Year 7 · Citizenship · Democracy and Parliament · Lesson 3

Elections and voting

UK general elections: constituencies, first past the post, majorities and coalitions, who can vote, votes at 16, and the history of the right to vote.

18-minute video lesson

Teaching, worked examples and 20 practice questions solved step by step.

Watch free for a month

What your child will learn

Explain constituencies and MPs
Describe first past the post
State who can vote
Evaluate the fairness of an election result

The method

Most votes?
Total.
Over half?
Fair? Both sides.

Key words: constituency, first past the post, ballot, majority, coalition, manifesto.

Worked examples

The first three practice questions from the lesson, with every step.

Question 1

How many constituencies are in the UK?

Step 1: = MPs

Answer: 650

Question 2

What does an MP represent?

Step 1: Area

Answer: the people of their constituency

Question 3

What is the UK's general election system called?

Step 1: Race

Answer: first past the post