The 5-minute guide to Section A of Pearson Edexcel A Level Politics, Papers 1 and 2 (9PL0/01 and 9PL0/02)
This is the short version of the full skills guide to the 30-mark source question that opens Section A of both papers. You will meet it as question 1(a) or 1(b), and you choose one of the two. It is marked against three assessment objectives (AOs): AO1 (knowledge and understanding), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation), worth 10 marks each.
This guide gives you the core technique in five minutes. The full guide adds a complete worked example, on the UK constitution, and every supporting quotation in full.
1. How your 30 marks split
The 30 marks are not one lump sum for a good essay. They are three separate pots of 10 marks each, for AO1, AO2 and AO3.
| AO | Marks | What you must do |
| AO1 | 10 | Show accurate knowledge, both from the source and your own wider learning. |
| AO2 | 10 | Compare the opinions in the source and explain why they differ. |
| AO3 | 10 | Judge which arguments are stronger and build towards a reasoned conclusion. |
| Examiners’ report says: “Marks for analysis (AO2) and evaluation (AO3) should only be awarded where they relate to information in the source. … In AO2 and AO3, political information means source.” Pearson Edexcel Mark Scheme (Results), Summer 2023, GCE Politics Paper 1 (9PL0/01) |
This is the rule that catches out the most students. Own knowledge on its own, however impressive, only ever earns AO1 marks. To gain AO2 and AO3 marks, you must use that knowledge to develop, compare or judge a point that is actually in the source. An unbalanced answer that ignores one side is also capped at Level 2, a maximum of 12 out of 30.
2. Analysis and evaluation, in short
Analysis (AO2)
Analysis is not describing what a viewpoint is, that is AO1. It means explaining connections: why two views differ, or how one piece of evidence relates to another.
Weak, AO1 only: ‘The source argues devolution increased accountability.’ Strong, AO2: ‘This is because Holyrood decisions are made by politicians voters can remove locally, closing the gap between decision-makers and the people affected.’
Evaluation (AO3)
| Examiners’ report says: “Very few candidates were convincing in their AO3 judgements; using the points on one side of the argument to critique the other side showing through their argument, that one side was stronger.” Pearson Edexcel Examiners’ Report, June 2023, GCE Politics 9PL0/01 |
Evaluation means weighing one side against the other, not writing about side A, then side B, then declaring a winner at the end. Use one argument to directly challenge the other, so the reader can see you weighing them against each other.
3. The one technique: pairing
| Examiners’ report says: “The most effective approach taken was to pair up naturally competing arguments from the source (AO1), develop each point with wider knowledge in order to analyse comparatively (AO2) the strength of the arguments to lead to substantiated conclusions throughout the essay (AO3).” Pearson Edexcel Examiners’ Report, Principal Examiner Feedback, Summer 2022, GCE Politics Paper 2 (9PL0/02) |
Use this four-step chain for every paragraph you write.
1. State a claim from one side of the source (AO1).
2. State the competing claim from the other side of the source (AO1).
3. Explain, using your own knowledge, why these views differ (AO2).
4. Give an interim judgement: say which view is more convincing at this point, and why (AO3).
Interim judgements genuinely raise your mark, so long as they build towards your final conclusion rather than contradicting it.
4. Structuring your answer
- Introduction: define any key terms, set up the debate, and state the view you will argue. Do not summarise the whole source, examiners see this every year and it wastes time.
- Paragraphs: build each one around a paired argument, using the four-step chain in Section 3. Cover both sides of the source across your answer as a whole.
- Conclusion: this should hold no surprises. It confirms what your interim judgements have already shown, rather than introducing a new argument at the last minute.
5. Three mistakes that cap your mark
Treating the source as comprehension, not a springboard
| Examiners’ report says: “… using the source more as a comprehension than as a springboard for discussion.” Pearson Edexcel Examiners’ Report, June 2023, GCE Politics 9PL0/01 |
Add your own knowledge to what the source says, do not just restate it.
Interim judgements that repeat what you have already said
| Examiners’ report says: “A high proportion of the interim judgements just repeat what has already been written therefore not adding any real value.” Pearson Edexcel Examiners’ Report, June 2023, GCE Politics 9PL0/01 |
Every interim judgement must move your argument forward.
Own knowledge that is not linked to the source (Paper 2)
| Examiners’ report says: “Arguments that were introduced into the debate that were not drawn from the source are only rewardable with AO1.” Pearson Edexcel Examiners’ Report, Principal Examiner Feedback, Summer 2022, GCE Politics Paper 2 (9PL0/02) |
Anchor every AO2 and AO3 point to a line the source actually contains.
6. Timing
You have 2 hours, 120 minutes, for 84 marks, which works out at roughly 1.4 minutes per mark. Reading and planning happen inside this time, they are not extra.
| Question | Marks | Suggested time |
| Q1: the source question (this guide) | 30 | about 43 minutes |
| Q2: the non-source Evaluate question | 30 | about 43 minutes |
| Q3: core or non-core political ideas | 24 | about 34 minutes |
| Total | 84 | 120 minutes (2 hours) |
7. Before you hand it in
- Have you covered both sides of the source, not just the side you found easier to write about?
- Is every AO2 and AO3 point tied back to the source, not just your own knowledge sitting on its own?
- Does your conclusion follow from your interim judgements, rather than introducing a new argument for the first time?
8. Want the full guide?
This short version covers the core technique: how the marks split, what analysis and evaluation actually mean, pairing, structure, common mistakes and timing. The full guide adds a complete worked example on the UK constitution, with an original practice source, a model paragraph, a full worked answer table for all three pairs, and every supporting quotation in full.
This is a condensed companion to the full skills guide, Answering the 30-Mark Source Question (UK constitution edition), which contains the complete worked example and full source list.