How can we hold our leaders to account? Lesson 3 of 6
GCSE • Politics, Parliament and Government • Model curriculum
How can we hold our leaders to account?
This lesson is part 3 of a sequence of 6 lessons addressing the key enquiry: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK as a parliamentary democracy?
This lesson explores the concept of accountability in political systems, focusing on how leaders are held to account in the UK and other countries. Students investigate the effectiveness of checks and balances through a series of structured activities, beginning with a retrieval task to reinforce prior knowledge. Using video resources, they analyse accountability mechanisms in countries such as the USA, Finland, New Zealand, and South Africa, comparing these to practices in the UK.
The lesson culminates in an extended writing task where students evaluate whether UK leaders are easier to hold accountable compared to leaders in other nations. Differentiation is provided through sentence starters and scaffolding, while peer assessment and teacher circulation support learning. A takeaway task encourages students to engage directly with political processes by exploring how to contact MPs and members of the House of Lords. This dynamic approach blends knowledge acquisition, critical thinking, and advocacy skills.
This lesson has been designed for delivery as a single lesson. Timings for each task are given as guidelines.
Students will work towards answering the following questions:
- How are leaders held to account in the UK?
- How are leaders held to account in other countries?
- How effective are the checks and balances in different political systems?
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