June 2019: AS Paper 2

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Students who recognised that the key to this question was the idea of overt observation were largely successful. The most common responses then identified the ethical advantage of gaining consent from those being observed. Many answers pointed out the advantage of being able to record information openly and not rely on memory. It is helpful for students to explain how the suggested advantage is an advantage. For example, answers that just said that one of the advantages was that overt observation allowed questions to be asked without elaborating on how or why that was an advantage were credited as partial answers. There were a number of students who identified generic advantages of observation in general. These answers failed to score any marks.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of two advantages clearly outlined, 1 if partial
• credited: avoids deception because consent can be sought, open recording is more accurate than memory, questions can check understanding, easier access
• the advantage must be specific to overt observation and explained (just 'can ask questions' = partial)
• generic advantages of observation scored nothing
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This attracted a wide range of responses. Better answers explored ethical issues and how these impacted on choice of methods and then analysed and evaluated these issues. A number of students made reference to methods without any reference to ethical issues or alternatively referred to ethical issues without any mention of methods. Many students gave long accounts of particular studies such as Milgram without specific application to the question. Some answers were structured around the practical, ethical and theoretical factors framework. Unfortunately, many of these had a lot more to say about practical and theoretical factors than ethical issues. The ethical issues that students tended to discuss most effectively were consent, deception and harm to participants.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• top band: range of ethical issues (consent, deception, harm, confidentiality, funding-body standards) linked to choice of method, with evaluation e.g. how ethics affects validity or examples of unethical methods such as covert observation
• drift into accounts of particular studies (e.g. Milgram) = 4–6
• points only about time, cost or methods in general = 1–3
• many said more about practical and theoretical factors than ethics
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

The majority of answers were able to explain labelling with reference to stereotyping based on some characteristic of an individual or group. A minority of students explained labelling in terms of being labelled and subsequently failed to score any marks.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks: prejudging a person on the basis of a stereotype
• an example of labelling only = 1 mark
• most linked it to stereotyping by some characteristic
• defining it as 'being labelled' scored nothing
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

This question proved to be relatively straight forward for most students. The most common successful answers were able to relate social class to income and the impact financial constraints have on leisure choices. Partial answers merely gave examples of class-based leisure activities.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 1 mark for a class-based leisure example (e.g. horse riding vs football and darts), +1 for explaining why (income, cultural expectations, different opportunities)
• best answers linked class to income and financial limits
• just naming class-based activities = partial
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Many students struggled with this question. Successful answers identified the way global culture can give individuals more choice to create hybrid identities. Other popular responses included the idea that global culture may strengthen local sense of identity as resistance to the perceived threat of global culture. However, a lot of answers just outlined examples of global culture without relating them to the idea of an individual’s sense of identity.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of three ways clearly outlined
• credited: hybrid identities through choice, local resistance to global culture, shared global identity, local cultures overwhelmed
• many just gave examples of global culture with no link to the individual's identity
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The requirements of the 10-mark question seem to be well understood by the majority of students. In general, this question was answered poorly with limited knowledge and understanding shown. While students were familiar with agencies of socialisation, they were less clear about sexual identities and often answers drifted into accounts of gender role socialisation with limited success. Successful answers were able to discuss the role of schools in shaping sexual identities via the teaching of sex education or via the heterosexual assumptions of everyday interactions in school. Others referred to the role of religion or the media in promoting particular sexual identities. Answers that focused on the family as an agent of socialisation tended to get diverted into a discussion of gender roles rather than attitudes to sexual identities.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• two ways each developed, e.g. media representations, sex education and heterosexual assumptions in school, religion, peer-group language
• generally poorly answered: many drifted into gender role socialisation
• drift into general labelling = 1–3
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The majority of students seemed unprepared for this question. The most common response was to outline some stereotypical statements about old people and leisure activities, and then move on to gender and ethnicity. Very few students were able to provide a theoretical structure to their answer in relation to age and identity. Many students assumed that age meant old age and limited their responses accordingly. Relatively few answers covered more than one age group. Successful answers often discussed age and identity in relation to work and retirement, as well as notions of status and dependence. Some excellent responses were able to explore the significance of age for identity at different stages of people’s life cycle.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• must apply Item A
• top band refers to different age groups and may debate postmodernist vs structuralist views
• many treated age as old age only and drifted into gender and ethnicity
• best answers used work, retirement, status and dependence across the life course
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Many students were able to define both aspects of the term. Some answers struggled to explain the meaning of ‘net’ and hence only provided a partial definition. A sizeable minority seemed to be unfamiliar with the concept and were unable to give a satisfactory definition at all.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks: difference between immigrants and emigrants for an area over a year
• just people moving in = 1 mark
• many could not explain 'net'
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

