Does the UK’s democracy need reform?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate the pros and cons of democracy in the UK.
Key learning points
- There are both pros and cons to the current form of democracy in the UK.
- Electoral reform could improve democracy in the UK, for example, lowering the voting age and increasing referendums.
Keywords
Representative democracy - a type of democracy where citizens choose others to represent them, making important decisions on their behalf
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
Media freedom - the ability of the press to give information and express opinions
Common misconception
Democracy is not either strong or weak.
There are different features and areas of democracy, such as the type of democracy, electoral system, media and voting age. Each of these will have their own strengths and weaknesses that come together to form an overall judgement on democracy.
Teacher tip
Pupils can choose to keep or change the democratic system. The stronger debates are where they have given evidence to back up their ideas.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1. is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.
Q2.Match the terms with the correct definition.
where the people decide on the policy directly
when people elect officials to make decisions on their behalf
a general vote by the electorate on a single political question
Q3.What is the name of the electoral system in which a candidate or party is selected by gaining the most votes not a majority?
Q4.What age can you vote in the UK general election?
Q5.Why is media freedom important in a democracy?
Q6.A constituency is...
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Electoral reform ...
Q2.Match the advantages of democracy to the corresponding topic.
UK media offers a wide range of opinions, encouraging open debate
allows elected officials to make informed decisions for the public
simple and quick to understand, producing fast results
16- and 17-year-olds showed high engagement in the Scottish referendum
Q3.Which of these is a disadvantage of democracy in the UK?
Q4.A weakness of the voting age in the UK is that 16- and 17-year-olds might be easily influenced.
Q5.Which of these are a disadvantage of media freedom in the UK?
Q6.A of first-past-the-post is that smaller parties are underrepresented in government.
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Does the UK’s democracy need reform?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 citizenship lesson on: Does the UK’s democracy need reform?, 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.