Key Stage 4 citizenship · Democracy and government

GCSE citizenship: holding the government to account

A government in the UK holds a great deal of power: it proposes most laws, spends public money and runs the civil service. Holding power to account means checking how that power is used and making those in charge explain and justify their decisions. In Key Stage 4 citizenship, students study the part played by Parliament and by citizens, and learn to judge how effective each check really is, using evidence rather than opinion.

Holding power to account, explained

The starting point is that power needs to be checked, even in a democracy. A government can make mistakes, act unfairly or put its own interests first, so the constitution builds in ways to make it answer for what it does. Students learn the phrase “accountability” and ask the same questions in every case: who is checking, how, and what can they actually do if they find a problem?

Parliament is the main check. In the House of Commons, ministers must answer questions from MPs, including at Prime Minister’s Questions each week Parliament is sitting, and in writing. Debates give MPs the chance to challenge government policy. Select committees are smaller groups of MPs from different parties who investigate a government department or an issue in detail, call witnesses and publish reports. The Official Opposition, the largest party not in government, has the job of scrutinising and offering an alternative. MPs also vote on bills and on taxation and spending, and the House of Lords reads bills closely and can suggest changes. In the end a government that loses the confidence of the Commons cannot carry on as it is.

Citizens hold power to account too, and this is the half of the topic that students sometimes forget. At a general election, which must be held at least every five years, voters can reward or remove a government. Between elections, people can contact their MP or councillor, sign petitions, take part in public consultations, join campaign groups, protest peacefully or use the press to bring attention to an issue. Courts add another layer: in judicial review a judge decides whether a minister or public body has acted within the law, though not whether the policy is a good idea. A free press, covered in a separate topic, investigates and reports on what government does.

The programme of study also asks students to develop research skills, weigh up evidence and make persuasive arguments. In practice that means a typical lesson asks them to judge how well accountability works: does a committee report change anything? Is a weekly question session real scrutiny, or mostly performance? When a government has a big majority, how much can the opposition achieve? There is no single correct answer, and teachers mark the reasoning and the use of examples. Schools choose which recent events to use, so your child’s case studies may differ from those at another school.

Words your child will hear

Accountability: Being required to explain and justify your actions to others, and to accept the consequences.
Scrutiny: Close examination of what the government is doing, for example by questioning ministers and investigating policies.
Select committee: A cross-party group of MPs or peers that investigates a government department or an issue and publishes a report.
Opposition: The parties that are not in government. The largest is called the Official Opposition.
Vote of no confidence: A vote in the House of Commons on whether MPs still support the government.
Judicial review: A court process that checks whether a public body or minister has acted lawfully.
Petition: A formal request, often signed by many people, asking a decision-maker to act or to think again.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 4 says:

Pupils should be taught about parliamentary democracy and the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, including the power of government, the role of citizens and Parliament in holding those in power to account, and the different roles of the executive, legislature and judiciary and a free press
Pupils should develop their skills to be able to use a range of research strategies, weigh up evidence, make persuasive arguments and substantiate their conclusions.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: an exam-style evaluation

A government announces that it will stop the funding that keeps 50 rural bus routes running, to save money. Explain two ways the decision could be held to account, and decide which is likely to be more effective. (This is an invented case.)

Identify two different checks so the answer isn’t one-sided. Choose one from Parliament, such as MPs questioning the minister and a select committee inquiry, and one from citizens, such as a petition and local campaign.
Explain how the first check works. MPs from affected areas can ask the transport minister to justify the cuts in the Commons and in writing, and a select committee could call witnesses and publish a report on the effect on rural communities.
Explain how the second check works. A large petition can lead to a government response, and signatures above a higher threshold can lead to a debate. Local campaigns, news coverage and consultations also put pressure on ministers.
Compare the strength of each. Parliament can force explanations and publicity, but a government with a large majority can still go ahead. Public pressure may be stronger if it threatens votes at the next election.
Reach a judgement and qualify it. Say which is stronger and what it depends on, such as the size of the government’s majority and how many people are affected.

Parliament and citizens could both hold the government to account. MPs could question the minister and a select committee could investigate the effects on rural areas, which forces the government to explain and justify its decision in public. Citizens could sign a petition, respond to a consultation and campaign locally. Parliamentary scrutiny is more formal and can produce detailed evidence, but a government with a big majority can ignore it. Citizen pressure is often more effective when it is large, well organised and covered in the news, because ministers know voters can remove them at the next election. Overall, the two work best together, and their strength depends on how large the majority is and how many people are affected.

Common mistakes and how to help

“The opposition can stop the government doing things.”

The opposition is very visible, so students assume it has real power to block. In fact, when the governing party has a majority, it usually wins votes.

What helps: Separate three jobs: scrutinise, persuade and offer an alternative. Ask what the opposition can do when it can’t win a vote, such as asking questions, forcing publicity or influencing MPs in the governing party.

Thinking an election every few years is the only check

Elections are the most familiar way people hold power to account, so the many checks in between get overlooked.

What helps: Ask your child to list as many checks as possible between elections, then sort them into Parliament, courts, press and citizens. A full list can easily reach eight or more.

Treating Prime Minister’s Questions as the whole of parliamentary scrutiny

It’s the part that is on the news. It is loud and quick, so it can look like the main event.

What helps: Explain that committee work is usually slower, more detailed and less political. Ask which one is more likely to uncover facts and which one is more likely to grab attention.

Believing courts decide whether a government policy is right

News stories say judges have “blocked” a policy, which sounds like a judgement on the idea itself.

What helps: Judicial review asks whether a decision was lawful, fair and made in the proper way. A policy can be unpopular and lawful, or popular and unlawful. Ask your child which one a court would examine.

How to help at home

Follow one decision from announcement to scrutiny. Choose a current government decision together and ask who questioned it and how. You are looking for MPs, committees, the press and campaign groups, and for what actually changed as a result.
Find out who your MP is and what they do. Look up your local MP and see which committees they sit on and what topics they have raised. Ask your child what question they would put to a minister if they had the chance, and why.
Rate the checks. Write down the main checks on government, then have your child rate each one from 1 to 5 for how effective it is, with a reason. Disagree politely and ask for evidence, which is the skill the course rewards.
Draft a letter, even if you don’t send it. Help your child write a short, polite letter to a councillor or MP about something they care about, with a clear request and a reason. Doing the drafting teaches how citizens use the system, whether or not it is posted.

Builds on

Key Stage 3: How UK democracy developed
Key Stage 3: Citizens, Parliament and the monarch
Key Stage 3: How Parliament works
Key Stage 3: Voting and elections
Key Stage 3: The role of political parties