How does the UK political system compare to other systems?
I can describe the political system of the UK and compare it with other systems around the world.
How does the UK political system compare to other systems?
I can describe the political system of the UK and compare it with other systems around the world.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The UK is a representative democracy.
- Democracies give citizens many freedoms, which have often developed over many years.
- The government is made of three parts: Parliament (legislative), government (executive) and judiciary (judicial).
- The main categories of political systems are: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.
Keywords
Government - the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK, the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
Democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf
Common misconception
Democracy exists in all countries, just in different ways.
Democracy exists in many countries and the levels of it vary. However, in many countries, there is a large mix of democratic and non-democratic practices, and in others, there is no true democracy at all, with the government taking full control.
To help you plan your year 9 citizenship lesson on: How does the UK political system compare to other systems?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 citizenship lesson on: How does the UK political system compare to other systems?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the How is the UK governed? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
a group of people who run a country and make important decisions
a system where people vote to choose their leaders
a person who legally belongs to a country
Exit quiz
6 Questions
fair elections and strong freedoms, overall trust in government
few freedoms; unfair or absent elections; government has full control
elections happen, but government may limit freedoms/control media
fair elections, but possible issues like low trust in government