Paper 3 of the Edexcel A-level in Politics (specification 9PL0) is called Comparative Politics.
Students who study the USA option sit paper 9PL0/3A, a two-hour examination worth 84 marks.
It counts for one third of the overall A-level grade, the same weighting as each of the other two papers.
The paper has three sections:
- Section A offers a choice between two source-based questions, of which you answer one.
- Section B contains a single compulsory question.
- Section C offers a choice of two essays from three options, including a 24-mark question that draws on all three assessment objectives: AO1 (knowledge and understanding), AO2 (analysis) and AO3 (evaluation).
Component 3A covers five topics:
- US Constitution and federalism
- US Congress
- US presidency
- US Supreme Court and civil rights
- Comparative theories linking the USA to the UK institutions.
This section of histpology.co.uk begins with the first sub-topic, the nature of the Constitution.
You will notice comparative questions in this document, asking you to set the USA alongside the UK. At this early stage, you are not expected to use formal comparative theories, such as the rational, cultural and structural approaches, since these are taught later in the course as their own topic. For now, simply compare the two systems directly, using what you already know about the UK from Component 1.