KS3 Citizenship key terms

122 terms with short definitions you can learn for the exam. Type to filter the list.

Key terms glossary 97

Accountable
Having to explain and answer for your actions to someone who can check and challenge them, such as a government answering to Parliament.
Act of Parliament
A law passed by both Houses of Parliament that has received Royal Assent.
Age of criminal responsibility
The age from which a person can be charged with a crime: 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 12 in Scotland.
Appeal
Asking a higher court to look again at a decision that may have been wrong.
APR
Annual Percentage Rate: the yearly cost of borrowing, including interest and fees, used to compare credit offers.
Ballot
A vote, usually secret. A ballot paper is the paper on which you mark your vote.
Barrister
A lawyer who usually argues cases in the higher courts.
Bias
Presenting a one-sided view, for example by leaving out facts or using loaded words.
Bill
A proposal for a new law that is being considered by Parliament.
Budget
A plan comparing money coming in (income) with money going out (expenditure) over a period.
Cabinet
The group of the most senior government ministers, chaired by the Prime Minister.
Charity
An organisation set up for good purposes, such as relieving poverty or protecting animals, not to make a profit for owners.
Citizen
A member of a country who has rights it protects and responsibilities in return.
Civil law
Law that deals with disputes between people or organisations, such as broken contracts, usually settled with compensation.
Civil servant
A politically neutral official who works for a government department and serves whichever government is elected.
Claim (insurance)
Asking an insurer to pay for a loss covered by your policy.
Coalition
A government formed by two or more parties working together, as in the UK from 2010 to 2015.
Community
A group of people who share something, such as a place, a faith or an interest.
Compensation
Money paid to make up for a loss or injury.
Compound interest
Interest earned on your savings and also on the interest already added, so savings grow faster over time.
Constituency
The area that an MP represents. There are 650 in the UK.
Constitutional monarchy
A system where a monarch is head of state but elected politicians make the decisions, following the rules of the constitution.
Council tax
A tax paid by households to their local council, based on the value of their home.
Councillor
An elected member of a local council who represents a ward.
Credit
Borrowing money and paying it back later, usually with interest.
Credit score
A rating, based on your history of borrowing and repaying, that lenders use to decide whether to lend to you.
Criminal law
Law that deals with crimes, which are wrongs against society. The state prosecutes and the guilty can be punished.
Crown Court
The court in England and Wales for serious criminal cases, usually heard by a judge and a jury of 12.
Debt
Money that is owed to someone else.
Deficit
When spending is greater than income.
Democracy
Rule by the people, usually by electing representatives in free and fair elections.
Deterrence
Putting people off committing crime, one purpose of sentencing.
Devolution
Passing some powers from the UK Parliament to the nations or regions, such as to the Scottish Parliament.
Direct debit
An instruction letting a company take payments from your bank account. The amount can change.
Discrimination
Treating someone unfairly because of who they are, such as their race, sex or disability.
Disinformation
False information spread on purpose to mislead people.
Equality Act 2010
The law in Great Britain that protects people from discrimination because of nine protected characteristics.
Excess
The part of an insurance claim that you pay yourself.
Executive
The branch of the state that runs the country and carries out laws: the government.
Expenditure
Money going out: what is spent.
First past the post
The voting system for UK general elections: in each constituency the candidate with the most votes wins.
General election
An election in which all 650 MPs are chosen, held at least every five years.
Gross pay
Total pay before any deductions are taken off.
Human Rights Act 1998
The UK law that made the rights in the European Convention on Human Rights part of UK law.
Hung parliament
When no single party has a majority of MPs in the House of Commons.
Identity
Who you are and how you see yourself, including family, beliefs, languages and interests.
Income
Money coming in, such as wages, pocket money or gifts.
Income Tax
A tax on income, such as wages, above the Personal Allowance.
Inflation
A general rise in prices over time, so the same money buys less.
Insurance
Paying a premium so that an insurer will pay for certain losses if they happen.
Interest
Money paid for the use of money: savers earn it, borrowers pay it. Shown as a percentage per year.
Judiciary
Judges, who interpret the law and decide cases independently of the government.
Jury
A group of 12 members of the public, chosen at random, who decide whether a defendant is guilty in the Crown Court.
Legislature
The branch of the state that makes laws: in the UK, Parliament.
Liberty
Freedom, especially the freedom to act and speak without unfair control by the state.
Lobbying
Contacting decision-makers, such as MPs, to try to influence their decisions.
Magistrate
A trained volunteer from the community who hears less serious criminal cases in a magistrates' court.
Majority
More than half. A party with a majority in the Commons has at least 326 of the 650 MPs.
Manifesto
A list of what a political party promises to do if it wins an election.
Mediation
A way of settling a dispute in which a neutral person helps both sides reach an agreement.
Misinformation
False information that is shared by mistake.
MP
Member of Parliament: a person elected to represent a constituency in the House of Commons.
National Insurance
A deduction from pay, above a threshold, that builds up entitlement to the State Pension and some benefits.
Net pay
Take-home pay: what you receive after deductions such as tax.
Opposition
Parties not in government. The largest is the Official Opposition, led by the Leader of the Opposition.
Pension
Money received in retirement, built up during your working life.
Personal Allowance
The amount of income most people can earn in a tax year before paying Income Tax.
Petition
A request for action signed by many people, sent to a decision-maker such as Parliament or a council.
Phishing
Fake messages pretending to be from a trusted organisation, to trick people into giving away personal details.
The principle that the police get their authority from public support and trust, not from fear.
Political party
An organisation of people with shared views who try to win elections to put their ideas into action.
Prejudice
An unfair opinion about a person or group, formed without knowing them.
Premium
The amount you pay for insurance, monthly or yearly.
Pressure group
An organisation that tries to influence decisions and public opinion without standing for election.
Prime Minister
The head of the UK government, usually the leader of the party that can command the confidence of the House of Commons.
Protected characteristic
One of nine features, such as age, disability, race or religion or belief, that the Equality Act 2010 protects from discrimination.
Public institution
An organisation run by or for the state to serve the public, such as the NHS, schools, police or courts.
Referendum
A vote by the people on a single question.
Rehabilitation
Helping an offender to change so they do not commit crime again.
Reparation
Making amends to a victim or the community for harm caused.
Representative democracy
A democracy where citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them.
Republic
A country whose head of state is elected or chosen, rather than a hereditary monarch.
Reserved matter
An area, such as defence or foreign policy, that is decided by the UK Parliament, not by the devolved bodies.
Responsibility
Something you are expected to do, such as obey the law and respect the rights of others.
Something you are entitled to, such as education or a fair trial.
Royal Assent
The monarch's formal agreement that turns a bill into an Act of Parliament.
Rule of law
The principle that everyone, including the government, must obey the law, and the law applies equally to all.
Scrutiny
Checking the work of the government closely, for example through questions and select committees.
Separation of powers
Keeping the legislature, executive and judiciary separate so no one part has too much power.
Speaker
The MP who chairs debates in the House of Commons and must be politically neutral.
Stakeholder
A person or group affected by, or involved in, an issue or decision.
Standing order
An instruction you give your bank to pay a fixed amount regularly to someone.
Surplus
When income is greater than spending, leaving money over.
Tribunal
A specialist body that settles particular kinds of dispute, such as an employment tribunal.
Volunteer
Someone who gives their time freely, without being paid.
Ward
The area a local councillor represents.
Whip
A party official who encourages the party's MPs to vote with the party.

