The structure of Parliament including the House of Commons and House of Lords, how laws are made, and the roles of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the opposition.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to know how Parliament is structured, how a bill becomes law, and the roles of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the opposition. You should be able to name the two Houses and explain how the government is held to account. This Politics and participation topic (Paper 1 Section B) is tested through "Explain" questions on the law-making process and on the roles of key figures, and through extended questions on how Parliament scrutinises the government. The examiner rewards accurate institutional knowledge: the difference between the two Houses, the ordered stages of law-making, and the distinct roles of Prime Minister, Cabinet and opposition.

The two Houses of Parliament

The Commons is where the government is formed and held to account: it debates and votes on laws, controls taxation and public spending, and questions ministers. Because its members are elected, it has democratic legitimacy that the Lords lacks. The House of Lords reviews and revises legislation, scrutinises the government and brings expertise, but it generally cannot ultimately block a law the Commons is determined to pass; it can delay and amend. This difference in power and legitimacy between an elected and an unelected House is a frequent exam point, and underlies debates about reforming the Lords.

How laws are made

The process gives a proposal repeated examination: it is debated at readings, examined line by line and amended at committee stage, and then sent to the other House to repeat the process. Both Houses must agree the final text. Royal Assent (the monarch's formal approval, given by convention) is the final step that turns a bill into an Act. This stage-by-stage scrutiny is a key check on government power, because it allows MPs and peers to improve, challenge or in the Commons defeat a proposal before it becomes binding law. AQA expects the stages in roughly the right order and, above all, the fact that Royal Assent is required.

The Prime Minister and the Cabinet

The Prime Minister sets the overall direction of government, chooses and can dismiss ministers, chairs the Cabinet, represents the country abroad and answers to the Commons (for example at Prime Minister's Questions). The Cabinet, made up of secretaries of state running departments such as health, education and defence, takes major decisions collectively. A point often examined is that the Prime Minister is not directly elected by voters: people vote for their local MP, and the leader of the largest party in the Commons normally becomes Prime Minister.

The opposition

The opposition is the largest party that is not in government. It forms a shadow cabinet, with shadow ministers who track and challenge their government counterparts, and its job is to scrutinise, question and challenge the government, expose weaknesses in policy, and offer an alternative government for voters to choose at the next election. A strong, organised opposition is an important part of a healthy democracy because it holds ministers to account and ensures decisions are debated rather than waved through.