WB HS Political Science study plan
WB HS Political Science · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Organs and Forms of Government (Legislature, Executive, Judiciary; Parliamentary vs Presidential; Unitary vs Federal)
Distinguish parliamentary and presidential systems by comparing executive-legislative relations in each
Classify unitary and federal constitutions using at least three defining criteria
Break down the functions of legislature, executive and judiciary into enumerated sub-functions
Draw a comparison table contrasting the Indian and US executive structures
Your checkpoint
A one-page comparative chart of parliamentary vs presidential and unitary vs federal systems with worked examples, plus 30 self-made recall questions
Organs and Forms of Government (Legislature, Executive, Judiciary; Parliamentary vs Presidential; Unitary vs Federal) & Indian Constitution: Features, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles, Federal Structure, Amendments
Map the features of the Indian Constitution onto the constitutional types studied in Domain 4
Explain the federal structure of the Indian Constitution, listing its unitary and federal features
Trace the amendment procedures under Article 368 and distinguish the three amendment routes
Identify the constitutional organs of the Union and their composition
Your checkpoint
A written 800-word answer on 'Is the Indian Constitution federal or quasi-federal?' citing at least six provisions
Indian Constitution: Features, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles, Federal Structure, Amendments
Categorise Fundamental Rights article by article with their scope and exceptions
Distinguish Fundamental Rights from Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles
Explain the relationship between Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights in light of the basic structure doctrine
Summarise the major constitutional amendments and their subject matter
Your checkpoint
A tabulated summary of Fundamental Rights, Duties and Directive Principles with article numbers and landmark amendment links, plus 40 flashcards
Indian Government: Union and State Institutions, Centre-State Relations, Local Self-Government and Decentralisation & Democracy, Representation and Electoral Systems; Political Parties and Pressure Groups
Describe the powers and functions of the President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers and Governor
Analyse Centre-State relations across legislative, administrative and financial dimensions
Explain local self-government under the 73rd and 74th Amendments and the structure of Panchayati Raj
Compare first-past-the-post with proportional representation and list their merits and defects
Your checkpoint
A 1000-word essay on Centre-State relations with a section on decentralisation, plus a completed electoral-systems comparison table
Democracy, Representation and Electoral Systems; Political Parties and Pressure Groups & Rights, Liberty, Equality, Justice and Political Obligation
Evaluate the functions of political parties and the role of pressure groups in a democracy
Distinguish the concepts of rights, liberty, equality and justice and show how they interrelate
Explain the grounds and limits of political obligation
Identify the arguments for and against the right to resist the state
Your checkpoint
A structured set of answers to five short-answer prompts on rights, liberty, equality, justice and political obligation, each under 200 words
State, Sovereignty and the Nation & Political Science: Nature, Scope and Approaches
Define the state and distinguish it from nation, society and government
Explain the theories of sovereignty and the characteristics of legal and popular sovereignty
Outline the nature and scope of political science and its relation to other social sciences
Compare the traditional and behavioural approaches and note their limitations
Your checkpoint
A two-column comparative note on traditional vs behavioural approaches plus a glossary of 25 core terms from Domains 1 and 2
Constitution and Constitutionalism & International Relations: Basic Concepts and India's Foreign Policy
Define a constitution and distinguish written from unwritten and rigid from flexible constitutions
Explain the meaning and elements of constitutionalism and the rule of law
Outline the basic concepts of international relations: power, national interest and balance of power
Summarise the core objectives and instruments of India's foreign policy
Your checkpoint
A one-page mind map linking constitutionalism to rule of law, plus a 500-word note on India's foreign policy objectives
Indian Constitution: Features, Fundamental Rights and Duties, Directive Principles, Federal Structure, Amendments & Indian Government: Union and State Institutions, Centre-State Relations, Local Self-Government and Decentralisation & Democracy, Representation and Electoral Systems; Political Parties and Pressure Groups
Revise all nine domains using a self-made question bank of at least 100 items
Attempt two full-length timed mock tests and score them
Diagnose weak domains from mock results and re-read only those sections
Consolidate key facts, articles and amendments into a final revision sheet
Your checkpoint
Two scored mock tests with an error log and a final one-page revision sheet covering all nine domains
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain the features of the Indian Constitution and the amendment procedure from memory in under 15 minutes without notes
Week 4: Scores at least 70% on a self-set 30-question test drawn from Domains 4, 7 and 8
Week 6: Can define state, sovereignty and nation and contrast traditional and behavioural approaches without referring to notes
Week 8: Scores at least 65% on both full-length mocks, with no single domain below 50%