GCSE Citizenship (Short Course)

Revision Guide for Edexcel Course

GCSE Citizenship (Short course)

Revision guide

Updated to : 25/02/2015

How to use this Revision Guide:

Use the guide in conjunction with your notes and any other revision aid you
have written or purchased.
Read through the key terms and concepts at the start of each module. Do
you know accurately what each one means ?
Read through the text. Alongside the text in the right-hand column, write
notes, give recent examples, highlight key points; add extra facts.
Construct some useful revision notes, or mind maps, or revision cards
whatever suits your revision style best !
Mind mapping is a favourite technique of some students. Use the mind maps
created by your tutor. Remember that with a mind map it is really useful to finish
the end of each sub-branch with an example. Below is the half-completed mind
map from Module 1; Rights and Responsibilities in the UK and the Wider World.

Filename & path = /var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_2/261573329.doc

Module 1 : Rights & Responsibilities in the UK

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Updated to : 25/02/2015

Further explanation /
evidence / examples

& in the Wider World

Key concepts and terms:
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (set by the UN)
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- UK Human Rights Act (in force from 2000)
- European Court of Human Rights (part of the Council of
Europe) & the European Convention on Human Rights
- Human rights, legal rights, political/civil rights, social rights,
moral rights
- Rights in conflict (key cases, e.g. Welsh Sikh girl & the Kara
bangle)
- Human rights abuses
- International Criminal Court (in the Hague, Netherlands)
a) Introduction
In a democracy like the UK a citizen can expect to enjoy a range of
rights, but to have a series of obligations or responsibilities to
fulfil. These rights can be thought of as
- freedoms todo some form of action, e.g. protest,
- freedoms from.some type of negative action, e.g. an
employers discrimination.
Some of these rights are legal, i.e. are clearly enshrined in the law,
e.g.
- the right to a fair trial (HRA)
- the right to a solicitor when arrested
- the right to privacy (HRA)
Some of these can be described as fundamental human rights,
e.g.
- the right to life and liberty
- the right to be free from torture
Some of these can be described as civil/political rights, e.g.
- the right to free speech
- the right to vote
- the right to demonstrate peacefully
- the right to form a Trade Union
- the right to stand for election
Some of these can be described as social or economic rights,
e.g.
- the right to an education
- the right to health care
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- the right to be supported by the state in the event of

unemployment or disability
- the right to a pension
Some other rights can be described as moral (or ethical) rights,
e.g.
- the right to choose whether to have an abortion
- the right to decide the time and manner of ones own death
assisted by another person (assisted suicide debate)
But in some of these cases there is often disagreement as to
whether that right should be recognised (e.g. assisted suicide)
Some rights are age-related see below:
Under 10s can
be subject to a Local Child Curfew
be a member of school council
take part in mock school elections
be a director of a company (16 years in Scotland)
pay income tax

Under 10

10-12

be tried by a jury in Crown Court

be convicted of a criminal offence (8 years in Scotland)
be fingerprinted, photographed and searched in custody
be subject to Anti Social Behaviour Order (breach can be up to
five years imprisonment)
be locked up

be employed part-time (only in certain jobs)

drive a moped (with license)

leave school
have heterosexual relationships (17 in Northern Ireland)
get married (with parental consent in England and Wales; without
parental consent in Scotland)
drink wine/beer with a meal in a restaurant
work full-time if left school
pay full fare on all public transport
leave home (with parental consent)
make a request to be accommodated (received into care of local
authority)
change name by deed poll
pay for prescriptions, dental treatment or eye sight tests (unless in
full-time education, or in receipt of social security benefits)
join the Armed Forces without parental consent (certain sections
only) if male
claim social security benefits in certain circumstances
vote in local community council elections in some Scottish local
authorities
be interviewed by the police without an appropriate adult being

13+

16

17

present
obtain a provisional driving licence
pilot a plane or helicopter
join the Armed Forces with parental consent if female
be tattooed
vote
buy cigarettes/tobacco
leave home
marry without parental consent
adopt a child
serve on a jury
be elected as a local councillor, MP, MSP, Welsh AM or MEP

