← Modern Studies syllabus

ScotlandModern Studies

Democracy in Scotland and the UK

7 dot points across 7 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How can citizens influence decisions between elections?

The ways citizens participate in democracy beyond voting, including joining parties and pressure groups, the difference between insider and outsider groups, the methods pressure groups use, and the factors that make them effective.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on political participation and pressure groups, covering ways citizens take part beyond voting, the difference between insider and outsider groups, the methods groups use to influence decisions, and the factors that determine how effective a pressure group is.
10 min answer →

How well do different voting systems represent the people who vote?

The voting systems used in Scotland and the UK, including First Past the Post and the Additional Member System, their advantages and disadvantages, and how they affect representation and government formation.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on representation and voting systems, comparing First Past the Post used at Westminster with the Additional Member System used for the Scottish Parliament, their advantages and disadvantages, and how each shapes proportionality, government formation and voter choice.
10 min answer →

What part does the media play in a democracy?

The role of the traditional and new media in democracy, how the media informs and influences voters and politics, debates about bias and ownership, and the impact of social media on participation.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the media and democracy, covering the role of traditional and new media, how the media informs and influences voters, debates about ownership and bias, and the impact of social media on political participation.
9 min answer →

How should Scotland be governed within or beyond the UK?

The place of Scotland within the UK and alternatives for its governance, including the status quo, further devolution and independence, the 2014 referendum, the powers of the Scotland Act 2016, and the implications of leaving the EU.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the place of Scotland within the UK and the alternatives for its governance, covering the 2014 independence referendum, the status quo, further devolution under the Scotland Act 2016, the case for and against independence, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling and the implications of Brexit.
11 min answer →

How does the Scottish Parliament make laws and hold the government to account?

The structure of the Scottish Parliament, the role of MSPs and the First Minister, how Bills become law, and the committee system that scrutinises the Scottish Government.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the Scottish Parliament, covering its structure at Holyrood, the role of MSPs, the First Minister and the Scottish Government, how a Bill becomes an Act through the three stages, and how committees scrutinise and hold ministers to account.
10 min answer →

How is power shared between Westminster and the Scottish Parliament?

The nature of the UK constitution, the sovereignty of the UK Parliament, the devolution settlement under the Scotland Acts, and the difference between reserved and devolved powers.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the UK constitution and devolution, covering the uncodified constitution, parliamentary sovereignty, the Scotland Acts, and the split between reserved powers held at Westminster and devolved powers held by the Scottish Parliament.
10 min answer →

Why do people vote the way they do, and how do campaigns affect them?

The factors that influence voting behaviour, including social class, age, gender, geography, partisanship and the media, and how election campaigns and the conduct of campaigns shape how people vote.
An SQA Higher Modern Studies answer on the influences on voting behaviour, covering the long-term factors of class, age, gender, geography and partisanship, the rise of dealignment and issue voting, and how election campaigns, the media, TV debates, manifestos and social media shape how people vote.
11 min answer →