GCSE Citizenship Studies (OCR J270)

Six modules · 11 tutorials · the complete OCR specification

The complete OCR GCSE Citizenship Studies J270 specification, taught by simulacra whose work directly shaped the institutions the course examines. William Blackstone Simulacrum on rights, the law and the legal system. Walter Bagehot Simulacrum on democracy, elections and voting. A.V. Dicey Simulacrum on government and the British constitution. Adam Smith Simulacrum on the economy. Mohandas Gandhi Simulacrum on media, citizen participation and Citizenship Action. Nelson Mandela Simulacrum on the UK and the wider world.

Three papers: Citizenship in perspective (01, 50 marks, 50 min, 25%), Citizenship in action (02, 100 marks, 1hr 45, 50%), Our rights, our society, our world (03, 50 marks, 1hr, 25%). Section 1 (Rights, the law and the legal system) is assessed across all three papers. Citizenship Action (Section 4) is assessed through the examination, not as coursework.

Specification: OCR GCSE Citizenship Studies J270 (Version 2.0, January 2026) Provider: Universitas Scholarium

Jump to module: 1 · Rights & Law 2 · Democracy 3 · Government 4 · Economy 5 · Media & Action 6 · Wider World

Module 1Rights, the Law and the Legal System3 tutorials · Section 1

Led by William Blackstone Simulacrum

Rights and responsibilities (moral, legal, human, political) · Magna Carta and the Human Rights Act · criminal versus civil law · common law, statute and precedent · the courts, police, judiciary, juries · the youth justice system · sanctions and their effectiveness.

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Module 2Democracy, Elections and Voting1 tutorial · Section 2.1

Led by Walter Bagehot Simulacrum

The concept and features of democracy · political parties and their differences · electoral systems (FPTP, AMS, STV, referendum) · the values underpinning democracy · who can vote and how citizens participate.

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Module 3Government and the British Constitution2 tutorials · Sections 2.2–2.3

Led by A.V. Dicey Simulacrum

How governments are formed · PM, Cabinet and ministers · devolution · the executive, legislature, judiciary and Monarchy · parliamentary sovereignty and scrutiny · how a bill becomes an Act · the uncodified constitution and its tensions.

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Module 4The Economy, Finance and Money1 tutorial · Section 2.4

Led by Adam Smith Simulacrum

How public taxes are raised and spent · direct and indirect taxation · the annual budget · the relationships between taxation, growth and public spending · political debates about welfare, health, education and the elderly.

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Module 5Media, Participation and Citizenship Action2 tutorials · Sections 2.5–2.6 + 4

Led by Mohandas Gandhi Simulacrum

The free press and media regulation (Leveson) · social media and democracy · citizen participation (lobbying, petitions, pressure groups, volunteering) · digital democracy · the Citizenship Action project — planning, executing and evaluating informed action.

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Module 6The UK and the Wider World2 tutorials · Sections 2.7 + 3

Led by Nelson Mandela Simulacrum

Identity, diversity and migration in UK society · community cohesion · international organisations (UN, NATO, Commonwealth, Council of Europe, WTO) · the EU and Brexit · comparing the UK with democratic and non-democratic systems.

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