A Level Edexcel Political Ideas Course Companions

Endorsed for Edexcel

Conservatism Course Companion is endorsed for the A Level Edexcel Politics Specification (9PL0).

Clear, comprehensive coverage of the 2017 A Level Edexcel specification. Classroom notes written in student-friendly language, organised in specification order and with detailed explanations of core ideological concepts, key thinkers and political theories.

The detail is excellent

D Taborda, Deputy Head & Peer Reviewer
  • All key terms defined throughout – aids students’ understanding and helps them to build up a handy glossary
  • Historical overview of each ideology helps show a clear progression of thought, providing context and aiding understanding
  • ‘Talking points’ engage students – helps test vital AO2 and AO3 skills!

This course companion does an excellent job of covering everything that needs to be covered by the specification

D Taborda, Teacher & Customer
Also available for: UK | USA | Global Politics

What do teachers say about this resource? (11033)

9.9 out of 10 ... comprehensive ... brilliant ... Breaks down the topic easily into thinkers, core values and examples ... Page 15 is fab ... Page 24 – Brilliantly creative page, what teachers are crying out for ... Bang on. Goes through the syllabus and then above and beyond it ... This is the best ever, most comprehensive set of resources of anarchism that I have ever seen in 10 years of teaching the subject. It literally includes every incidence of anarchism that you could ever think of or reference. Very creative and wide spanning, I might have to pick up a copy even though I don’t teach the subject any more

S Foster, Ideologies Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I particularly liked the variety, eg use of boxes, p2,6,19,20, the quiz and side headings eg p3, and the talking points ... This enhances learning by consolidating knowledge, and making complex concepts more understandable ... It matches the spec well and the emphasis on key writers was particularly apposite, as students often find it difficult to integrate them into their answers. It did not try to put over any specific interpretation,which is to be commended as the job of a politics teacher is to be a neutral arbiter... I also liked the activities,p11,24/speech bubbles p13,15,17/Exam style questions p20/21/summary table p21/debatesp22criticisms p25 and good examples,p27

L Ashley, HOD & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11014)

a long overdue resource which will help students understand a very important ideology. It is well written, carefully sectioned out and is a very good course companion to accompany textbooks and other resources available ... I like the talking points dotted throughout the resource as this ensures that students are thinking about what they read rather than just reading it and taking notes - it encourages students to be inquisitive about feminism and its link to society ... The question bank at the end is good - I have often reviewed course companions and have said that there should be more practice questions included. I am glad to see that there are 10 questions which can help students and staff set meaningful and regular assessment work ... The distinction between 'sex' and 'gender' is excellent - a lot of my students often merge the two but the clear distinction between their meanings in this companion is excellent ... The 'tension' boxes throughout are excellent - they show exactly where different types of feminists disagree which is exactly what the students need to know. This is useful for those who struggle to juggle all of the different areas of agreement and disagreement within feminism ... The key terms dotted throughout are good - keeps students engaged and knowledgable about the varying degrees of feminism ... The key thinkers pages are excellent and it is a very sensible choice to include some of their quotes - a good, simple biography followed by some of their sayings. This is something I will be using with my students! ... written with students in mind and breaks down what is quite a complicated ideology ... My students had a very simplistic view of what feminism is and having read this guide, it demonstrates the complicated and sophisticated nature of feminism but in a very accessible way for the students ... To take a topic like this and be able to do that is a very big compliment to the writer ... Students will be well versed in this as they progress through the course companion and will have the confidence to know that this is correct for their course ... Would I purchase this resource? Without a doubt

D Taborda, Politics Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Liked the different sections on core values, key thinkers, key themes and potential essay questions ... Pages 26-29 beautifully written and designed... Sticks to [the specification] like glue

S Foster, Course Manager, Economics, HSDC. & Peer Reviewer

I liked this resource. It would be particularly useful to a new politics teacher providing a basic introduction to the subject,especially if they’ve steered clear of isms in the past,before the new spec made them compulsory ... This resource enhances learning by providing a clear explanation of the core concepts and a variety of activities to ensure students have mastered these eg talking points p7. Its educational value would be to give students confidence that they have mastered the theory as many are more attracted by the practice of politics ... I liked the presentation/layout eg use of italics for quotes(p6)and illustrations of the main thinkers, which makes the material come alive

L Ashley, Politics Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (8780)

Excellent – a very good overview of socialism and a good guide to help with the difficulties of this topic... It goes through the content clearly and it is targeted for students. Therefore, they can get the most out of the detailed course-companion... Each topic in the course is covered – meaning students can identify areas of strength/weakness... It covers exactly what the specification is asking for – it really is a superb resource for students to work on... Buy it!

D Taborda, Teacher & Customer

What do teachers say about this resource? (11015)

Well planned out and clear to the reader. Key terms are well explained and are student friendly. Key thinkers are clearly identified to students as are key links to the specification. Some lovely examples are included to support points being made ... it is well thought out and easy for students to digest. Will help support teaching with its clear headings and sections ... a sound set of notes that teachers can direct students to to provide understanding in the first instance, and then can be used as revision

N Barthorpe, HoD, Examiner & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (8913)

This course companion does an excellent job of covering everything that needs to be covered by the specification... For me, having not taught ideologies, it is invaluable... It has managed to get the relevant information included without going off course nor including tough information – it is impressive.

D Taborda, Teacher & Customer

Very good. Conservatism is a hard concept to grasp yet this course companion goes through what is expected of the specification ensuring that all students are fully aware of the different strands and competing views within Conservatism. It is written with students in mind which is what I believe is one of its strengths... Human Nature is explained very well given its huge importance to the Ideologies course – the Conservative ideological views on this are very clear and the companion explains them well... The Key thinkers at the end of the course companion are very detailed and are an invaluable source of information for the students... It is extremely valuable as it adds to the sometimes wordy textbooks.

D Taborda, Deputy Head & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9734)

Each section links to the next - there is a clear progressive element (fitting for Liberalism!) to this Course Companion... The detail is excellent - every aspect that the specification requires is covered and written in a clear and simple format for the students to understand and process... The Key Concepts are excellent - these have been chosen well and have been explained well... The Principles of Liberalism have been explained very well and clearly... The key thinkers have been interwoven well within the resources and their more detailed profiles at the back are excellent.

D Taborda, Deputy Head & Peer Reviewer