Citizenship Specification Notes

Theme A: Living Together in the UK

Introduction

The UK is a diverse society comprising various communities and groups. Students will explore:

• Identity and multiple identities.
• How and why communities are changing.
• Democratic rights, freedoms, and shared values, including human rights.
• The challenge of balancing competing rights.

Citizenship skills development includes debating identities, rights, values, and democracy. Students will also gain a practical understanding of active citizenship by contributing to local democracy and taking action to resolve problems, tackle inequality, and improve justice.

Key Questions:

• How have communities developed in the UK?
• What is identity?
• What are democratic values and where do they come from?
• How does local democracy work?

1. The Changing UK Population

• The UK population is changing in terms of age, ethnicity, religion, and disability.

2. Migration and Its Impact

• Migration's social and economic effects include both benefits and challenges.
• Types of migrants: economic migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
• Reasons for migration.
• Sources of migration from 1945 to the present, including Commonwealth countries and Europe.

3. Respect and Understanding

• Mutual respect in practice and its necessity in a diverse society.
• Effects of inequality and discrimination on individuals, groups, and communities.
• The role of the Equality Act 2010 in preventing discrimination.
• How mutual understanding is encouraged in schools and the wider community.
• Concepts of diversity, integration, and community cohesion that underpin democratic society.

4. Identity

• People’s identities can be defined in various ways, such as ethnic, religious, gender, age, social, cultural, national, local, and regional identities.
• The concept of multiple identities.
• The impact on identity debates resulting from the UK being comprised of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.

Theme B: Democracy at Work in the UK

Introduction

Students will explore representative, parliamentary democracy in the UK, considering:

• The voting and electoral system.
• The roles and responsibilities of MPs.
• How government is organized and kept in check.
• Parliament's role in making and shaping law.
• The government’s role in managing public money.
• How power is organized across the constituent parts of the UK.

Opportunities for developing citizenship skills include: participation in decision-making forums and ‘mock’ or real school elections, researching and debating the effectiveness of democracy in the UK, the extension of voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds, or further devolution of power versus independence for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

Key Questions:

• Who runs the country?
• How does Parliament work?
• How is power shared between Westminster and the devolved administrations?
• How does government manage public money?

1. Parties and Candidates

• The key philosophical differences between the major political parties standing in UK general elections.
• How candidates are selected to stand for a constituency.

2. Elections and Voting Systems

• The concept of democracy, including representative democracy (democracy via elections) and direct democracy (democracy via referendums), and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
• How the Westminster first-past-the-post system operates.
• Who can and cannot vote in general elections and why; debates about extending the franchise.
• The frequency of general elections.
• The strengths and weaknesses of the first-past-the-post voting system compared with proportional representation.

3. Forming and Organizing the Work of Government

• The process of forming a government, including the role of the monarch in appointing a government.
• What happens when no single party can form a government and a coalition government is formed.
• The organization of government administration into departments, ministries, and agencies staffed by civil servants.

4. The Westminster Parliament

• The distinction between executive, legislature, judiciary, and monarchy.
• The roles of the Houses of Commons and Lords and the relationship between them.
• The process of parliamentary debate and deliberation of public issues as part of the process of making and shaping policy and legislation.
• The roles of prime minister, cabinet and ministers, the opposition, speaker, whips, front bench and backbench MPs, and the ceremonial role of Black Rod.
• The role of an MP in representing constituents’ interests.

5. Making and Shaping Law

• How a bill becomes law: debate in the House of Commons and the House of Lords; scrutiny by committees; royal assent.

6. The Constitution

• The institutions of the British constitution: the power of government, the prime minister and cabinet; the roles of the legislature, the Opposition, political parties, the monarch, citizens, the judiciary, the police, and the civil service.
• That the UK has an uncodified constitution and examples of how this is changing, including as a result of devolution and former membership of the EU.
• The concept of parliamentary sovereignty; checks and balances, including the role of judicial review; how Parliament holds government to account through oversight and scrutiny.

7. Government in Constituent Parts of the UK

• The powers of devolved bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• How relations are changing between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including views on devolution and independence.

