How is Scotland governed under devolution, and how effectively does the Scottish Parliament hold the government to account?
The Scottish political system: devolution and the division of reserved and devolved powers, the Scottish Government and First Minister, the Scottish Parliament, the Additional Member System, and how Holyrood scrutinises the government.
An SQA Higher Politics answer on the Scottish political system, covering devolution and reserved versus devolved powers, the Scottish Government and First Minister, the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, the Additional Member System, and how committees scrutinise the government.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to describe how Scotland is governed under devolution and explain how effectively the Scottish Parliament holds the government to account. Scotland is one of the two-from-five political systems candidates may study in depth. Questions ask you to describe Holyrood or the First Minister, analyse the reserved/devolved split, or evaluate the effectiveness of scrutiny, so you need accurate institutional knowledge and a balanced judgement.
The answer
Devolution and the division of powers
The Scottish Government and First Minister
The Scottish Parliament
The electoral system
Holding the government to account
Examples in context
Under minority government, the Scottish Government has repeatedly had to negotiate with other parties to pass its budget and legislation, showing how the parliamentary arithmetic strengthens scrutiny. Committees taking evidence and amending Bills have forced concessions on policy, showing scrutiny working in practice. The reserved/devolved split means major decisions on defence or immigration remain at Westminster even as health and education are decided in Edinburgh, illustrating the limits of devolution. These examples let a Higher answer evaluate how effectively Holyrood checks the government rather than just describing the institutions.
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 runs the devolved areas such as health and education.
Q2. Explain how the Additional Member System works. [6 marks]
- Cue. Voters cast two votes, one for a constituency MSP by FPTP and one for a regional list that tops up the result, making it broadly proportional but often producing minority government.
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 202120 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 should set out the scrutiny tools: committees, First Minister's Questions, debates, parliamentary questions and votes of no confidence, plus the point that Scotland often has minority government. Naming real committees strengthens KU.
Evaluation marks come from judging how effective each tool is, especially the leverage committees gain under minority government, against limits such as party loyalty. A sustained conclusion on overall effectiveness lifts the answer.
SQA Higher specimen12 marksAnalyse the division of powers between Westminster and the Scottish Parliament.Show worked answer →
A -mark analysis question, roughly half KU and half analysis. Markers reward a clear distinction developed with reasoning.
KU should explain that devolved powers (health, education, justice) are decided at Holyrood while reserved powers (defence, foreign affairs, immigration, the constitution) stay at Westminster.
Analysis marks come from explaining why Westminster keeping sovereignty makes devolution different from federalism, and judging how the split shapes Scottish politics. A clear judgement lifts the answer.
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Sources & how we know this
- SQA Higher Politics Course Specification — SQA (2020)