Are elections truly fair?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify different voting systems and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Key learning points
- There are two main voting systems: first-past-the-post and proportional representation.
- Advantages of first-past-the-post are: it produces a clear winner. However, winners might have little public support.
- Advantages of proportional representation include fairer representation. However, it can lead to coalition governments.
Keywords
Election - the voting process to select a person for a public position
General election - when the citizens of a country (the electorate) vote to elect a new government; a general election in the UK happens at least every five years
Constituency - the specific geographical area that is represented by each Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons
First-past-the-post - the voting system used in the UK to elect members of some local councils and Members of Parliament, whereby the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins
Proportional representation - an electoral system where political parties get a number of seats in Parliament that matches the percentage of votes they receive in an election
Common misconception
Individual votes do not count so could be pointless taking part.
Marginal seats are an example of why every vote matters.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to look at their own local areas to think about the advantages and disadvantages of different election systems.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these are examples of active citizenship in a democracy?
Q2.What is a multi-party system?
Q3.A strong democracy should also aim to protect rights.
Q4.Match the type of democracy to its example.
taking a vote or having a referendum on each issue
electing a Member of Parliament to act on your behalf
Q5. is the principle that all individuals within a state, including Government and leaders, are subject to the same laws and must follow them - it ensures fairness, justice and accountability.
Q6.There is a separation of powers in the UK between , Government and judges.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.What is a marginal seat in an election?
Q2. is the voting system used in the UK.
Q3.Match the voting system with its explanation.
the candidate with most votes wins
the share of seats a party wins matches the share of votes it receives
Q4.What is a disadvantage of proportional representation?
Q5.Match the word to its description.
the voting process to select a person for a public position
when the citizens of a country vote to elect a new government
the geographical area that is represented by each Member of Parliament
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Are elections truly fair?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Are elections truly fair?, 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.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the What are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK democratic system? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.