18+

21+
b) Origins and sources of our rights
As the Second world War drew to a close, a number of politicians
were giving thought to the kind of society that should emerge in
post war Britain. William Beveridges ideas became the
foundation for the Welfare State. He identified the five giant evils
which needed to be erased through government measures:
- Ignorance...thro the free secondary schooling
- Disease..thro the creation of the NHS
- Squalor ..thro new council houses and a new approach to
planning with more green spaces
- Poverty...thro the provision of unemployment and sickness
benefits
- Idleness..thro government-funded work programmes
Through these measures many economic and social rights came
into being.
Following the end of the Second World War the creation of the
United Nations (UN) led to the signing of a Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (1948), and later the UN Declaration on the
Rights of the Child (1989). The creation of the Council of Europe
(with originally 10 member states, but now totalling 47) led to the
signing of the European Convention on Human Rights (1950),
which is upheld by the European Court of Human Rights meeting
in Strasbourg.
Britain has a long history of respect for human rights, but as the
1990s drew to a close there was a recognition that those rights had
to be established in law, and so the incoming Labour Government
of 1997 introduced the Human Rights Act, which was passed in
1998 and came into effect in 2000. It mirrors the main provisions of
the European Convention on Human Rights.
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c) Safeguarding our rights

With the Human Rights Act in place it has been more
straightforward for individual citizens to claim in the courts that
their human rights have been abused or infringed. In addition there
are many laws which protect individuals from discrimination or
abuse, e.g. Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006. Lastly, there
are organisations that defend and promote peoples civil liberties
and human rights. Examples include..
In the UK:
- Commission for Equality and Human Rights

- pressure groups like Liberty

And in the wider world:

- the UN Council on Human Rights
- the International Criminal Court set up by the UN in the Hague
(which has tried a number of war criminals from the former
Yugoslavia and African countries like the Democratic Republic of
Congo: problem = only 121 countries have signed up as members;
Russia, USA, India & China have not !)
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- pressure groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights

Watch
d) Responsibilities the other side of the coin !
Reflecting our rights in the UK, there are a range of responsibilities:
Legal responsibilities
- paying taxes
- providing a healthy and safe workplace (if an employer)
- putting out your rubbish sack on the right day !
Social/political responsibilities
- reporting a crime
- using my vote
Moral responsibilities
- serve in the armed forces if called up
- act faithfully towards your partner in marriage
e) Rights in conflict
In a modern democracy individuals and organisations frequently
discover that their rights can be in conflict. In such cases it is
usually left to the courts (the judiciary) to decide whose rights
should prevail. The rulings might be based on:
- a particular law, and its interpretation
- the Human Rights Act
- a previous case or commonsense principles !
The persons concerned may even appeal to the ECHR in
Strasbourg as the highest court of appeal for human rights.
These conflicts can arise in
- the school/educational context
surveillance of parents who claim to a live in a certain school
catchment area (the right to an education and the right to privacy
versus a councils right to establish the facts in a school application)
- the family context
.a separated couple fighting over the right to use their frozen
embryos (womans right to found a family versus the mans right to
choose when he becomes a father)
- the political context
.a prisoner seeking to establish his right to vote (a basic
democratic right versus the states right to punish an offender
through deprivation of certain rights)
- the individual context
.... a woman trying to prevent her husband from being prosecuted
if he helps her to take her own life (persons right to decide on the
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manner and timing of their death versus the states right to protect
life at all costs)
.a celebrity trying to prevent a story about him/her appearing in
the media (a persons right to privacy versus a newspapers right to
freedom of expression .in the public interest)
f) Restrictions on our rights
The threat from terrorism has had a significant impact on the level
of certain freedoms and rights in this country. In the wake of the
9/11 attacks, coupled with the threat from organised crime, the
British Government under PM Tony Blair introduced a range of
laws:
- detention without trial (the Government originally wanted 90
days, but Parl. would only agree to 28, and then later 42 days)
- control orders on terrorist suspects
- freezing of financial assets of terrorist suspects
- bans on certain forms and places of peaceful protest
- government surveillance of telephone conversations, including
mobiles, e-mails, internet usage, car number plates, car journeys
- an identity card scheme (now dropped under the Con-LibDem
coalition)
Many of these restrictions have been very controversial, but the
Government has defended its actions explaining that:
- evidence of terrorist plots is difficult to prove in a court of law
- It is better to be safe than sorry when protecting the public
- the police have requested such powers in order for them to do
their job properly

