Assessment structure common mistakes

Common mistakes

• Confusing linear with modular

  Assuming that AQA A-level Politics 7152 has mid‑year exams or continuous assessment.

  Fix itRemember that 7152 is strictly linear; all exams occur at the end of the two‑year course.

• Misunderstanding the weight of Paper 1

  Assuming Paper 1 is a minor part of the assessment.

  Fix itPaper 1 accounts for one third of the A-level, making it a significant component that requires focused preparation.

• Confusing the UK Monarch with the US President as Head of State

  Assuming the monarch has the same executive powers as the President.

  Fix itThe monarch’s role is largely ceremonial and symbolic; executive authority resides with the elected Prime Minister and Parliament. The President, by contrast, is both head of state and head of government with significant executive powers.

• Confusing Paper 3 with Paper 1

  Students often think Paper 3 is about applying theory to practice, like Paper 1.

  Fix itClarify that Paper 1 focuses on the link between theory and practice, whereas Paper 3 focuses on the ideas themselves and their critical evaluation.

• Confusing Royal Assent with a Veto

  Assuming the monarch can refuse to grant Royal Assent to any bill.

  Fix itRoyal Assent is a formal approval; the monarch has no discretionary veto power in modern practice.

• Misidentifying conventions as legal rules

  Treating a convention as a binding legal requirement.

  Fix itExplain that conventions are non‑legal but influential, and that only written constitutional provisions are legally enforceable.

• Confusing conventions with constitutional rules

  Assuming that conventions are legally binding and enforceable.

  Fix itClarify that conventions are non-legal norms; only constitutional rules are enforceable by law.

• Confusing the UK and US executive structures

  Assuming the UK has a written constitution that limits executive power in the same way as the US.

  Fix itThe UK’s constitution is uncodified; executive power is derived from statutes, conventions, and common law, and the Prime Minister is accountable to Parliament rather than a written constitution.