Key facts to know 25

10 and 12
The age of criminal responsibility: 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 12 in Scotland.
10,000 and 100,000
UK Parliament petitions: the government responds at 10,000 signatures; at 100,000 a petition is considered for debate.
12 jurors
A Crown Court jury has 12 members, aged 18 to 75 and chosen at random.
1215
Magna Carta: King John agrees that the king must follow the law too.
159
A phone number that connects you safely to many UK banks if you think you are being scammed.
1689
The Bill of Rights: the monarch cannot raise taxes without Parliament's agreement.
18
The voting age for UK general elections (16 for Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections). In autumn 2026 a bill to lower it to 16 for all UK elections was going through Parliament.
1872
The Ballot Act brings in secret voting.
1918
All men over 21, and women over 30 who met property conditions, get the vote.
1928
Women get the vote on equal terms with men, at 21.
1948
The NHS is set up, on 5 July.
1969
The law lowering the voting age to 18 is passed.
1998
The Human Rights Act brings the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law.
20%
The basic rate of Income Tax in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the standard rate of VAT.
2009
The UK Supreme Court opens.
2010
The Equality Act protects nine characteristics from discrimination.
2022
Charles III becomes king on 8 September.
326
The smallest number of MPs for a majority in the House of Commons.
650
The number of MPs, one for each constituency.
8% and 3%
Workplace pensions under automatic enrolment: at least 8% of qualifying earnings in total, with at least 3% from the employer.
999 and 101
Call 999 in an emergency; call 101 to contact the police when it is not an emergency.
Five years
The longest a UK Parliament can last before a general election.
Three branches of the state
The legislature (Parliament), the executive (government) and the judiciary (judges).
Three functions of money
A medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value.
£12,570
The Personal Allowance for Income Tax in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the 2025 to 2026 tax year.
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