The most common response was to make a reference to the ‘triple shift’ or ‘domestic violence’ and these were rewarded accordingly. Some answers described conjugal roles but omitted to explain the negative side for women of the aspect of family life that they identified.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for a clearly explained example, 1 if partial
• common answers: triple shift, domestic violence, warm bath for men
• describing conjugal roles without saying why they are negative for women = partial
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Some answers confused one-person households with lone parent households and therefore struggled to make appropriate points. Many students successfully identified and outlined three reasons for the increase in one-person households. The most common responses mentioned were an increase in the divorce rate, the decline of stigma in living alone, and women’s greater on focus on education and career. Partial answers failed to identify any change affecting the increase in one-person households or alternatively were sometimes unclear about the link to the increase to one-person households.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of three reasons clearly outlined
• credited: divorce, ageing population and widowhood, living apart together, less stigma, affluence, women's careers
• some confused one-person with lone-parent households
• reason must be linked to the increase
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The requirements of the 10-mark question seem to be well understood by the majority of students. Many answers either discussed changes in families and households without explaining how these affected the experience of childhood, or more frequently discussed changes to the experience of childhood without relating these to changes in families and households. For example, students that discussed the disappearance of childhood and the negative aspects of modern technology, or the changes in child labour laws, often failed to make any link to families and households changes. The best answers had a clear example of family change such as increased divorce or decline in family size and were then able to explain how this change had impacted on the experience of childhood. Child centeredness, same sex parents, and changes to gender roles were all common themes. Good answers analysed the impact, both positive and negative, of these changes to the experience of childhood. For example, some answers identified that families in general are more affluent today than in the past. This has had a positive impact on childhood in terms of access to resources and technology but may have come at a price, as both parents are too busy to spend as much time with their children as parents did previously. These ideas could then be developed with reference to toxic childhood or diminished role of parents in the socialisation process vis a vis media or other agents.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• each way must link a family or household change (divorce, working mothers, reconstituted families, stay-at-home dads) to children's experience
• many described changes to childhood (toxic childhood, technology, child labour laws) with no family link
• drift into descriptions of childhood = 1–3
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The best responses were able to link a number of forms of family diversity with a strong focus on evaluation and analysis. These answers explicitly discussed the extent to which family diversity has undermined the traditional nuclear family. Alternatively, they argued that diverse family forms might be simply a variation of the traditional nuclear family better suited to fit the needs of a postmodern individualised society. Weak answers would list forms of family diversity with a recycling of the item. Middle-range answers tended to assume that it was obvious that the traditional nuclear family was no longer important and instead focused on outlining different examples of family diversity. These answers often tried to use sociological views (usually functionalist, feminist and New Right) to discuss whether family diversity was a good thing for society. Relatively few responses explored whether the changes to the family unit had been exaggerated. Those answers that did often took a life cycle approach arguing that the traditional nuclear family was important at different stage in people’s lives.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• must apply Item B
• QP and MS versions of Item B differ: QP puts postmodernists with the decline view, MS with the exaggerated view
• top band debates the significance of diversity
• many assumed the nuclear family is no longer important and listed diverse forms
• few explored whether change is exaggerated (e.g. life-cycle, neo-conventional family)
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Relatively few students were able to define the term adequately. Most partial answers struggled to capture the idea of ‘rate’ and simply expressed the idea as the number of deaths. Some answers confused the term with life expectancy.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks: deaths per thousand of the population per year
• 1 mark: death rate per year
• many missed the idea of a rate or confused it with life expectancy
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

