Good Learning Co.
SavannahYear 8
← Citizenship
CitizenshipHow the UK is governed20 min★★ difficulty

Elections and political parties

General elections decide who governs the country, but the voting system and the role of parties shape the result in ways that are easy to misunderstand.

Part of your national curriculum
  • Democracy and government: Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties

Key learning points

  • • First past the post
  • • The role of political parties
  • • Who can vote

This lesson at a glance

  • 20 minutes
  • 14 parts to scroll through
  • 3 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

operationparliamentvotingelectionspolitical

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 14 · Discover7%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 14

Watch first

Elections and political parties

An English teaching video on this topic from Common Sense. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 14

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · First past the post

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 14

Learn

First past the post

UK general elections use 'first past the post': the country is divided into 650 constituencies, and in each one the candidate with the most votes wins the seat, even without an overall majority. The party that wins the most seats usually forms the government, and its leader typically becomes Prime Minister.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 14

Learn

The role of political parties

Political parties bring together people with similar ideas about how the country should be run, publish manifestos setting out their policies, and select candidates to stand in each constituency. Voters can join a party, donate, campaign or simply vote for the candidate whose party's ideas they support most.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 14

Quick check

Under first past the post, who wins a constituency seat?

6

Reset break

Part 6 of 14

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
7

Quick check

Part 7 of 14

Quick check

What is a manifesto?

8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 14

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Who can vote

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 14

Learn

Who can vote

To vote in a UK general election you must be 18 or over, registered to vote, and a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Registering is not automatic — everyone has to add their name to the electoral register themselves.

10

Quick check

Part 10 of 14

Quick check

What is the minimum voting age for a UK general election?

11

Challenge round

Part 11 of 14

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

12

Challenge round

Part 12 of 14

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

UK general ____ use 'first past the post': the country is divided into 650 constituencies, and in each one the candidate with the most votes wins the seat, even without an overall majority.

____ parties bring together people with similar ideas about how the country should be run, publish manifestos setting out their policies, and select candidates to stand in each constituency.

13

Mastery quiz

Part 13 of 14

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Elections and political parties

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. In a UK general election, how does a candidate win a constituency seat?

  2. 2. Under first past the post, who wins a constituency seat?

  3. 3. What is a manifesto?

  4. 4. What is the minimum voting age for a UK general election?

14

Lesson round-up

Part 14 of 14

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

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Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 3 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Case study

Should the town centre have a curfew for under-16s?

After a rise in reported vandalism, Harbrook council proposed that under-16s should not be in the town centre after 9 pm without an adult. Police recorded 62 incidents last year, most between 9 pm and midnight. Shopkeepers signed a petition supporting the plan.

A youth council objected. They pointed out that most young people in town at night were going home from sports clubs or work, that the plan punishes a whole group for the acts of a few, and that the library and the bus interchange are in the town centre. They asked instead for a late bus and a youth space.

The council voted to trial the curfew for six months and to publish the crime figures at the end.

Written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. Give the strongest point on each side of the argument, using a fact from the case.
  2. Whose rights and whose responsibilities are involved here? Explain both.
  3. Write your own view on the curfew with reasons and one example.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the case in the lesson again and write what you think should happen, and why it is fair. Use one fact from the case as evidence.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Write your answer to the lesson's big question in full: the strongest point on each side, then your own view with reasons and an example.

    250–350 words

  • Reading log

    Reading

    Find one news story this week that links to this lesson. Note the headline, where you read it, and how it connects.

    1 story, 4–5 sentences

  • Two sides of the argument

    Writing

    Write the strongest point for, the strongest point against, and then your own view with a reason.

    3 paragraphs

  • Poster or leaflet plan

    Diagram

    Plan a leaflet that explains this right or responsibility to someone your age, then photograph it.

    1 planned page

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 14 · Watch & discover

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    Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties

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