Starter quiz
- ______ is a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf.
- 'Democracy' ✓
- Match the terms with the correct definition.
- direct democracy⇔where the people decide on the policy directly ✓
- representative democracy⇔when people elect officials to make decisions on their behalf ✓
- referendum⇔a general vote by the electorate on a single political question ✓
- What is the name of the electoral system in which a candidate or party is selected by gaining the most votes not a majority?
- First-past-the-post ✓
- Proportional representation
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- What age can you vote in the UK general election?
- 16
- 17
- 18 ✓
- 19
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- Why is media freedom important in a democracy?
- It allows the government to control the flow of information.
- It is free from interference from government. ✓
- It guarantees that only positive news about the government is published.
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- A constituency is...
- the place where people go to vote.
- the specific geographical area that is represented by each MP. ✓
- a group of people who organise elections.
- a set of laws created by MPs.
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Exit quiz
- Electoral reform ...
- looks to save the electoral system.
- looks to keep the electoral system.
- looks to change the electoral system. ✓
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- Match the advantages of democracy to the corresponding topic.
- media freedom⇔UK media offers a wide range of opinions, encouraging open debate ✓
- representative democracy⇔allows elected officials to make informed decisions for the public ✓
- first-past-the-post⇔simple and quick to understand, producing fast results ✓
- lowering the voting age⇔16- and 17-year-olds showed high engagement in the Scottish referendum ✓
- Which of these is a disadvantage of democracy in the UK?
- political disagreement never happens in democracy
- political disagreements can slow decisions ✓
- political disagreements are rare in the UK
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- A weakness of ______ the voting age in the UK is that 16- and 17-year-olds might be easily influenced.
- 'lowering' ✓
- Which of these are a disadvantage of media freedom in the UK?
- the risk of spreading misinformation or fake news ✓
- politicians may feel forced to follow their party's stance
- the election outcomes might not reflect the majority of voters choice
- young people may lack the knowledge to make informed voting decisions
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- A ______ of first-past-the-post is that smaller parties are underrepresented in government.
- 'weakness' ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- There are both pros and cons to the current form of democracy in the UK.
- Electoral reform could improve democracy in the UK, for example, lowering the voting age and increasing referendums.
Common misconception
Democracy is not either strong or weak.
There are different features and areas of democracy, such as the type of democracy, electoral system, media and voting age. Each of these will have their own strengths and weaknesses that come together to form an overall judgement on democracy.
Keywords
Representative democracy - a type of democracy where citizens choose others to represent them, making important decisions on their behalf
First-past-the-post - the voting system used in the UK to elect members of some local councils and Members of Parliament, whereby the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins
Media freedom - the ability of the press to give information and express opinions
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