Skills you learn from Politics (Year 11)

Politics builds structured argument, close reading of sources, and the ability to weigh competing claims fairly - skills students may already be developing in History, English, or Religious Studies. This lesson plan will help you to show Year 11 students the skills Politics builds and where they're already building them.

This lesson is designed to be delivered in 30 minutes as a teacher-led classroom activity.

Politics isn't taught at GCSE, so this lesson is best hosted in a History, English, or Religious Studies class - the subjects most likely to attract students drawn to Politics. The lesson assumes no Politics subject expertise from the host teacher.

This activity supports the following frameworks:

  • Gatsby Benchmark 4

This activity is suitable for Year 11 and features careers linked to the following subjects:

  • Politics

This is one of three lesson plans designed for Year 11 teachers introducing students to Politics:

These lesson plans will help you show students how Politics connects to their future careers - whether or not they go on to study it at A-Level.

We recommend using this lesson plan at the end of the autumn term. By this point Year 11 students are starting to weigh post-16 options. Because Politics isn't a GCSE, the question isn't "what skills have I built from studying Politics?" but "do I already build Politics-style skills in my other subjects, and do I want to deepen them?" Answering that helps students decide whether A-Level Politics is a natural next step, or whether they're better off building those skills through other routes.

Learning objectives

  • Students will name the core skills that Politics builds.
  • Students will recognise which of their existing subjects build the same skills.
  • Students will consider what this tells them about whether A-Level Politics fits their post-16 plans.

Before the lesson

  • You will need a computer connected to the internet and a classroom screen.
  • Open the What can you do with Politics? page and have it ready on the screen.
  • Review the Skills that Politics builds section. For each skill, think of an example from your own subject (or a closely related one) of when students built that skill.

During the lesson

1. Where do skills come from? (5 mins)

  • Ask students to recall a recent piece of work in your subject - an essay, a source analysis, a structured argument, a presentation.
  • Ask them what skills that piece of work asked them to use.
  • Write the suggestions on the board.

2. Skills that Politics builds (15 mins)

  • Bring up the What can you do with Politics? page on the classroom screen.
  • Review the contents of the page with students so that they understand what it covers.
  • Scroll to the Skills that Politics builds section and work through each skill in turn.
    • For each skill, ask students which of their existing subjects builds it, and where they've used it recently.
    • Share your own teaching examples to anchor the discussion if students are stuck.

3. So what does that tell you about Politics? (10 mins)

  • Ask students to reflect on the overlap between Politics' skills and the skills their current subjects build.
  • Prompt them with questions:
    • Do these skills appeal to you - work where argument, evidence, and judgement matter?
    • Are you already building them in subjects you enjoy?
    • Would you want to deepen them through A-Level Politics specifically, or through other subjects?
  • Close by reminding students that choosing a good set of post-16 subjects isn't only about which ones they enjoy - it's about which ones compound the skills they want to take into work or further study.

After the lesson

  • Share the What can you do with Politics? page with students and their parents/carers:
    • www.coffeewith.xyz/subjects/what-can-you-do-with-politics
  • Encourage parents/carers to explore the page with their child and to discuss the contents.
  • Use the School Tools / Activities feature to record the lesson activity:
    • Activity name: Year 11 - Skills you learn from Politics
    • Activity type: Linking curriculum learning to careers
  • Read the follow-on lesson plan: