## Learning Outcomes

- Identify the four nations of the UK and their capital cities
- Explain the difference between the UK and Great Britain
- Understand how the UK is governed at Westminster and through devolved administrations
- Distinguish between reserved and devolved (and, in Northern Ireland, transferred/excepted) matters
- Recognise the UK’s links to international organisations such as the Commonwealth, the UN, NATO and the Council of Europe

## Life in the UK Test Syllabus

For the Life in the UK Test, you are expected to understand how the UK is formed and governed, with a focus on the following syllabus points:

- Name the four nations of the UK and the UK capital city (and the capital of each nation)
- Explain the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain
- Identify the main UK-wide institutions (UK Parliament and UK Government at Westminster)
- Understand what devolution is and name the three devolved legislatures and where they sit
- Distinguish between devolved matters and reserved matters, using common examples (e.g., health vs defence)
- Know the main international organisations the UK belongs to (Commonwealth, UN, NATO, Council of Europe) and the UK’s role on the UN Security Council

## Test Your Knowledge

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. Which four nations make up the United Kingdom, and what is the capital city of each?
2. What is the difference between “Great Britain” and “the United Kingdom”?
3. What is devolution, and which three parts of the UK have devolved legislatures?
4. Give two examples of reserved matters and two examples of devolved matters.
5. Which international organisation has the European Convention on Human Rights, and which organisation has a Security Council with the UK as a permanent member?

## Introduction

The United Kingdom is a single state made up of different nations, with a shared UK-wide government and parliament. At the same time, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own elected bodies that make decisions on many domestic issues. This arrangement is central to understanding political geography in the Life in the UK Test.

You should also know how the UK fits into wider international structures, including membership of organisations such as the Commonwealth and the United Nations.

> **Key Term: United Kingdom (UK)**
> The country officially called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

### The UK and Great Britain: names, nations, and capitals

The UK is a union of four nations:

- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland

The capital city of the UK is London. Each nation also has its own capital:

- England: London
- Scotland: Edinburgh
- Wales: Cardiff
- Northern Ireland: Belfast

A common exam point is the difference between “the UK” and “Great Britain”.

> **Key Term: Great Britain**
> The island containing England, Scotland and Wales (a geographical term, not the full political state).

So, Great Britain includes three nations (England, Scotland, Wales). The UK includes those three plus Northern Ireland.

> **Test Tip:** If a question includes Northern Ireland, the answer is almost always “the UK”, not “Great Britain”.

The UK also has links to places that are not part of the UK itself. For example, the UK has responsibility for defence and international relations for British Overseas Territories, but they are not one of the four UK nations.

### UK-wide government: Westminster and how the Union is run

Although the UK is made up of four nations, it has one sovereign parliament: the UK Parliament in London (often called “Westminster”). This parliament can make laws for the whole UK, and it controls UK-wide areas such as national security and foreign affairs.

> **Key Term: UK Parliament (Westminster)**
> The supreme law-making body of the UK, based in London, made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the monarch.

The UK is a parliamentary democracy. People vote for an MP in their local constituency. MPs sit in the House of Commons. The political party (or coalition) that commands a majority in the House of Commons forms the UK Government, led by the Prime Minister.

The Union works because some decisions are taken once for the whole UK (for example, defence), while other decisions are taken separately in different parts of the UK (for example, education policies in Scotland).

A key point for the test is that devolution does not replace Westminster. Westminster remains the central parliament, and the UK Government continues to run reserved matters across the whole UK.

### Devolution: what it is and how it differs across the UK

Devolution is the transfer of certain powers from the UK Parliament to elected bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This means some laws and policies can be different in different parts of the UK, even though the country remains one state.

> **Key Term: devolution**
> The transfer of some decision-making powers from the UK Parliament to devolved legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There are three devolved legislatures, each with its own government (or executive):

- Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh (Scottish Government)
- Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) in Cardiff (Welsh Government)
- Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont in Belfast (Northern Ireland Executive)

England does not have a separate devolved national parliament. Most England-only issues are dealt with by the UK Parliament and UK Government.

> **Test Tip:** A common trap is to assume England has an “English Parliament”. It does not. Devolution in the UK is uneven (often called “asymmetric”).

#### Scotland

The Scottish Parliament was established in 1999 and sits in Edinburgh. It can make laws for Scotland in many areas that are not kept by Westminster. In the Life in the UK material, examples of areas that Scotland can legislate on include:

- civil and criminal law
- health
- education
- planning
- additional tax-raising powers

Scotland has its own legal system (Scots law), and this is a high-yield exam fact because it helps explain why justice issues can differ between Scotland and England.

#### Wales

Wales has its own devolved legislature in Cardiff (the Senedd). Welsh devolution has developed over time, and it is likely in the test that you will be asked about what devolution means in practice rather than detailed legal changes.

In general terms, Wales has control over many public services (for example, health and education), but justice and policing are not generally devolved in the same way as in Scotland. Wales largely shares the legal jurisdiction of England and Wales.

#### Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a distinctive settlement linked to the peace process. The Northern Ireland Assembly was established after the 1998 Belfast Agreement (also called the Good Friday Agreement). It is based at Stormont in Belfast and uses a power-sharing system that distributes ministerial positions among main parties.

The Assembly was first elected in 1999, suspended in 2002, and reinstated in 2007 (the Life in the UK material highlights that Westminster can suspend devolved government in Northern Ireland if local leaders cannot work together).

Northern Ireland’s devolution is often explained using three categories:

> **Key Term: transferred matters**
> In Northern Ireland, policy areas that are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly (for example, health and education).

Alongside transferred matters, Northern Ireland also has “excepted” and “reserved” matters, which remain with Westminster (with “reserved” meaning they could potentially be devolved later). You do not usually need to memorise long lists, but you should understand the idea that Northern Ireland has a three-part model, unlike the simpler “reserved vs devolved” approach often used for Scotland and Wales.

### Reserved and devolved matters: what decisions are made where?

To understand the Union’s structure, you must be able to sort policy areas into two broad groups:

- Reserved matters (UK level)
- Devolved matters (nation level in Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland)

> **Key Term: reserved matters**
> Policy areas kept by the UK Parliament and UK Government at Westminster, even where devolution exists.

#### Common examples of reserved matters (UK-wide)

These are areas where the UK needs one national approach:

- Defence and national security
- Foreign affairs and international relations
- Immigration and nationality

Other areas are also reserved in many cases (for example, many constitutional issues), but the test commonly focuses on the big, clear examples above.

#### Common examples of devolved matters

These are domestic services where local decisions may reflect local needs:

- Health (NHS services are organised separately in each nation)
- Education
- Housing and local government

The Life in the UK material specifically mentions that the Scottish Parliament can legislate on health and education, and that Northern Ireland’s Assembly can make decisions on many domestic issues when devolution is operating.

#### Justice and policing: a useful comparison

A frequent point of confusion is whether policing and justice are devolved. The simplest exam-ready summary is:

- Scotland: justice (civil and criminal law) is devolved, and Scotland has its own legal system
- Northern Ireland: justice and policing are handled within its devolved arrangements when institutions are operating
- Wales: justice and policing are not generally devolved in the same way; Wales is largely in the England and Wales legal jurisdiction

You do not need to know every exception, but you should avoid the incorrect statement “justice is devolved everywhere”.

### The Union in an international context: Commonwealth, UN, NATO, Council of Europe

The Life in the UK Test also expects you to know the UK’s place in major international organisations. These do not change what the UK is internally, but they affect how the UK works with other countries and what obligations it accepts.

#### The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of countries. Many are former territories of the British Empire, but membership is not simply “ex-colonies”. The UK is a member, and the Commonwealth includes countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific and Europe.

In the Life in the UK material, examples of Commonwealth members include India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and many Caribbean states such as Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

You do not normally have to memorise the full list, but you should recognise that the Commonwealth is a large international grouping and that the UK is part of it.

#### The United Nations (UN)

The UK is a member of the United Nations, which was created after the Second World War to help prevent war and promote international peace and security. The UN has more than 190 member countries.

A key exam fact is the UN Security Council. It has 15 members, and the UK is one of the five permanent members.

> **Test Tip:** If a question asks which body the UK is a permanent member of, the expected answer is the UN Security Council.

#### NATO

The UK is also a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is a group of European and North American countries that have agreed to help each other if they come under attack. It also aims to maintain peace between its members.

In test questions, NATO is usually linked to defence and collective security (helping allies if attacked).

#### The Council of Europe and human rights

The Council of Europe is separate from the European Union. The Life in the UK material states it has 47 member countries (including the UK) and focuses on protecting and promoting human rights.

It does not make laws in the way a national parliament does, but it creates agreements such as conventions and charters. The best-known is the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

This often appears in the test as a “match the organisation to the purpose” question:

- Council of Europe → human rights and the European Convention on Human Rights
- UN → international peace and security, Security Council
- NATO → collective defence
- Commonwealth → international association of member countries, including the UK and many others worldwide

## Key Point Checklist

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- The UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- The capital city of the UK is London; Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are the capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Great Britain is the island of England, Scotland and Wales (not Northern Ireland)
- The UK Parliament at Westminster is the central law-making body for the UK
- Devolution transfers some powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but Westminster remains sovereign
- The Scottish Parliament (Edinburgh), Senedd Cymru (Cardiff) and Northern Ireland Assembly (Stormont, Belfast) are the devolved legislatures
- Reserved matters include defence, foreign affairs and immigration; devolved matters often include health and education
- Northern Ireland uses the idea of transferred matters for devolved areas and also has reserved/excepted categories
- The UK is a member of the Commonwealth, the UN, NATO and the Council of Europe
- The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council
- The Council of Europe promotes human rights and is linked to the European Convention on Human Rights

## Key Terms and Concepts

- United Kingdom (UK)
- Great Britain
- UK Parliament (Westminster)
- devolution
- transferred matters
- reserved matters


Political geography - The Union and its structure