What happens after a general election?
I can explain what happens after a general election and describe what majority, minority and coalition governments are.
What happens after a general election?
I can explain what happens after a general election and describe what majority, minority and coalition governments are.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A general election in the UK is when MPs are voted for by people in their constituency.
- After a general election, the Prime Minister is accepted by the monarch and is invited to make a government.
- Governments may be run with a majority, minority or coalition.
Keywords
Election - when people vote to choose their leaders or representatives
Prime Minister - the leader of the political party who is in power and head of the Government
Majority - holds more than half of the total seats in a legislative body, such as a Parliament
Coalition - a government formed jointly by more than one political party
Minority - a government formed by a political party that does not have an overall majority of MPs
Common misconception
The party that wins the most seats will form the Government and have all the power.
If a party does not have the majority of seats (50%+1) in Parliament, they may not be able to form a government. They might have to form a formal coalition or a voting agreement with a smaller party to get the majority. Power may have to be shared.
To help you plan your year 8 citizenship lesson on: What happens after a general election?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 citizenship lesson on: What happens after a general election?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 citizenship lessons from the How does the political system work in the UK? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
where a voter puts their vote before it is counted
the specific area that is represented by each MP in Parliament
the leader of the political party who is in power
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a promise of loyalty to the monarch and UK laws by MPs and Lords
a government formed by a party that does not have 50% or more MP seats
holds more than half of the total seats in a legislative body