Ignoring the printed source in the questions that require it, A2 1 Questions 2 and 4 and A2 2 Questions 2 and 3, and answering from memory instead.

Name what the source says before adding your own knowledge, so the reference is visible in the answer itself, not just in your head.

Writing an unbalanced comparative essay: detailed paragraphs on the UK system and only surface comments on the chosen counterpart.

Plan the essay as paired points from the start, one UK feature set directly against its US or Irish counterpart, rather than two separate mini-essays.

Writing a one-sided theory or ideology essay with no exploration of the competing position.

Set out the opposing theoretical position explicitly and weigh it against your main argument before your concluding sentence.

Claiming the UK Prime Minister is simply stronger than the US President, without accounting for party rebellion, cabinet constraints or unified versus divided government.

State the conditions under which each executive is strong or weak instead of giving a fixed ranking between the two systems.

Treating ideologies or theories of power as a single block, rather than distinguishing their internal strands.

Name the strand you mean: Classical Liberalism against Modern Liberalism, or Marxist class-based control against Elite Theory's organisational model.

Giving only one mechanism or reason when a question asks you to identify and explain two.

Number your two points as you write them, so it is obvious to the examiner and to you that both are present.

Skipping the definition and jumping straight to the example in a 5-mark definitional question.

State the definition in your first sentence, then attach the example as a second, separate sentence.

CCEA A-Level · Exam Tips

Government and Politics 4830 Exam Tips

A2 Government and Politics is won on two essays worth 65 of the 175 marks. This page sets out the paper structure, the source-use rule that caps whole levels, and the comparative balance examiners keep marking down.

4 min readUpdated: 3 Sept 2026

Exam at a Glance

Papers

Total Marks

175

Time Limit

3h 45min

Question Types

Paper	Duration	Marks	Questions	Weighting	Question Types
A2 1: Comparative Government	2h 15min	100	6	58%	Short definition / concept with example, Structured source explanation (two ways), Medium institutional explanation, Extended source-based evaluative essay, Comparative identification and explanation (two differences), Extended comparative essay (choice of 2)
A2 2: Political Power and Political Ideas	1h 30min	75	5	42%	Short definition / text phrase with example, Structured source explanation (two features or claims), Extended analytical source explanation, Short definition / concept with example, Extended evaluative theory or ideology essay (choice of 2)

Grade Scale

A*ABCDEU

Calculator Policy

This is a non-calculator subject. Neither A2 1 nor A2 2 requires or permits a calculator; bring only pens, pencils and the other equipment CCEA and JCQ allow into the exam room.

AO1: AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts, theories and debates (43%)
AO2: AO2: analyse and evaluate political information, arguments and theories, and identify parallels, connections, similarities and differences between the political systems studied (36%)
AO3: AO3: construct and communicate coherent arguments, using a range of appropriate political vocabulary (21%)

Built from real past papers and marking schemes (2022–2025).

Tips & Strategies

Where the 175 marks go

A2 Government and Politics splits into two papers: A2 1, Comparative Government (100 marks, 135 minutes), and A2 2, Political Power and Political Ideas (75 marks, 90 minutes). The two biggest single items are the 30-mark comparative essay that ends A2 1 and the 35-mark theory or ideology essay that ends A2 2: together they are 65 of the 175 marks. Everything else on the paper supports getting those two essays right.

The synoptic requirement at A2 means these essays pull together material from across both years, not test one topic in isolation. The examiner reports return to the same two failures every series: candidates who never use the printed source when a question demands it, and candidates who write with real depth about one side of a comparison while giving the other side a sentence or two.

Paper by paper

A2 1 gives you 135 minutes for 100 marks, roughly 80 seconds per mark. Section A is source-based and covers your chosen political system, the USA or the Republic of Ireland: about 7 minutes for the 5-mark definition, 14 minutes for the 10-mark structured explanation, 20 minutes for the 15-mark institutional explanation, and 40 minutes for the 30-mark essay. That leaves roughly 55 minutes for Section B's comparative study: about 14 minutes for the 10-mark question identifying two differences, and 41 minutes for the 30-mark comparative essay choice.

A2 2 gives you 90 minutes for 75 marks, about 72 seconds per mark. Section A, Factors in the Exercise of Power or your chosen Set Texts, is worth 35 marks: 6 minutes for the 5-mark definition, 12 minutes for the 10-mark source explanation, 24 minutes for the 20-mark extended source explanation. Section B, Theories of Power or Ideologies, is worth the remaining 40 marks: 6 minutes for the 5-mark definition and 42 minutes for the 35-mark essay, the single largest question on either paper.

