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.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe how the Scottish Parliament is organised, explain the roles of MSPs, the First Minister and the Scottish Government, describe how a Bill becomes law, and explain how committees scrutinise and hold the government to account. This is a frequent source of -mark "evaluate the effectiveness" essays on scrutiny.
The answer
Structure of the Scottish Parliament
It is a unicameral parliament (one chamber, with no second chamber like the House of Lords) and is led by the Presiding Officer, who chairs debates and is politically neutral, similar to the Speaker at Westminster.
The First Minister and the Scottish Government
The First Minister and Cabinet are drawn from MSPs and run the devolved areas such as health, education and justice. They are accountable to Parliament and must answer questions, including weekly First Minister's Questions (FMQs).
How a Bill becomes law
Most Bills are Government Bills introduced by ministers, but Members' Bills (by an individual MSP) and Committee Bills are also possible.
Scrutiny and holding the government to account
Other tools include FMQs, parliamentary questions, debates, and votes of no confidence. Opposition MSPs use these to expose weaknesses in government policy.
Examples in context
Because the Scottish Parliament is unicameral, its committees carry the scrutiny load that at Westminster is shared with the House of Lords, so a Holyrood committee both examines the detail of Bills and runs policy inquiries. Under minority SNP governments, committees and opposition MSPs have repeatedly forced concessions on legislation, showing scrutiny working. Weekly FMQs give the opposition a televised platform to challenge the First Minister, though critics note it can become point-scoring. These examples let a Higher answer evaluate how effectively Parliament checks the government rather than just listing the tools.
Try this
Q1. Describe the role of the First Minister in the Scottish Government. [4 marks]
- Cue. Leads the government, appoints Cabinet Secretaries, sets policy, answers FMQs and represents Scotland.
Q2. Explain two ways the Scottish Parliament holds the Scottish Government to account. [6 marks]
- Cue. Committees take evidence and run inquiries; FMQs and parliamentary questions let MSPs challenge ministers directly.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 201920 marksEvaluate the effectiveness of the Scottish Parliament in holding the Scottish Government to account.Show worked answer →
A -mark essay: up to marks for knowledge and understanding and up to for analysis, evaluation and a sustained conclusion.
KU marks come from describing the scrutiny tools accurately: committees taking evidence and running inquiries, First Minister's Questions, parliamentary questions, debates, and votes of no confidence. Naming real committees and the fact that Scotland often has minority government strengthens KU.
Analysis and evaluation marks come from judging how effective each tool is: committees are powerful but their conveners and majorities can be government-leaning; FMQs generate scrutiny but also theatre. A sustained judgement on overall effectiveness, weighing strengths against limits, is what lifts the answer into the top band.
SQA Higher 202112 marksAnalyse the role of committees in the work of the Scottish Parliament.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward developed explanation of what committees do and why it matters.
KU should cover committees scrutinising Bills at Stage and Stage , conducting policy inquiries, taking evidence from witnesses, and questioning ministers, plus the point that Holyrood committees combine the roles split between separate committees at Westminster.
Analysis marks come from explaining why committees are central to scrutiny, especially under minority government, and weighing their power against limits such as party loyalty and limited resources. A clear judgement on their importance is the discriminator.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Modern Studies Course Specification — SQA (2018)