‘broken Britain’. Adapted from Lynch and Fairclough (2013)