The comparative essay: balance is the mark scheme

Section B of A2 1 asks you to compare the UK with your chosen counterpart system. The most common way to lose marks here is not getting facts wrong, it is imbalance: three detailed paragraphs on the UK Prime Minister followed by two sentences on the US President. Plan the essay as paired points from the start, one UK feature set against its counterpart, not as two separate mini-essays stapled together. A claim like the UK Prime Minister is always more powerful than the US President ignores party rebellion, backbench discipline and cabinet constraints on one side, and unified versus divided government on the other. State the conditions under which each executive is strong, not a fixed ranking.

Section A: use the source or lose the level

The source-referenced questions in both papers, Questions 2 and 4 in A2 1 and Questions 2 and 3 in A2 2, cap you at Level 3 if you write from memory and never point to the source in front of you. Name what the source says, then add your own knowledge on top of it, rather than treating the source as background reading you have already absorbed and moved past.

Definitions, theorists and named evidence

A 5-mark definitional question wants a definition first and an example second. Skipping the definition and jumping straight to the example caps you at 3 or 4 marks even when the example is well chosen. In Section B's theoretical essays, name the theorists behind the position you are describing, Michels or Mosca for elite theory, Dahl for pluralism, rather than describing the theory in the abstract. Keep ideologies and theories of power internally differentiated: Classical Liberalism is not Modern Liberalism, and Marxist class-based control is not the same claim as Elite Theory's organisational model. Blurring the strands costs marks even when the general direction of the answer is sound.

Command words and quality of written communication

The three assessment objectives are demonstrate, analyse and evaluate, and construct and communicate. Extended answers are also marked on quality of written communication: organised paragraphs, accurate spelling and grammar, and specialist political vocabulary used precisely and consistently. A 30 or 35-mark essay with strong content but three run-on paragraphs and no visible structure will not reach the top band.

The week before

Practise the 30-mark comparative essay and the 35-mark theory essay under real time pressure, 41 and 42 minutes respectively, at least twice each. For every comparative point, write its counterpart on the same page before moving on, so imbalance becomes visible while you are still planning rather than after you have handed the paper in.

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Common Mistakes

1highMarks at stake: 5Source-based analysis
Ignoring the printed source in the questions that require it, A2 1 Questions 2 and 4 and A2 2 Questions 2 and 3, and answering from memory instead.
How to avoid it: Name what the source says before adding your own knowledge, so the reference is visible in the answer itself, not just in your head.
2highMarks at stake: 6Comparative Government (Section B)
Writing an unbalanced comparative essay: detailed paragraphs on the UK system and only surface comments on the chosen counterpart.
How to avoid it: Plan the essay as paired points from the start, one UK feature set directly against its US or Irish counterpart, rather than two separate mini-essays.
3highMarks at stake: 6Political Power and Political Ideas
Writing a one-sided theory or ideology essay with no exploration of the competing position.
How to avoid it: Set out the opposing theoretical position explicitly and weigh it against your main argument before your concluding sentence.
4mediumMarks at stake: 3Comparative executive power
Claiming the UK Prime Minister is simply stronger than the US President, without accounting for party rebellion, cabinet constraints or unified versus divided government.
How to avoid it: State the conditions under which each executive is strong or weak instead of giving a fixed ranking between the two systems.
5mediumMarks at stake: 3Theories of Political Power / Ideologies
Treating ideologies or theories of power as a single block, rather than distinguishing their internal strands.
How to avoid it: Name the strand you mean: Classical Liberalism against Modern Liberalism, or Marxist class-based control against Elite Theory's organisational model.
6mediumMarks at stake: 5Structured explanation questions
Giving only one mechanism or reason when a question asks you to identify and explain two.
How to avoid it: Number your two points as you write them, so it is obvious to the examiner and to you that both are present.
7mediumMarks at stake: 2Short definition questions
Skipping the definition and jumping straight to the example in a 5-mark definitional question.
How to avoid it: State the definition in your first sentence, then attach the example as a second, separate sentence.
8lowMarks at stake: 3Theories of Political Power
Describing a theory of power without naming the theorist behind it.
How to avoid it: Attach a name to the position you are using, Michels or Mosca for elite theory, Dahl for pluralism, rather than describing the theory in the abstract.

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