Citizenship

GCSE Citizenship has the power to motivate and enable young people to become thoughtful, active citizens. By studying Citizenship, students gain a deeper knowledge of democracy, government and law, and develop skills to create sustained and reasoned arguments, present various viewpoints and plan practical citizenship actions to benefit society.

Students will also gain the ability to recognise bias, critically evaluate arguments, weigh evidence and look for alternative interpretations and sources of evidence, all of which areessential skills valued by higher education and employers.

Key Stage 4 - Year 9 and 10

The GCSE in Citizenship (AQA course) is built around the concept of being topical and controversial. The course lends itself to students who have a passion for the news and what is going on in the world around them now. It is designed to enable students to try and change the world that they live in.

Students will study:

• Rights and responsibilities
• Life in modern Britain
• Politics and participation

The course also includes an element of active citizenship that students take part in and features in the examination.

The course is assessed entirely by examination. Students will sit two papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes in length. Each paper has a mix of question types: multiple-choice, short answer, source based questions, and extended answers.

Due to the nature of the course and the topics covered it provides students with general knowledge that would be useful for any career. The skills that students develop will aid them, particularly if they are considering a role within politics, the charity sector, or public speaking, due to the political literacy the course develops.