October 2026 Politics subject update
This update contains useful information, news and advice for Edexcel Politics teachers including key dates for your diary and details of two new FT for Schools case studies on global governance and the power of the US presidency.
Key Dates
- Access to scripts deadline: 11 December 2026 - After this date you will no longer be able to view your students’ scripts using our free service.
Training for Politics teachers
The A level Politics Summer 2026 exam insights event is now available to book online:
- A Level Politics: Exam Insights Summer 2026 - 12 November 2026 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT
We are also running a network event in early 2027 on strategies for accessing higher levels:
- A Level Politics: Strategies for Accessing Higher Levels - 08 February 2027 at 16:00 - 17:30 GMT
Find out more and book your place by searching for Politics on our training page.
We will be making recordings of these events available for teachers who can’t attend.
Read our PD guide for more information on training available this academic year:
We have several recorded training events for teachers who are new to teaching our Politics specifications or who need more support:
Resources and support materials
A level Politics Issue 4 specification minor errata
In June, we announced amendments to our A level Politics specification for first teaching in September 2026 and first assessment in June 2028. We have since identified two minor points requiring correction in Issue 4 of the specification and published an erratum notice:
JCQ Summer 2026 results and new dashboards
JCQ have now published Summer 2026 results on their website for GCSE and A level.
The results provide insights into student entries and attainment in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. JCQ has published results data for 26 years and all the data is on their website to facilitate comparisons.
For the first time JCQ has also published interactive data dashboards for A levels and GCSEs. These dashboards are being piloted with GCSE and A level data in the first instance.
Did you know that Politics is the fastest-growing A level subject?
We have previously discussed the rapid growth of A level Politics in our training events and will share further data and insights at our forthcoming A level Politics Insights event.
New September FT for Schools case study – The power of the US presidency
We’ve created a brand-new case study on ‘Is the US presidency ‘imperial’ or ‘imperilled’?’, using the Financial Times for Schools resource.
This case study, based on an FT article, ‘Trump adrift: the president’s second term is at risk of foundering’, relates to the following US Politics specification points:
Government and Politics of the USA:
2.2 The functions of Congress
- 2.2.3 Oversight: Factors that influence the relationship between Congress and the presidency
3.1 The presidency
- 3.3.1 Relationships between the presidency and the following institutions and why this varies: Congress and the Supreme Court
- 3.3.2 Limitations on presidential power and why this varies between presidents
3.4 Interpretations and debates of the US presidency: the imperial presidency
6.2 Comparative approaches: Similarities and differences in the UK and USA
- 6.2.5 Compare and debate the following aspects of the UK and US executive branches and their resulting impact on politics and government
- 6.2.6 The extent to which rational, cultural and structural approaches can be used to account for these similarities and differences
It contains research activities, discussion points, suggested homework exercises and sample student responses.
New October FT for Schools case study – global governance
We’ve created another new case study on global governance, using the Financial Times for Schools resource.
This case study, based on an FT article, ‘The perilously high stakes for the next UN leader’, relates to the following US Politics specification points:
Global Politics:
2 Global governance: political and economic
3 Global governance: human rights and environmental
6.3 Divisions between realism and liberalism in relation to the impact of international organisations and the significance of states
It contains research activities, discussion points, suggested homework exercises and sample student responses.
Look out for more FT for Schools case studies in the Autumn term! You can also find more case studies on the A level Politics qualification page.
Subject advisor
Mark Battye
Government and Politics