Module 2 : Changing, Diverse Communities in the UK

Key concepts and terms:
- Multiple identity
- Multiculturalism
- Migration (immigration, emigration, net migration)
- Push factors and pull factors
- Commonwealth citizens
- Ethnic origin
- Race
- Discrimination (see various anti-discrimination Acts)
- Tolerance / prejudice / stereotyping
- Political asylum
- Refugee
- Economic migrant
- Segregation / integration
- Socio-economic group
- Social mobility
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The UK society of 2012 is a vastly different one from that of your

grandparents in the immediate post-war era.
a) Different identities
Identity is a general term used for an individual's understanding of
him or herself as a discrete, separate person. We speak of a
persons multiple identity when we are referring to the many
different roles that person plays, e.g. David Beckham = husband,
father, footballer, Olympic ambassador, fashion model ! A range of
factors have increased the number of identities that people fulfil:
- Migration (with many immigrants recognising their original ethnic
background as well as their Britishness)
- Increased numbers of working women
- Growth of arts/cultural/sports/religious groups, which give people
an added dimension to their identity
b) Migration

Newspaper analysis
Lead stories (10/9/05) Diversity in the national press

Daily Star Big Brother Was Fixed

Daily Express Now Tesco Plan No-Cash Stores
Guardian World Summit on UNs Future Heads
For Chaos
The Times Fuel Bills Race Up By 300 Per Year
The Sun 400 Cops Feared Dead
(Hurricane Katrina Tragedy)

Daily Mirror Let It Rain (Last Ashes Test)

Daily Mail Virgin Birth Storm

GCSE Citizenship Improving Your Exam Grade

The structure of the Edexcel exam paper
The Edexcel paper is one hour in length, and the total number of marks available
is 50. This means that with reading time and review time (at the end) you should be
keeping to approximately one minute for every mark allocated. So if a question is
worth two marks, dont spend more than two minutes when writing your answer.
The paper has short-answer questions of 1 or 2 marks, and a longer 12-mark
essay question at the end. We shall take each question type in turn.
General advice:
IN YOUR ANSWERS USE THE TERMS, CONCEPTS AND IDEAS THAT ARE
SPECIFIC TO CITIZENSHIP STUDIES, that is the ones which appear at the
start of each module in this revision guide.
A. The one-markers
These questions frequently contain the function words
STATE
WHICH TWO REASONS / STATEMENTS / TRADITIONS. ?
There is no need to give an example unless you are requested to do so. However,
it is still possible to miss out on the mark by failing to give a full, clear answer.
Give an example of a benefit that The Body Shops fair trade scheme, Community
Trade, might create for the customers of The Body Shop.
(1 mark)
Good answer
Customers would be pleased to know that a fair proportion of the prices they pay
for their products are going to the original producers. (One mark)
Weak answer
Customers are paying fair prices for what they buy. (Zero marks)
Other one-mark questions are the multiple choice questions. Look out for so-called
distractors, designed to put you off the actual answer ! Revise carefully and check
your knowledge and understanding are accurate.
B. Two-markers
These questions frequently demand that you
EXPLAIN
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 IDENTIFY and EXPLAIN

SUGGEST WHY ..
Again, a full clear answer is required, and importantly a REASON (or REASONS)
for the decision/situation/event/policy must be provided. As ever, it is good practice
to make your point, explain it / unpack it clearly and support that point with
evidence / an example. Many teachers tell their students to P.E.E. properly !
Make your POINT
EXPLAIN the point carefully and fully
Support your point with EVIDENCE / EXAMPLES
Past paper question:
Give one example of the way in which diversity might be promoted in your school
or local community. Explain why you think this would be effective.
(2 marks)
Good answer
Teachers and students could plan and run an International Day, in which students
from ethnic minority backgrounds show off their different languages and cultures,
using different activities. In this way other students would get an insight into what
their fellow students do outside school; it would strengthen relationships between
students from different ethnic groups. (Two marks)
Weak answer
Students could run an International Day to strengthen ties between students of
different ethnic backgrounds. (One mark) [The student concerned didnt explain
what the day would involve and exactly why it would work.]

