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Year 8 - Citizenship

How is the UK Government organised?

How does the political system work in the UK?

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 describe the structure of the Government in the UK and explain some of the job roles within it.

Key Notes

  • The UK Government has three main branches: legislative, executive and judiciary.
  • The Cabinet is chosen by the PM. It leads government departments and makes key decisions on government policies.
  • The Civil Service and arm's-length bodies implement policies made by the Government.
  • Ministers are appointed to their roles in the Government by the monarch, after being handpicked by the PM.
  • Civil servants and public sector workers are employed after a hiring process.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • government: the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
  • Cabinet: a group of senior MPs who lead major government departments; the Cabinet meets weekly to make decisions about how government policy will be carried out

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Civil servants and public sector workers make political decisions.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

The UK Government has three main branches: legislative, executive and judiciary. The Cabinet is chosen by the PM. It leads government departments and makes key decisions on government policies.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'government'

the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM).

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Civil servants and public sector workers make political decisions. Correction: Civil servants and other public sector workers are neutral professionals who work to implement government policies and decisions made by elected ministers, but they do not make political decisions themselves.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 8 Citizenship guide library.