CCEA AS 2 The British Political Process: a complete overview of elections, parties, pressure groups, Parliament and the executive

CCEA AS 2, the British Political Process, is the second unit of the CCEA AS-Level Government and Politics course, set and marked by CCEA in Northern Ireland. This page is the index: below is a map of the unit, the assessment, and how to study each part.

What AS 2 covers

The unit studies the government and politics of the wider United Kingdom through five connected topics.

• Elections and electoral systems. First-past-the-post and its effects, the alternative systems used across the UK (STV, AMS and SV), the electoral reform debate, and the use and impact of referendums.
• Political parties. The functions of parties, the ideas and internal divisions of the Conservative and Labour parties, the role of minor and third parties, party funding and reform, and the health of the party system.
• Pressure groups. Their functions, the sectional and promotional and the insider and outsider classifications, their methods, the factors behind their success, and whether they strengthen or threaten democracy.
• The UK Parliament. The House of Commons and House of Lords, the legislative process, the functions of representation, legislation and scrutiny, select committees, and Lords reform.
• The Prime Minister, Cabinet and executive. The PM's powers, the royal prerogative, the Cabinet and collective responsibility, and the prime ministerial versus cabinet government debate.

The central themes

Two themes run across the unit and tie the topics together.

• Representation and participation. Elections, parties and pressure groups are the channels through which citizens are represented and take part between elections.
• Power and accountability. Parliament and the executive raise the question of where power lies and how effectively it is held to account, the heart of the scrutiny and prime ministerial government debates.

Assessment structure

AS 2 is assessed by a written examination on the British political process.

• Shorter questions ask students to explain or analyse features of the systems, parties, groups or institutions.
• Longer evaluation essays (to-what-extent questions) require a balanced, two-sided argument and a substantiated judgement.

How to study AS 2

This unit rewards precise institutional knowledge and balanced evaluation.

1. Learn the electoral systems precisely. Know how FPTP, STV, AMS and SV work and where each is used.
2. Distinguish parties from pressure groups. Keep the functions and classifications clear and supported with examples.
3. Map the institutions. Know the Commons, the Lords, the legislative process, select committees and the core executive.
4. Track the key debates. Electoral reform, Lords reform and prime ministerial government recur in the exam.
5. Argue both sides. Evaluation essays need genuine balance before a clear judgement.

The modules, dot point by dot point

Each topic has a specification-level dot-point page with worked questions and cross-links, plus this overview and a quiz. Browse the full set at /ccea-a-level/politics/syllabus.

For the official specification

CCEA publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at ccea.org.uk. Always revise from the current CCEA specification and CCEA's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.