How is the Government responsible for borrowing?
I can explain why the Government borrows money and how it protects individual borrowers.
How is the Government responsible for borrowing?
I can explain why the Government borrows money and how it protects individual borrowers.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The UK Government borrows when tax revenue is insufficient to fund essential services.
- Borrowing supports public spending, infrastructure and economic stability during crises.
- Excessive borrowing can limit future investment and create financial risks.
- Government regulations protect borrowers from unfair lending and high interest debt traps.
- Responsible borrowing and awareness of financial protections help individuals and the economy stay secure.
Keywords
Borrowing - the act of receiving money from a lender with the agreement to repay it later, usually with interest
Borrower - a person, business or government that takes money from a lender and agrees to repay it under specified terms
Debt - an amount of money owed by an individual or organisation to a lender
Common misconception
The Government can borrow unlimited money without consequences.
While the Government can borrow to fund services and support the economy, excessive borrowing leads to higher debt and interest payments, which can limit future spending and create financial risks.
To help you plan your year 10 citizenship lesson on: How is the Government responsible for borrowing?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 citizenship lesson on: How is the Government responsible for borrowing?, 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 4 citizenship lessons from the What has the UK economy got to do with me? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
the chance of something going wrong
the charges imposed by the Government on its citizens
handling threats to an organisation's capital and earnings
Exit quiz
6 Questions
amount of money owed by an individual or organisation to a lender
person/business/government that takes money from a lender
receiving money from a lender with the agreement to repay it later