Skip to main content
LITUK

Unit 4

Government & Law

How Britain is governed and your place in it

Compress the same material into quick recall: short fact blocks, heuristics, and distinctions you can revisit before practice.

11 sections1,122 questions0 review topics done

Review

Condense the unit into quick recall

This is the tighter pass: fact blocks, heuristics, and visual summaries that make the material easier to retrieve under pressure.

• Driving: you must be 17 to drive a car or motorcycle, 16 for a moped.

• You must have a valid driving licence and car insurance to drive.

• A UK driving licence is valid until age 70, then must be renewed every 3 years. A foreign driving licence is valid for 12 months in the UK.

• MOT test required annually for vehicles over 3 years old.

• In Northern Ireland, a newly qualified driver must display an 'R' plate (restricted driver) for one year.

• The drink-drive limit applies and you can be fined or imprisoned.

• Schools: education is compulsory between ages 5 and 16 (4 in Northern Ireland).

• Qualifications: GCSEs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. National Qualifications (Highers) in Scotland.

• NHS: free at the point of use, funded through taxation.

• You must register with a GP (General Practitioner) to access NHS services.

• Prescriptions are free in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — but NOT free in England.

• Emergency services: call 999. Non-emergency police: call 101.

• Domestic violence, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation (FGM) are all illegal.

• Age restrictions: you must be 18 to buy alcohol, tobacco, or gamble.

• Equal pay: men and women must be paid equally for the same work (since 1970).

• The Equality Act 2010 protects against discrimination based on: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.

• A TV licence is required to watch live TV or BBC iPlayer. The fine for not having one is up to £1,000.

• TV licence concessions: people over 75 can apply for a free TV licence. Blind people can get a 50% discount.

Driving at 17 (car), 16 (moped). School 5-16. NHS free but England charges for prescriptions. Emergency 999, non-emergency 101. Everything age 18: alcohol, tobacco, gambling. Equality Act 2010 = 9 protected characteristics.

• The Commonwealth has 54 member states — most are former colonies of the British Empire.

• The monarch is the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth.

• The Commonwealth promotes democracy, good government, and human rights.

• Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March.

• The Commonwealth Games are held every four years.

• The UK is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which has 15 members.

• The Council of Europe has 47 member countries and promotes human rights. It cannot make laws.

• The UK signed the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in 1950. British diplomats and lawyers helped draft it.

Commonwealth = 54 states, monarch is ceremonial head, Games every 4 years. UK = 1 of 5 permanent UN Security Council members (15 total). Council of Europe = 47 states, promotes human rights, CANNOT make laws. ECHR signed 1950, drafted partly by British lawyers.

• It takes about 1 hour to donate blood.

• The UN has more than 190 member states.

• UK currency: pound sterling (£). 100 pence in a pound. Coins: 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, £2. Notes: £5, £10, £20, £50. Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own banknotes, valid everywhere in the UK, but shops do not have to accept them.

• The Beveridge Report (Social Insurance and Allied Services) laid the foundation for the welfare state.

• There are many ways to volunteer: become a school governor, support a charity, serve as a magistrate, or become a special constable.

• The Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands — Jersey and Guernsey — and the Isle of Man) are closely linked to the UK but are NOT part of it.

• The UK has several overseas territories including the Falkland Islands and St Helena. They are not part of the UK itself.

Blood donation takes ~1 hour. Volunteering options: school governor, charity, magistrate, special constable. Beveridge Report → welfare state foundation.

Loading…