Planning and Evaluating a Citizenship Action
What Is a Citizenship Action Investigation?
The citizenship action investigation is a core part of the GCSE qualification. You are required to plan and carry out a citizenship action — a real, out-of-classroom activity that applies the knowledge and skills you have developed during the course. The investigation is then assessed through questions in the active citizenship section, where you describe what you did, what happened, and how effective your action was. It accounts for 15 per cent of your total GCSE marks.
A citizenship action can be local, national or international in focus. It might address a community issue (improving a local park, tackling litter on a school road), a rights-based question (raising awareness of disability access, campaigning for fair treatment of a group), a political question (engaging with local government on a public matter), or a broader social concern (food waste, youth mental health, veterans’ housing). What matters is that the issue arises from the specification content and that the action is aimed at delivering a benefit or change for others — not just for yourself.
Stage 1: Choosing the Issue
The first stage is identifying the issue you want to address. The issue must arise from the specification content, so it must connect to citizenship themes such as democracy, rights, equality, community or public services. It should be specific enough that you can take a focused action — tightly defined, locally grounded actions make evaluation easier and more meaningful.
A common mistake at this stage is choosing an issue that is too broad or too vague. “Save the environment” or “stop all crime” are not workable citizenship action issues. A better framing would be: “Reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging sold in our school canteen”, or “Improve lighting on the path between school and the local bus stop to improve safety for students”. Specific, focused issues allow you to take concrete action and evaluate your impact clearly.
Stage 2: Research Using Primary and Secondary Sources
Before taking action, you need to understand the issue thoroughly. This means gathering evidence using both primary sources and secondary sources.
Primary research might include: conducting a survey of students or local residents about the issue; interviewing a local councillor, MP, headteacher or relevant expert; attending a public meeting or council session; or gathering your own observations and data (e.g. counting the number of cars that ignore a pedestrian crossing). Secondary research might include: reading local newspaper reports, ONS statistics, charity reports, parliamentary debate records, or academic studies on the issue.
Primary sources are gathered first-hand (surveys you conduct, interviews you carry out, meetings you attend). Secondary sources are produced by others (reports, statistics, newspaper articles, government publications). Strong investigations use both: primary sources show what those directly affected think and experience; secondary sources provide context, background and comparison with other places or times.
Stage 3: Planning the Action
Once you understand the issue, you plan what action to take. This should flow directly from your research: the evidence you have gathered should show why the action is needed, who the action is aimed at, and how the action addresses the issue. A good plan will include:
- A clear aim: what change do you want to bring about?
- The method: what will you actually do? (e.g. present a petition to the school council, write to your local MP, run a public awareness campaign, volunteer with a relevant organisation, establish a group)
- Who you will work with: most effective citizenship actions involve collaboration with others
- A realistic timeline and any resources or permissions needed
- How you will measure whether the action has worked
Citizenship actions can take many different forms. Examples that span a range of issues include: letter writing to a councillor about a local park being closed (community issue); creating an e-petition on the Parliament website about access to youth mental health services (rights issue); running a volunteering programme with a local food bank to reduce food waste (social issue); organising a community litter-pick and then presenting findings to a local council meeting (environmental and civic issue); advocating for better access to facilities for disabled students in a school (equality issue).
Notice that these examples span the political spectrum — some focus on environmental concerns, others on social justice, others on community safety or resource allocation. Citizenship action is not the property of any one political viewpoint. All citizens, regardless of their political beliefs, can find issues they care about and take meaningful action.
Stages 4 and 5: Taking the Action and Assessing Impact
Stage 4 is taking the action itself. This is the practical phase: delivering your petition, sending your letters, running your campaign, attending the meeting, carrying out your volunteering. It is important to keep a record of what you actually did, including any evidence (photographs, copies of letters, notes from meetings, survey data) and any responses you received.
Stage 5 is assessing impact: did your action make a difference? Evaluation requires honesty — not all actions achieve their intended aim, and recognising this (and explaining why) is itself good citizenship thinking. Did the council respond to your petition? Did the school change its policy? Did awareness of the issue increase? How do you know?
The six stages: (1) Decide the question or issue; (2) Carry out initial research using primary and secondary sources; (3) Plan the action; (4) Take the action; (5) Assess the impact; (6) Evaluate the whole process. In the assessment, you will be asked about your own investigation — name the issue, method and impact specifically, not vaguely.
Stage 6: Evaluating the Whole Process
The final stage is reflecting on the whole investigation. This is different from assessing impact (stage 5): evaluation asks the deeper question — if you did this again, what would you do differently, and why? Was your initial research thorough enough? Did you choose the most effective method? Were there obstacles you did not anticipate? What have you learned about how change happens in your community or society?
Students who describe a tightly focused, locally based action evaluate their impact far more successfully than those who describe broad, vague actions. “We raised awareness of climate change in our school” is difficult to evaluate because the aim is undefined and the outcome unmeasurable. “We petitioned the school canteen to remove single-use plastic drink pouches, and by June 20 per cent of the canteen’s drinks were sold in reusable bottles” gives a specific aim, a specific method, and a measurable outcome. The more specific your action and aim, the stronger your evaluation can be.