Orange = subject knowledge (citizenship terms, ideas, concepts)

Purple = supporting arguments & examples
Blue = provisos/other sides/ ..ah but. ! (two-sidedness)
Look carefully at the following example:
An opinion is properly justified:
Question: Explain whether you think direct democracy is fairer than representative democracy.
Direct democracy is much fairer than representative democracy. People get a chance to decide
through votes. (C grade)
Direct democracy is much more effective in showing the actual views of the electorate on an
issue. If a referendum (a direct democratic method) were held on whether the UK should
adopt the Euro, then the outcome would reflect the wishes of the whole population so
long as the turnout was high. This would be fairer than leaving the decision to elected
representatives, who may think differently from the electorate. (A/A* grade response)
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C. The twelve-mark essay question

For many students this is the question which will decide their grade on the paper.
You have a choice of three questions, so study all three carefully before you make
a decision about which to tackle. (The questions are spaced out towards the back
of the booklet, so turn forward to read each carefully.)
Each question will be structured in the same way:
A STATEMENT
THE QUESTION ITSELF, i.e. Do you agree with this view ? And then the
advice Give reasons for your opinion, showing you have considered another
point of view.
FOUR CUE QUESTIONS, which are designed to give your answer good
coverage and to provide you with a structure. The four cue questions are
preceded by this statement: To answer the question above, you could
consider the following points and other information of your own. This means
that a good answer will require you to bring in your own points, arguments
and supporting evidence.
Good answers always demand good P.E.E.ing Make your point, explain it,
support what you are saying with evidence / examples.
It is essential that you respond to the examiners requirement to show that you
have considered another point of view other than your own. This is put in place so
that, in effect, you produce a two-sided essay. A one-sided answer will reduce
your mark !
Where appropriate, use the following types of phrases to move your argument on:
On the other hand, some commentators argue / some people would
argue
In contrast to this, it is possible to argue..
To some people, this idea / principle / argument is wrongly founded. They
would argue.
Each twelve-mark essay answer should have a
BEGINNING (in which you briefly state your view, and perhaps how you are
going to demonstrate your view e.g. which sorts of evidence.)
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 MIDDLE section addressing the four cue questions (P.E.E each time at
least three supported points in favour of your view, and at least one against,
preferably two !)
CONCLUSION (in which you revisit the original statement in the question and
give your view.) You may wish to conclude in a balanced way, i.e. that ..
I agree/disagree with this statement to a significant extent because ..,
but on the other hand, I recognise that .
Here are some examples of 12-mark questions that have been set so far:
June 2010

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14

Jan 2011

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The 1st sample just focuses on the prompt questions.

The 2nd sample does not use the prompt questions.
The 3rd sample uses answers to the prompt questions and the students own information.
Sample answer 1
Sending offenders to prison is an expensive mistake; there are better ways to reduce crime.
Do you agree with this view? Give reasons for your opinion, showing you have considered another point
of view. (12)
Why has the prison population risen to over 80,000 in recent years?
What are the advantages of sending offenders to prison?
How many ex-prisoners re-offend and get sent back to prison?
What other punishments could be given to offenders and why might they be better ways?

I think the best way to reduce crime is to send people to prison for
long periods, make them do hard manual work and wear uncomfortable
uniforms and have no television sets in their cells or sports kit or facilities
or telephone calls. Many prisoners have a better life inside prison than
they have when they are on the outside.
Why has the prison population risen to over 80,000 in recent years?
Because crime has gone up. If everyone who committed crime was caught
we would need prison places for two or three times as many people.

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What are the advantages of sending offenders to prison? It keeps

them away from the public and stabbing or murdering people. That is why
we need more prisons.
How many ex-offenders re-offend and get sent back to prison? About
half the prisoners re-offend. Some learn their lesson. The others would
learn to behave is they had a harder time doing manual work for at least 12
hours a day, no sport, television or phones.
What other punishments could be given to offenders and why might
they be better ways? In Singapore criminals get caned and in the USA
they still have the electric chair. We should have the death penalty in
Britain for second offenders. That would stop re-offending.

