Year 11 - Citizenship
Should we reform the voting system in the UK?
What are the different ways we can become involved in politics?
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
Pupils build knowledge and understanding of political systems, government, voting and elections. Pupils consider the vast range of political roles, exploring the impact that these roles can have across local communities and wider society and how they can get involved in politics.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to critically assess whether we should reform the voting system for general elections in the UK.
Key Notes
- FPTP is a voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.
- FPTP can lead to 'wasted vote' and may not reflect the views of all voters.
- The UK uses more proportional voting systems like AMS in Scotland and Wales for fairer representation.
- Some argue FPTP should be reformed to better reflect voters' true choices.
- Others defend FPTP for its simplicity, fearing reforms may complicate results.
Vocabulary To Learn
- election: the voting process to select a person for a public position
- First Past The Post (FPTP): the voting system used in the UK to elect members of some local councils and members of Parliament, whereby the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins
- proportional systems: an electoral system where political parties get a number of seats in Parliament that matches the percentage of votes they receive in an election
- reform: make changes in something, (especially an institution or practice), in order to improve it
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The First Past The Post (FPTP) system produces strong and stable governments.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
FPTP is a voting system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority. FPTP can lead to 'wasted vote' and may not reflect the views of all voters.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'election'
the voting process to select a person for a public position.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The First Past The Post (FPTP) system produces strong and stable governments. Correction: There have been coalition and minority governments using FPTP. In addition, there can be instability as the party in power can be divided over certain issues or can have weak leadership / poor governance.
More Lessons In This Unit
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