Year 8 - Citizenship
How do elections work?
How does the political system work in the UK?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils learn about the roles of government and parliament and how they are organised. They explore how elections work and what the role of political parties and MPs are.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain what elections are and describe the process of a UK general election.
Key Notes
- A general election is a formal process for the electorate to choose their representatives (MPs) in the House of Commons.
- Each general election process is the same, starting with the dissolution of Parliament.
Vocabulary To Learn
- election: when people vote to choose their leaders or representatives
- constituency: the specific geographical area that is represented by each MP in the House of Commons
- Prime Minister: the leader of the political party that is in power and the head of the Government
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The Prime Minister is directly elected by the public during the general election.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
A general election is a formal process for the electorate to choose their representatives (MPs) in the House of Commons. Each general election process is the same, starting with the dissolution of Parliament.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'election'
when people vote to choose their leaders or representatives.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The Prime Minister is directly elected by the public during the general election. Correction: The Prime Minister is not elected by the people; instead, they are the leader of the party that has the most seats in the House of Commons after the election.
More Lessons In This Unit
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