A2 Citizenship Studies

The below questions are all taken from AQA past exam papers (unless otherwise stated).

[Guide: A minute a mark. Always do a plan - Answer the Question]

CIST3 (Section A - Crime, Justice and Punishment - June 2011)

[01] Explain the legal safeguards in place for a supect detained by the police. (15 marks)

[02] 'Imprisonment is unlikely to reform an offender.' Assess this view. (25 marks)

[03] Explain the qualifications for and selection of jurors for a criminal trial. (15 marks)

[04] Critically comment on the safeguards in place to ensure fairness in the trial process. (25 marks)

[05] Explain how miscarriages of justice are addressed. (15 marks)

[06] 'The criminal justice system does not sufficiently meet the needs of victims of crime.' Discuss. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section B - Politics, Power and Participation - June 2011)

[07] Examine the role and effectiveness of an MP. (15 marks)

[08] Assess the extent to which ideology is important in British politics. (25 marks)

[09] Comment on the ways in which the Opposition holds the goverment to account. (15 marks)

[10] Discuss the differences that proportional representation may make to UK general elections. (25 marks)

[11] Examine the current role of the UK as a member of any one key international organisation. (15 marks)

[12] 'Many British citizens show a lack of involvement in the political process.' Comment on how this issue might be addressed. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section A - Crime, Justice and Punishment - January 2011)

[01] Explain the powers of the police to arrest a suspect. (15 marks)

[02] "Sentencing should be directed towards the particular offender rather than the crime committed." Discuss this statement. (25 marks)

[03] Examine the role of judges in achieving a fair criminal trial. (15 marks)

[04] Discuss the significance of age, gender and ethnicity with regard to criminal behaviour. (25 marks)

[05] Explain the purpose of bail and comment on conditions which may be placed upon bail. (15 marks)

[06] "The use of juries in the criminal justice system is unreliable and ineffective in today's society." Critically assess this statement. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section B - Politics, Power and Participation- January 2011)

[07] Examine the extent to which the socio-economic background of MPs reflects society. (15 marks)

[08] "The power of the Prime Minister is unlimited." Critically assess this view. (25 marks)

[09] Explain the role of the EU in international issues. In your answer, refer to and comment on a specific case study of EU international participation. (15 marks)

[10] "Today's citizen has an effective voice in both local and national politics." Assess this statement. (25 marks)

[11] Examine the relative powers of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. (15 marks)

[12] Assess the extent to which pressure groups and the media can hold government to account. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section A - Crime, Justice and Punishment - January 2010)

[01] Examine what is supposed to be achieved by sentencing. (15 marks)

[02] Critically assess the role of the Crown Prosecution Service. (25 marks)

[03] Explain and comment on the roles of the judge and the jury in a criminal trial. (15 marks)

[04] 'The police have insufficient powers to prevent and detect crime.' Discuss this view. (25 marks)

[05] Examine some of the problems of defining crime. (15 marks)

[06] 'In the 21st century there is no role for lay magistrates in the criminal justice system.' Critically assess this view. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section B - Politics, Power and Participation- January 2010)

[07] Explain and comment on the steps that can be taken to increase the number of female MPs in the House of Commons. (15 marks)

[08] Discuss the extent to which the power of prime ministers has changed in recent years. (25 marks)

[09] Examine the case for and against the use of referendums in the UK. (15 marks)

[10] Assess the extent to which, in the 21st century, the UK is part of the 'global village'. (25 marks)

[11] Consider some of the powers available to Parliament to control the actions of the government. (15 marks)

[12] 'In a democracy the electoral system should ensure that the government has received the majority of the votes cast at a general election. Assess this view with reference to the UK. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section A - Crime, Justice and Punishment - Specimen Paper 2010)

[01] Briefly explain the role of the police and Crown Prosecution Service in the decision to prosecute an alleged offender. (15 marks)

[02] Critically assess the effectiveness of the punishments available to the courts in achieving their objectives. (25 marks)

[03] Briefly explain the system by which judges are appointed in England and Wales. (15 marks)

[04] ‘The principle of bringing final appeals to the House of Lords has served the legal system well for centuries. There is no need to reform it now.’ Critically assess this view. (25 marks)

[05] Briefly explain the role of the Criminal Defence Service. (15 marks)

[06] Critically assess the role of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in preventing miscarriages of justice. (25 marks)

CIST3 (Section B - Politics, Power and Participation - Specimen Paper 2010)

[07] Briefly examine the points made by those who argue that prime ministers are becoming more presidential. (15 marks)

[08] Assess the extent to which parliament and citizens can hold government to account. (25 marks)

[09] Briefly outline the case for retaining the ‘first past the post’ voting system for electing Members of Parliament. (15 marks)

[10] Assess the impact upon the nature of UK Politics of allowing groups of citizens to put forward issues to be decided by referendum. (25 marks)

[11] Briefly compare the powers of the UK parliament and the powers of the EU parliament. (15 marks)

[12] Critically assess the view that there are currently no ideological differences between the major UK political parties. (25 marks)

............................

