AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies Paper 2, June 2025: Question 6
7 marks · Medium difficulty · Short Answer
Identify where tribunal appeals occur, reasons for using a tribunal, and describe two ways tribunals help UK citizens using Source D.
Practise this questionQuestion
Question text
06.1 In which of the following courts does an appeal from a tribunal take place?
[1 mark]
Shade in the one correct answer.
A Family Court
B High Court
C Magistrates’ Court
D UK Supreme Court
06.2 Which of the following are reasons for using a tribunal?
[2 marks]
Shade in the two correct answers.
A Divorce settlement
B Discrimination at work
C Immigration dispute
D Neighbour dispute
E Train delays
F Unpaid fine 13
06.3 Source D
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal
A child with autism missed four months of school due to the failures of Salford City
Council.
The child’s mother took Salford City Council to the SEND Tribunal. The child’s
mother went to the Tribunal in order to ensure her child was able to attend a school
that could meet his additional learning needs.
The Tribunal found the council failed to follow the Children and Families Act (2014).
The child is now in a suitable school. The family has received compensation and
the costs of the tribunal have been paid for by Salford City Council.
Describe two ways a tribunal can help UK citizens.
Refer to Source D in your answer.
[4 marks]
Mark scheme
Show the mark scheme
Section B: Rights and responsibilities
Total
Qu Part Marking guidance
marks
06 1 In which of the following courts does an appeal from a tribunal take 1
place?
Correct response: B High Court
AO1 = 1
Total
Qu Part Marking guidance
marks
06 2 Which of the following are reasons for using a tribunal? 2
Correct response: B Discrimination at work and C Immigration dispute
AO1 = 2
Total
Qu Part Marking guidance
marks
06 3 Describe two ways a tribunal can help UK citizens. 4
Refer to Source D in your answer.
Award 1 mark for describing a way and 1 mark for developing the
description (×2).
How a tribunal can help
Source D
UK citizens
A child with autism missed four Tribunals can be used to challenge
months of school due to the more powerful groups like local
failures of Salford City Council. authorities. This means citizens
can be supported regardless of
how important or powerful
organisations are.
14 The child’s mother took Salford A tribunal can ensure that legal
City Council to the SEND duties are met; in this example it is
Tribunal. The child’s mother went so that children can attend schools
to the Tribunal in order to ensure that meet their needs.
her child was able to attend a
school that could meet his
additional learning needs.
The Tribunal found there was Tribunals are legal entities.
also a failure by the council to Tribunals can determine if there is
follow the Children and Families a case or if there are legal issues.
Act (2014). This can help protect others who
experienced the same as you.
The child is now in a school and If you win, tribunals can ensure you
the family has received are well compensated for your
compensation and their legal fees wasted time and correct a
have been paid by Salford City wrong-doing.
Council.
AO2 = 4
How to answer it
Understanding UK Tribunals & Dispute Resolution
Paper 1 • Section B: Rights and Responsibilities
- Court & Tribunal Structure (AO1): Knowledge of the civil justice hierarchy and where tribunal appeals are heard.
- Scope of Tribunals (AO1): Recognising which disputes fall under tribunal jurisdictions (e.g. employment, immigration, SEND) versus civil courts.
- Applying Case Evidence (AO2): Interpreting Source D to explain how tribunals protect citizens against public authorities and provide remedies (such as compensation and enforcement of statutory duties).
Appealing a Tribunal Decision
In which of the following courts does an appeal from a tribunal take place?
✅ Correct Answer
B – High Court
💡 Key Knowledge
- Tribunals sit alongside the civil court system.
- Appeals on points of law typically move from the First-tier Tribunal to the Upper Tribunal, and onward into the High Court (Queen's/King's Bench or Chancery divisions) or the Court of Appeal.
❌ Common Errors
- Magistrates' Court (C): Incorrect – deals almost entirely with summary criminal cases and limited family/council tax matters.
- UK Supreme Court (D): Incorrect – this is the final court of appeal in the UK; cases cannot jump directly here from a tribunal without leapfrogging procedures.
Jurisdiction of Tribunals
Which of the following are reasons for using a tribunal? (Shade two)
✅ Correct Answers
- B – Discrimination at work (heard in the Employment Tribunal)
- C – Immigration dispute (heard in the First-tier Tribunal: Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
💡 Why Tribunals Exist
Tribunals are specialist legal bodies designed to resolve disputes quickly, cheaply, and less formally than courts. Common areas include:
- Employment: Unfair dismissal, discrimination, equal pay.
- Immigration & Asylum: Right to remain, visa refusals.
- Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND): Education healthcare plans.
❌ Distractor Breakdown
- A (Divorce settlement): Handled by the Family Court.
- D (Neighbour dispute): Dealt with via mediation or the County Court.
- E (Train delays): Resolved via consumer complaints / Rail Ombudsman.
- F (Unpaid fine): Enforced through the Magistrates' Court.
Applying Source D: How Tribunals Help Citizens
Describe two ways a tribunal can help UK citizens. Refer to Source D in your answer.
✅ Model Full-Mark Response
Way 1: Challenging powerful public authorities
A tribunal allows individuals to challenge decisions made by powerful organisations, such as local councils. As shown in Source D, the mother successfully held Salford City Council accountable when they failed to provide educational support.
Way 2: Enforcing legal rights and providing remedies
Tribunals have the legal power to ensure statutory duties are met and award financial remedies. In Source D, the SEND Tribunal ruled the council breached the Children and Families Act (2014), ensuring the child received a suitable school place and the family were awarded compensation and legal costs.
• [1 mark] Identify a way + [1 mark] Develop using Source D.
• [1 mark] Identify a second way + [1 mark] Develop using Source D.
Total = 4 / 4 marks
🧠 Exam Technique: "Point + Proof"
- Use the (1+1) × 2 Rule: You must state a general way a tribunal helps (1 mark), then explicitly connect it to detail from Source D (1 mark).
- Signpost clearly: Use the provided "1" and "2" lines to write two completely separate paragraphs.
- Quote or paraphrase accurately: Mention specific source facts – such as Salford City Council, the Children and Families Act (2014), or compensation/costs.
💡 Approved Mark Scheme Pathways
You can pair any of these general points with their matching source detail:
- Challenging power: Level the playing field against local authorities.
- Enforcing duties: Ensuring legal requirements for vulnerable groups (e.g. SEND education) are upheld.
- Clarifying law: Determining whether a statute was breached.
- Redress / Remedies: Securing compensation for wasted time and having legal costs covered.
❌ Common Errors to Avoid
- Copying the text without explanation: Just copying "the child is now in a suitable school" without explaining how this demonstrates a tribunal's power caps you at 1 mark.
- Forgetting Source D entirely: Writing generic facts about employment tribunals gets 0 marks because the prompt strictly requires you to refer to Source D.
- Lumping both points into one: Always split your answer into two distinct points so the examiner can clearly award the 2 + 2 structure.
Topics
3.3 Rights and responsibilities · 3.3.2 What are a citizen's rights and responsibilities within the legal system?
Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies examination, Paper 2, June 2025. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.