8. Taxation and Government Spending

• How direct and indirect taxes are raised by central government.
• The role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in budgeting for income, expenditure, and debts, managing risks, and making decisions about the allocation of public funding.
• Different views and debates about how governments and other service providers make provision for welfare, health, the care of the elderly, and education.

Theme C: Law and Justice

Introduction

Students explore why we need laws and how law affects us in our everyday lives. They consider how the justice system in England and Wales works in practice including the roles and power of the police and the courts. They also learn about the distinctive features of the criminal, civil and youth justice systems and some of the different approaches to settling disputes, addressing inequality, changing behavior and tackling crime in society.

Opportunities for developing citizenship skills include: investigating different legal cases, participation in ‘mock’ trials and sentencing decision-making activities, debating whether it is ever right to break the law or whether the justice system treats everyone fairly. Students could undertake citizenship action or campaigns to address inequality or an injustice.

Key Questions:

• What is the law for and how does it affect us?
• How does the justice system work?
• Is crime increasing in society?

1. The Role of Law in Everyday Life in Dealing with Complex Problems

• What law is and how the law affects our everyday lives.
• Why we need laws in society: to protect the public, to settle disputes, to ensure that people are treated fairly (including preventing discrimination), to achieve justice, to change behavior, and to respond to new situations in society (including scientific and technological developments and changing values).
• The age we become legally responsible for our actions (drive, marry, vote, work, join the armed forces) and the age of criminal responsibility and how legal age limits are designed to protect young people.

2. Principles and Sources of Law

• Fundamental principles of law to uphold rights and freedoms: the rule of law; the presumption of innocence; equality before the law; access to justice.
• That England and Wales have a different legal system from Northern Ireland and Scotland.
• The main sources of law: common law (case law or precedent) and legislation.

3. Civil and Criminal Law

• The purposes of criminal law: used to protect the public from harm such as in cases where crimes are committed against a person or property.
• The purposes of civil law: to settle civil disputes, such as debt, personal injury, and family matters.

4. The Justice System in England and Wales

• The roles and powers of the police, judges and magistrates, and legal representatives.
• The responsibilities and roles of citizens in the legal system including as jurors, magistrates, special constables, members of a tribunal hearing.
• Fundamental principles of the law in practice: the rights of citizens on arrest to know the reason for arrest, inform someone of their arrest and to see a solicitor.

5. Courts and Tribunals

• Types of criminal courts, key differences between how they operate and the types of case they are used for:
  • magistrates court
  • crown court
• Types of civil courts and what they are used for:
  • county court
  • high court.
• The use of tribunals and other means of civil dispute resolution, such as mediation, to settle disputes.

6. Youth Justice

• The operation of the youth justice system and how and why youth courts differ to other courts.

7. Crime and Society

• Factors affecting crime rates in society, including issues around the recording of crime and reasons for re-offending.
• Strategies to reduce crime, including through prevention, protection and punishment.

8. Sentences and Punishment

• Types of sentence and punishment, including prison, community payback and restorative justice; how these are determined for different offenses; debates about the purpose and impact of different types of punishment.

Theme D: Power and Influence

Introduction

In this section students revisit key ideas about democracy, rights and responsibilities in Themes A–C as they explore ideas about power. In particular they consider power in relation to the ways in which citizens, governments and the media exercise power and influence in a range of local to global situations. They contrast representative democracy in the UK with a non-democratic political system and the limits this places on the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Opportunities to develop citizenship skills include: examining ways in which citizens co-operate to try and improve society and democracy through different kinds of political and citizen actions; practical experiences of taking citizenship action themselves to address issues; debating the relationship of the UK with Europe; and investigating global issues and problems facing society from the environment to humanitarian and conflict situations.

Key Questions:

• What power and influence can citizens have?
• What role and influence should the media have?
• Does the UK have power and influence in the wider world?

1. Citizen Participation in Politics and Society

• The opportunities, and barriers to citizen participation in democracy and politics in the UK.
• Ways in which citizens can contribute through direct and indirect action to democracy and hold those in power to account and contribute to wider public life, including by voting, joining an interest group or political party, standing for election, campaigning, advocacy, lobbying, petitions, joining a demonstration and volunteering.
• How digital democracy, social media and other measures are being developed as a means to improve voter engagement and political participation.
• Key differences in how citizens can and cannot participate in politics in political systems outside the UK: one democratic and one non-democratic.