Sample answer 2
I do agree with this view. The cost of keeping prisoners puts a heavy
burden on the taxpayers every year. We shouldnt just consider prison as
an option, as we can spend money looking at other ways to deal with
prisoners and also spend money on ways to stop prisoners committing
crime altogether.
A recent study showed that more money is spent on the average
prisoners meal than the average school dinner. We dont only need to pay
for their meals though. Taxpayers money is spent on the upkeep of the
prisons, the staff who work in them, and any other cost a prisoner may
incur while inside. We cant always be sure if prison is having an effect on
the prisoner that may make them change their ways so rather than paying
out all this money, maybe we should actually consider whether it is worth it
in the first place.
My friends dad went to prison for three months and Im not sure
somebody can actually change their ways in that time, but this money was
spent on him to keep him there. So I dont know if it was actually worth it.
It must have made him think about what he did though and it probably
wasnt very nice so it might have had a bit of an effect.
There could be better ways to reduce crime. Maybe money should be
spent on putting more police on the streets, because this will stop so many
crimes being committed and then we wont be spending as much money on
prisoners. We could also do other things with prisoners to help them
change their ways like have education and do community service.
In conclusion, there are better ways to reduce crime because if you give
money to the police force, they can catch more criminals and stop the
number of people who are going to prison. So there will be fewer people in
prison costing lots of money. This will reduce crime.

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Sample answer 3
The prison system in the UK serves as a method of punishment and
deterrence for criminals, yet has recently come under attack for the
increasing financial burden it has placed on the taxpayer. This, coupled
with the high rates of recidivism in the UK today, has led to the criticism
that it may well be an expensive mistake. This argument will demonstrate
that although prison may indeed be the only option for some prisoners, and
a necessity in our society, there are more cost-effective ways in which
crime rates can be tackled.
As the prison population has gradually risen to over 80,000 due to an
increase in the length of sentences handed out, a general increase in the
number of laws written that can result in a prison sentence if they are
broken, and an increase in serious crime, such as knife crime , so has the
cost to the taxpayer. As the average prisoner costs 37,500 a year, this
amounts to a considerable sum. If it was clear that prison definitely
worked, these costs would perhaps be justified. However, over 50% of exprisoners re-offend within a few months of their release. Therefore, it could
be argued that prison alone does not offer the chance for prisoners to
reform as much as they might. Additionally, it has been proven that some
prisoners actually learn more about crime and tricks of the trade inside
than they would outside, as they associate with other criminals. This points
to a waste of money to the taxpayer, who expects criminals to go to prison
in order to consider the effects of their crime and have a chance to reform
in order to become more responsible members of society on their release.
Critics of this view and supporters of the prison system might argue that
prison does offer a series of benefits to society. By withdrawing dangerous
criminals from society, the public are protected . Additionally, by denying
prisoners their freedom and basic choices that may be taken for granted,
such as when to eat and sleep or what to wear, combined with a withdrawal
from their friends and loved ones, an unpleasant atmosphere is created
that serves as a fitting punishment for those that have broken the law and
a deterrent for those who may consider it. However, the point remains if
such a high number of ex-offenders are re-offending on their release, the
prison system as it stands does not offer a cost-effective method of
punishment or a serious enough deterrent to control crime rates.
Alternatives may include programmes of community service or more
suspended sentences handed out. In this instance, offenders are not sent
to prison, so do not require the cost to the taxpayer. However, relatively
cheap programmes of community service require the offender to give
something back to the community they may have damaged in the first
place, and suspended sentences do not cost anything but help deter
offenders from committing any further crimes while the suspended
sentence stands. These sentences could be given in conjunction with one
another and as long as these offenders pose no threat to the safety of
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society, there is no need for them to be withdrawn to prison. Although it

could be argued that a number of offenders do re-offend following these
punishments, at least these few are given a chance to reform before they
place a financial burden on the taxpayer.
Alternatively, more opportunity for reform in prisons may also prove costeffective as it could significantly reduce recidivism, thus crime rates
overall. Intensive therapy, such as that offered at Grendon Prison, requires
offenders to face up to their offending behaviour. The process itself is
unpleasant for the prisoner, and is often used for more dangerous
offenders. Although prisoners at Grendon cost 42,000 per year, the
recidivism rates are significantly lower, standing at 8% in the four years
after release, compared with 24% generally. This means that at a slightly
higher cost initially, less crime is committed overall, so it is a more costeffective use of prisons.
In conclusion, although prisons are a necessity in society, in order to
protect the public from dangerous individuals and act as a deterrent to
those who may contemplate crime, overall, if ex-offenders are re-offending
at the current rate, they are not cost-effective ways to reduce crime.
Alternatively, more prisons should adopt the therapeutic community
approach for those offenders who must be kept away from the public fir
safety, and more community and suspended sentences should be given out
to offenders who deserve punishment but do not pose a serious threat to
society. This will ensure that they repay to society what they owe and
possibly reform their ways, but do not cost the taxpayer an unnecessary
sum in the process.

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