Global Issues and Making a Difference

The below questions are all taken from AQA past exam papers (unless otherwise stated).

[Guide: A minute a mark. Always do a plan - Answer the Question]

CIST4 (Section A - Global Citizenship - June 2011)

[01] Examine the benefits of globalisation (15 marks)

[02] Critically assess the claim that all states have committed human rights abuses. Refer to case studies in your answer. (25 marks)

[03] Explain the role of informal pressure, such as the media, in protecting human rights. (15 marks)

[04] 'Discrimination is increasingly unacceptable in the UK.' Discuss this view. (25 marks)

[05] Explain some of the options available to international bodies in seeking to resolve conflict. (15 marks)

[06] Critically assess the work of citizen-led campaigns in bringing about global change. (25 marks)

CIST4 (Section B - Active Citizenship - June 2011)

Stop the War Coalition - troops out of Afghanistan

The British people want an end to the war in Afghanistan. Stop the War Coalition's political priority is to turn that sentiment into a mass movement which can force the government to pull British troops out of this grim conflict.

That is why Stop the War is taking to the streets to get hundreds of thousands of signatures to our 'troops out' petition, to be presented to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, later this year. More than any other issue we campaign around, it is clear that the Afghan crisis is not going to be solved - or even improved - by President Obama. There is no case for this glass being 'half full'. It is draining fast as Washington doubles its bets, trying to avert failure in Afghanistan by spreading the war to Pakistan.

Stop the War is going to develop the campaign necessary to head off this danger by withdrawing all foreign troops from Afghanistan. That campaign needs to be taken into workplaces, on to the streets and around our communities.

Our pressure helped speed British troops out of Iraq. We must do the same in Afghanistan - world peace depends on it.

[07] Explain some of the methods that Stop the War Coalition uses for this type of campaign. (15 marks)

[08] Critically assess the effectiveness of Stop the War Coalition in achieving its aims, both past and present. (25 marks)

CIST4 (Section B - Active Citizenship - Specimen Paper 2010)

Greenpeace
Greenpeace urge supporters to write to their MPs
This extract represents the views of a pressure group.

Use your democratic right to demand a nationwide debate on the replacement of Trident and the publication of studies undertaken by the government on:

• The assessment of threats for the rationale to replace Trident

• The effects replacement would have on the on the NPT and CTBT Treaties

• The implications it would have on British Foreign Policy in general and US-UK
relations in particular

• The financial costs of replacement

There is no longer a Cold War. Indeed, according to the 1998 Strategic Defence Review “there is today no direct military threat to the United Kingdom or Western Europe. Nor do we foresee the re-emergence of such a threat.” This means that there can be no reason whatsoever for the government not providing Members of Parliament and the public with these studies. The more so as these studies do not concern current military operations, but are assessments of the impact of what the UK will do in the future.

Source: adapted from Greenpeace.org.uk

[07] Critically examine the likely impact and outcome of letter-writing campaigns such as those outlined in the source. (15 marks)

[08] Critically assess the claim that groups such as Greenpeace are more successful than political parties in encouraging active citizenship. (25 marks)

CIST4 (Section A - Global Citizenship)*

[01] Explain what you understand by the terms war crime and genocide. (15 marks)

[02] With reference to a conflict case study known to you, explain the reasons why the conflict was justified. (25 marks)

[03] What protection does the Human Rights Act 1998 provide citizens? (15 marks)

[04] 'The United Nations is an ineffective international organisation in preventing and resolving conflict.' Assess this view. (25 marks)

[05] What do you understand by the term poverty? (15 marks)

[06] What are the major environmental issues facing the global village today? (25 marks)

There are NO extensions of time - if 'additional work' is given it must be handed in for the date required.

* Created by Duncan Bunce (2010)