2. The Role of Groups and Organizations in Democratic Society

• The role different organizations play in providing a voice and support for different groups in society including public institutions, public services, interest and pressure groups, trade unions, charities and voluntary groups.
• Two different examples of how citizens working together or through groups attempt to change or improve their communities through actions to address public policy, challenge injustice or resolve a local community issue.
• The role, and origins of, trade unions as associations of workers with the aim of maintaining or improving the conditions of employment through collective action.
• Rights of people in the workplace and ways people at work are protected and supported, including trade unions, staff associations and tribunals.

3. The Role of the Media and a Free Press

• Why a free press is important in a democracy and the role of the media in: influencing and informing the public; reporting news accurately; investigating issues and exposing problems in the public interest; and scrutinizing the government and others in power and holding them to account for their actions.

4. Rights and Responsibilities of the Media

• The right of the media to investigate and report on issues of public interest, subject to the need for accuracy and respect for people’s privacy and dignity.
• The role of the press regulator in the UK; reasons why press censorship may occur.

5. The Use of the Media for Influence

• How groups or individuals and those in power use the media try to influence public opinion.

6. The UK’s Role and Relations with Europe

• The different roles of the European Union and the Council of Europe.
• How the UK’s relationship with the EU has changed post-Brexit as a result of decisions taken about migration, fishing, travel and trade.

7. The UK’s Role in the Rest of the World

• The role of the United Nations and its agencies, NATO, the Commonwealth, and the World Trade Organisation; the UK’s relations with these organizations in terms of the benefits and commitments arising from membership.

8. Rights and Responsibilities in Challenging Global Situations

• Global issues and human rights: balancing rights and responsibilities in conflict situations.
• The role of international law in conflict situations to limit the effects of armed conflict on civilians and how international humanitarian law establishes the rules of war.
• The role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in different situations, including examples of NGOs providing relief to protect people at risk and in supporting development.
• An example where the UK has played a role in an international disagreement or conflict and the methods used: mediation, sanctions or force.

Theme E: Taking Citizenship Action

Introduction

Citizenship action may be defined as a planned course of informed action to address a citizenship issue or question of concern and aimed at delivering a benefit or change for a particular community or wider society. Taking citizenship action in a real out-of-classroom context allows students to apply citizenship knowledge, understanding and skills, and to gain different citizenship insights and appreciate different perspectives on how we live together and make decisions in society. It requires them to practice a range of citizenship skills including: research and enquiry, interpretation of evidence, including primary and secondary sources, planning, collaboration, problem solving, advocacy, campaigning and evaluation.

Taking Citizenship Action – Course Requirements

Students must carry out an in-depth, critical investigation leading to citizenship action as described above. The investigation and action can be based on any aspect or issue arising from the course content and should be designed to have an impact locally, nationally or globally.

There are many types of investigation and action that students can take that use different methods and citizenship skills. The choice of action will depend on the issue or challenge they are addressing and what they intend their action to achieve.

In considering the focus of their citizenship activity, students will need to be realistic about the likelihood of their aims being wholly or partially met. However, students will not be penalized where an action did not go as planned.

Students will be assessed on the investigation and action they have undertaken through a series of examination questions in Paper 2 that comprise 15% of the total marks. In the examination, students will also be required to provide, in no more than 20 words, the title of their citizenship action.

