Subject · A level
Politics
Which schools in England make Politics a big part of the curriculum, and where results are strongest. Entries and grades from the 2025 performance tables.
What the data says
At A level, Politics was offered in 1,489 schools and colleges, with 18,816 entries — roughly 6% of A level students.
A level: schools and colleges where the largest share of students take Politics
Entries as a share of A level students (at least 30 A level students and 10 entries). England: 6% of A level students.
What pupils learn in Politics, stage by stage
England has no national year-by-year syllabus: exam boards and schools set the order within each stage. These are the statutory blocks from the Department for Education, so a parent can see what a child meets in Years 7–9, what every GCSE candidate must cover, and what waits in the sixth form.
Years 7–9Key Stage 3
not offered as a separate subjectYears 10–11GCSE
not offered as a separate subjectYear 12A level, typically first year
no outcomes at this stageYear 13A level, second year
55learning outcomes · A level-only contentWhat A level Politics teaches · Years 12–13
55 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Social & Cultural Skills (30), Law & Public Administration (25). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Government in the UK6
- explain the nature and sources of the British constitution and debates about its reformYear 13 — british constitution, constitutional reform
- explain the structure, powers and legislative role of ParliamentYear 13 — legislative process, parliament
- evaluate the accountability of government to Parliament and the effectiveness of scrutinyYear 13 — government accountability, parliamentary scrutiny
- explain the principles of ministerial responsibility and prime ministerial powerYear 13 — ministerial responsibility, prime ministerial power
- explain the role and influence of the Supreme Court on legislation and policy makingYear 13 — judicial review, supreme court
- explain the impact of devolution on government across the UKYear 13 — devolution, devolved government
Political participation: democracy and participation5
- compare systems of representative and direct democracy in the UKYear 13 — direct democracy, representative democracy
- explain how suffrage in the UK has changed over timeYear 13 — electoral reform, suffrage
- evaluate the methods and influence of pressure groupsYear 13 — political influence, pressure group
- evaluate the influence of think tanks, lobbyists and the media on governmentYear 13 — lobbying, media influence
- evaluate debates about the extent and limits of rights in the UKYear 13 — civil rights, rights and freedoms
Political participation: elections and voting4
- analyse voting behaviour and turnout patterns in UK general electionsYear 13 — electoral turnout, voting behaviour
- analyse the factors that explain the outcome of UK general electionsYear 13 — election campaign, party manifesto
- compare the advantages and disadvantages of different UK electoral systemsYear 13 — electoral system, proportional representation
- evaluate the impact of referendums on UK politicsYear 13 — referendum
Political participation: political parties3
- explain the origins and development of the main UK political partiesYear 13 — party ideology, political party
- evaluate debates about the funding of political partiesYear 13 — party funding
- explain the development of a multi-party system in the UKYear 13 — minority party, multi-party system
The European Union1
- evaluate the role and impact of the European Union on UK policy makingYear 13 — european union, policy making
Political ideas: core6
- explain the core ideas and principles of liberalismYear 13 — liberalism
- compare classical and modern liberalismYear 13 — classical liberalism, modern liberalism
- explain the core ideas and principles of conservatismYear 13 — conservatism
- compare traditional conservatism and the New RightYear 13 — new right, traditional conservatism
- explain the core ideas and principles of socialismYear 13 — socialism
- compare revolutionary socialism and social democracyYear 13 — revolutionary socialism, social democracy
Political ideas: optional topic5
- explain the core ideas and principles of nationalismYear 13 — nationalism
- explain the core ideas and principles of feminismYear 13 — feminism, liberal feminism, radical feminism
- explain the core ideas and principles of multiculturalismYear 13 — integration and segregation, multiculturalism
- explain the core ideas and principles of anarchismYear 13 — anarchism, individualist and collectivist tradition
- explain the core ideas and principles of ecologismYear 13 — ecologism, light and dark greens
Comparative politics: USA, the constitution2
- compare the UK and US constitutions and their impact on governmentYear 13 — uk-us comparison, us constitution
- explain the structure and functions of the US federal systemYear 13 — federalism, us constitution
Comparative politics: USA, Congress2
- compare the structure and powers of the US Congress and the UK ParliamentYear 13 — congress, uk parliament
- evaluate the relationship between Congress and the presidencyYear 13 — congress, presidency
Comparative politics: USA, President2
- explain the formal and informal sources of presidential powerYear 13 — presidential power
- compare the roles and powers of the US President and UK Prime MinisterYear 13 — uk prime minister, us president
Comparative politics: USA, Supreme Court2
- evaluate the political significance and impact of the US Supreme CourtYear 13 — us supreme court
- compare the powers and independence of the US and UK Supreme CourtsYear 13 — uk supreme court, us supreme court
Comparative politics: USA, democracy and participation2
- compare electoral systems and party systems in the USA and UKYear 13 — two-party system, us electoral system
- evaluate the influence of campaign finance and pressure groups in US electionsYear 13 — campaign finance, interest group
Comparative politics: USA, civil rights2
- evaluate the protection of civil rights and liberties in the USAYear 13 — civil rights, us constitution
- compare civil rights protections and campaigns in the USA and UKYear 13 — civil rights, comparative politics
Global politics1
- compare realist and liberal theories of global politicsYear 13 — liberalism in global politics, realism
Global politics: global governance2
- explain the role and significance of global governance institutions such as the UNYear 13 — global governance, united nations
- evaluate the effectiveness of global institutions in addressing conflict and human rightsYear 13 — global governance, human rights
Global politics: developments in global politics2
- explain the changing nature of world order and the distribution of global powerYear 13 — polarity, world order
- evaluate the significance of great powers and emerging powers in global affairsYear 13 — emerging power, great power
Global politics: globalisation2
- explain the processes and drivers of globalisationYear 13 — economic interdependence, globalisation
- evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of globalisation for the nation stateYear 13 — globalisation, national sovereignty
Global politics: regionalism1
- evaluate the significance of regional organisations such as the EU and NAFTAYear 13 — regionalism, regional organisation
Skills5
- interpret political information from a range of sourcesYear 13 — political information
- analyse and evaluate political issues to construct reasoned argumentsYear 13 — political argument, reasoned conclusion
- identify similarities and differences between areas of politics studiedYear 13 — comparative analysis
- construct and communicate political arguments using appropriate vocabularyYear 13 — argumentation, political vocabulary
- make connections between different areas of politics studiedYear 13 — comparative politics, synthesis
Source: DfE GCE AS and A level politics subject content (2016), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.