How is the Scottish Parliament made up, and how does it hold the Scottish Government to account?
The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government: MSPs, the First Minister and ministers, committees, and the ways Parliament scrutinises and holds the government to account.
How the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government work for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: the role of MSPs, the First Minister and cabinet, committees, and how Parliament holds the government to account through questions, debates, committees and votes, with worked exam answers.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
This dot point sits in Section 1 of the SQA National 5 Modern Studies question paper, Democracy in Scotland and the United Kingdom. It asks you to understand how the Scottish Parliament (the law-making body of 129 MSPs at Holyrood) and the Scottish Government (the First Minister and ministers who run devolved departments) are organised, and crucially how Parliament holds the government to account. Describe questions on the roles of MSPs and on scrutiny are very common.
The key distinction to keep clear is Parliament versus Government. Parliament is all the elected MSPs; the Government is the smaller group, drawn from the largest party or coalition, that actually runs the country. Parliament's job is to make laws, represent people and check the Government.
The answer
The Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament has 129 MSPs elected under the Additional Member System. It meets at Holyrood in Edinburgh and has three main functions: to pass laws on devolved matters, to represent the people of Scotland, and to scrutinise (check) the Scottish Government. It is led by the Presiding Officer, who chairs debates impartially.
The Scottish Government
The Scottish Government is formed by the party (or coalition) with the most support in Parliament. It is led by the First Minister, who is nominated by Parliament and chooses a cabinet of cabinet secretaries and junior ministers to run departments such as health, education and justice. The Government proposes most new laws (bills) and makes day-to-day decisions on devolved policy.
The roles of an MSP
A Member of the Scottish Parliament has several roles:
- Representing constituents - holding surgeries, taking up local people's problems with the Government or councils, and raising local issues in the chamber.
- Making and scrutinising law - debating and voting on bills and proposing amendments.
- Holding the Government to account - questioning ministers and sitting on committees.
- Representing a party - most MSPs belong to a party and usually vote along party lines, though they can rebel.
How Parliament holds the Government to account
This is the most heavily examined part of the topic. Parliament scrutinises the Government in several ways:
- First Minister's Questions (FMQs) - a weekly session where MSPs, including opposition leaders, question the First Minister on policy. It is public and widely reported, so it puts pressure on the Government.
- Questions to ministers - MSPs can table written and oral questions to cabinet secretaries about their departments.
- Committees - cross-party groups of MSPs examine the work of departments, take evidence, scrutinise bills in detail and publish reports recommending changes. Committees are seen as one of the most effective forms of scrutiny because they go into detail.
- Debates - MSPs debate Government policy and opposition motions, exposing disagreement and forcing ministers to justify decisions.
- Votes - Parliament votes on bills and motions; a Government without a majority can be defeated, which limits its power.
Examples in context
If an exam source describes opposition MSPs forcing the First Minister to defend a decision in the chamber each week, that is FMQs. If a source describes a group of MSPs taking evidence and publishing a critical report on a department, that is a committee. If a source describes an MSP helping a local family with a housing problem, that is the constituency representation role. Matching the example to the correct function is the skill describe questions reward.
Try this
Q1. How many MSPs are there, and what voting system elects them? [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. 129 MSPs, elected by the Additional Member System (AMS).
Q2. Name two ways Parliament can hold the Government to account. [2 marks]
- What the marker wants. Any two of: First Minister's Questions, ministerial questions, committees, debates, votes.
Q3. Explain the difference between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. [4 marks]
- What the marker wants. Parliament is all 129 elected MSPs who make laws and scrutinise; the Government is the First Minister and ministers from the largest party who run departments. Parliament checks the Government.
A note on sources
This guide is AI-written and not individually human-reviewed. The number of MSPs, the roles and the scrutiny methods follow the published SQA National 5 Modern Studies course specification; verify current details and paper structure against the specification at sqa.org.uk.
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 N5 style6 marksDescribe, in detail, two ways the Scottish Parliament can hold the Scottish Government to account. (6 marks)Show worked answer →
A knowledge (describe) question. The marker awards up to 3 marks per way: identify the method, then develop it with detail about how it scrutinises the government.
Way one: First Minister's Questions. Once a week MSPs, including opposition leaders, question the First Minister on government policy in the chamber, putting them on the spot publicly and forcing them to defend decisions, which is reported in the media. Way two: committees. Cross-party committees of MSPs examine the work of departments, take evidence from ministers and experts, scrutinise bills line by line and publish reports, so they can expose weaknesses and demand changes.
Each way needs naming plus development of how it actually checks the government. Two named methods with no detail would stay low; two developed methods reach 6.
SQA N5 style4 marksDescribe, in detail, two roles of a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). (4 marks)Show worked answer →
A describe question worth 4 marks, up to 2 marks per role: name the role and add a developed detail.
Role one: representing constituents. MSPs hold surgeries where local people raise problems, and MSPs take up these cases with the government or councils on their behalf. Role two: scrutinising and making law. MSPs debate and vote on bills, sit on committees, and question ministers, helping to pass laws and check the government's work.
Each role needs a developed point. Listing four roles with no detail would cap at 2; two developed roles reach 4.
Related dot points
- Devolution and the division of powers: how the Scotland Act transferred devolved powers to Holyrood while reserved powers stayed with Westminster, and why the split matters.
How devolution works in the United Kingdom for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: the Scotland Act 1998 created the Scottish Parliament, devolved powers such as health, education and justice were transferred to Holyrood, and reserved powers such as defence and immigration stayed with Westminster, with worked exam answers.
- Voting systems: how First Past the Post, the Additional Member System and the Single Transferable Vote work, where each is used, and their strengths and weaknesses.
How the main UK voting systems work for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: First Past the Post for the UK Parliament, the Additional Member System for the Scottish Parliament and the Single Transferable Vote for Scottish councils, with the advantages and disadvantages of each and worked exam answers.
- Elections and campaigns: how parties campaign for votes, the tools they use such as manifestos, the media and social media, and the factors that influence how people vote.
How elections and campaigns work for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: the campaign tools parties use, including manifestos, canvassing, party election broadcasts, traditional media and social media, and the factors that influence voting such as policies, leaders, age and the media, with worked exam answers.
- Participation and representation: the ways citizens can take part in democracy, from voting to joining parties and campaigns, and how well groups in society are represented.
How citizens participate in democracy for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: voting, joining political parties, standing for election, joining pressure groups and campaigns, and contacting representatives, plus how well different groups are represented and why turnout matters, with worked exam answers.
- Pressure groups and trade unions: how organised groups try to influence government decisions through methods such as lobbying, petitions, demonstrations and industrial action, and what makes them effective.
How pressure groups and trade unions influence decision-makers for SQA National 5 Modern Studies: the methods they use, including lobbying, petitions, demonstrations, media campaigns and industrial action, the difference between insider and outsider groups, and what makes a group effective, with worked exam answers.