Stages of the Citizenship Action

Students must follow the stages below:

1. Identify an issue, form a team and carry out initial research
   • Identify an issue, problem, cause of social need that relates to citizenship concepts and issues studied as part of the course.
   • Understand the range of methods and approaches relevant to citizenship actions that can be used by governments, organizations, groups and individuals to address citizenship issues in society.
   • Form a team and start to research possible elements of the activity.
   • Carry out secondary research to investigate a citizenship issue and prepare for carrying out primary research.
2. Undertake primary research
   • Identify and sequence research questions relating to the issue, problem, cause or social need.
   • Carry out primary research to answer research questions.
   • Analyze answers to research questions to identify evidence which assists the team in deciding the activity they wish to undertake.
3. Represent their own and different points of view
   • Show understanding of the issue including their own opinions and the views and perspectives of different people.
   • Review the evidence and research undertaken and the different viewpoints expressed, and consider why some evidence or viewpoints may be more compelling or persuasive than others.
   • Consider the different viewpoints and make the case for what the team think should happen.
4. Plan the action
   • Identify who the action will target, setting goals for the proposed activity and identify criteria for judging success.
   • Consider possible methods and approaches to use during the activity to form a clear plan of action (including key steps, sequence and priorities), taking account of the time and resources available.
   • Allocate roles and tasks to each team member, anticipating any possible difficulties and how to overcome them; establish a simple system for recording decision-making and progress.
5. Apply skills of collaboration, negotiation and influence as they deliver the activity
   • Demonstrate team work and role-awareness in delivering their activity, showing the importance of collaboration, negotiation and influence in carrying out the action.
   • Organize and deliver an event, meeting or campaign to advocate for the selected issue, problem, cause or social need and that aims to argue the case, raising awareness and commitment by informing, influencing and persuading the target audience.
   • Organize and deliver a social action project, social enterprise or undertake another form of community action that aims to raise awareness and commitment and create a social benefit (resources, support, advice or service) to benefit others.
6. Critically evaluate their learning and the impact of the action
   • Consider how and why their action did, or didn’t, achieve its intended effect, assessing the success of the activity in relation to their goals.
   • Assess how well the method they selected worked in practice and what they might do differently in a future course of citizenship action.
   • Consider the impact the action had on their own citizenship learning, including learning from any mistakes.

Assessment Information

Paper 1

• First assessment: May/June 2018
• Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes
• Total marks: 80
• Four sections: A, B, C and D (with a separate source booklet for section D)
  • Section A: Living together in the UK
    • Worth 10% of the total qualification (16 marks)
    • Two questions divided into multiple parts including multiple choice and short responses, ending with a 6-mark task
    • One source will be included in the question paper with a task that relates to the source context; others will target knowledge and understanding that does not draw on information in the source
    • The assessment and source context relate to Theme A, but tasks may draw upon knowledge and understanding from other themes
  • Section B: Democracy at work in the UK
    • The assessment approach is identical to that for Section A, except that it relates to Theme B and is marked out of 17
  • Section C: Law and justice
    • The assessment approach is identical to that for Section A, except that it relates to Theme C
  • Section D: Citizenship issues and debates
    • Worth approximately 21% of the total qualification (31 marks)
    • Students answer two questions targeting AO3
    • Question 7 (16 marks): divided into multiple parts and requires students to analyze and evaluate views contained in a source (in the source booklet); the last part is worth 12 marks
    • Question 8 (15 marks): will link two of Themes A–C

Paper 2

• First assessment: May/June 2018.
• Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Total marks: 80.
• Three sections: A, B and C (with a separate source booklet).
  • Section A: Own citizenship action
    • Worth 15% of the total qualification (24 marks).
    • One question divided into multiple parts. Tasks will require short- and medium-responses (targeting AO2), and will end with a 12-mark task targeting AO2 and AO3.
    • Students must base all of their answers on the knowledge and understanding that they have gained while carrying out their own citizenship action (see Theme E).
  • Section B: Power and influence: others’ actions
    • Worth approximately 9% of the total qualification (14 marks).
    • One question split into multiple parts, which may include multiple choice and short responses, ending with a 6-mark task.
    • Tasks will relate directly to a source which focuses on citizenship actions carried out by other people, requiring student to understand, comment on, and suggest actions (AO2 and AO3).
    • The assessment will relate to Theme D (in terms of actions that people can take), but the source contexts in which the actions are situated may relate to any situation where citizenship action may be relevant.
  • Section C: Power and influence
    • Worth approximately 26% of the total qualification (42 marks).
    • Starts with questions that target AO1.
    • The final two questions target AO3 and are worth 10 and 15 marks, respectively; the last will link Theme D with one of Themes A–C.