In general, this was answered well. Many responses referred to examples of the medical profession causing harm to patients and the resulting decline in public respect for medicine. Some successful answers made reference to the rise of alternative medicine. Others discussed the role of the internet as a source of knowledge that has enabled patients to more readily challenge the medical profession.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for a clearly explained example, 1 if partial
• credited: medical harm and scandals, alternative medicine, internet knowledge to challenge doctors, degenerative diseases, patients' rights groups
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Almost all students were able to suggest appropriate reasons for gender differences in patterns of mental illness. Most answers made reference to the effect of women’s roles in society, labelling by the medical profession, differences in willingness to seek medical help and gender role socialisation.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of three reasons clearly outlined
• common answers: women's roles and burdens, labelling and sexism by doctors, willingness to seek help, gender socialisation
• generally well answered
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The requirements of the 10-mark question seem to be well understood by the majority of students. Many students saw this question in relation to health chances rather than access to health care. These answers therefore often struggled to explain how their chosen factor affected class differences in access to health care. Furthermore, some answers failed to stick to material factors but instead spent time outlining cultural differences between social classes and their attitudes to health. More successful responses made reference to the costs of treatment, especially private health care. Others discussed issues to do with lack of transport, getting time off work and the nature of hourly paid employment for many working-class employees. The inverse care law featured in a number of answers, but many students struggled to apply it specifically to the question of access to health care.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• must be material factors and access to health care, e.g. cost of private treatment, time off work, transport, inverse care law
• many wrote about health chances rather than access, or about cultural attitudes
• drift into health chances = 1–3
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The answers to this question were generally disappointing. Some weaker answers made limited and simplistic stereotypical comments concerning the poor education and language skills of ethnic minorities. The best answers were able to discuss numerous sociological explanations for ethnic differences in health chances. These answers typically referred to a range of factors including material and cultural factors, labelling, racism and bias in health care provision as well as attitudes to health care provision. Better answers distinguished between different ethnic groups and the relevance of particular factors in explaining the health chances of specific ethnic groups. Such response also discussed health chances in relation to both physical and mental health and were often able to frame their answers with reference to different types of explanations such as material or cultural. An additional feature of good answers was the ability to analyse and evaluate their points. For example, a point about bias and racism among health care professionals would be discussed in relation to changing employment patterns in the NHS in relation to different ethnic groups and an appropriate conclusion would be reached.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• must apply Item C
• QP Item C says class, gender and age are 'also' important but the MS version says 'more' important
• top band: structural vs cultural debate
• best answers distinguished different ethnic groups and covered mental as well as physical health
• weaker answers were stereotyped (language, education)
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

A number of students were unfamiliar with this term. Successful answers referred to the idea of an individual being denied access to aspects of social activity. Some answers failed to define exclusion and wrote about people being excluded by society.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks: being denied access to key areas of social life such as work, politics, education
• an example only = 1 mark
• many were unfamiliar with the term
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Most students were able to explain why households with children may be more at risk from poverty with reference to the cost of children for families. This was often developed by discussing the specific expenses that children incur, or in relation to having to give up work, wholly or partially, to care for children.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for a clearly explained reason, 1 if partial
• common answers: cost of children and childcare, carers giving up work, inadequate benefits
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Many students struggled with this question. Answers were often vague about government policies and how these policies might reduce the gap between rich and poor. For example, some answers referred to ‘the tax system’ without really explain how such a policy might work. Better answers were able to be specific about a policy. For example, making the income tax system more progressive, or targeting the wealth of the rich through a wealth tax.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of three ways clearly outlined
• policy must be specific and its effect on the gap explained, e.g. progressive income tax, wealth tax, minimum wage, benefits in cash or kind
• vague references to 'the tax system' = partial
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The requirements of the 10-mark question seem to be well understood by the majority of students. The best answers tended to start with job satisfaction and discuss the impact of technological change on skill levels. Many answers referred to alienation and these answers were able to provide a fuller account of the impact of technological change on job satisfaction. Some answers were able to discuss at length Fordism and the views of Braverman on autonomy and control in the workplace. Weaker answers focused on technological change and often neglected to relate these ideas to the workplace, let alone to job satisfaction.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• two ways each developed, e.g. de-skilling or re-skilling, control and surveillance
• best answers started from job satisfaction and used alienation, Braverman, Blauner
• general accounts of technological change not tied to work = 1–3
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Most answers were able to use the item as a stimulus to discuss structuralist views on the causes of poverty and inequality in society. The best responses were able to locate this discussion in Marxist and sometimes Weberian approaches to social inequality with reference to appropriate sociological concepts. They were then able to evaluate these approaches by discussing some criticisms and strengths of this structuralist approach, often in contrast to cultural and individualistic explanations of social inequality and poverty. A less successful approach was simply to juxtapose these alternative explanations of class inequality or to move rapidly away from discussing class inequality and instead to describe other forms of social inequality based on either gender, age or ethnicity. In general answers that discussed a more limited range of points in more detail were more successful than those that listed a larger number of points with more limited discussion.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• must apply Item D
• top band: debate between perspectives on causes of poverty, e.g. Marxist or Weberian structural views against New Right cultural and individual explanations
• juxtaposition or drifting into gender, age and ethnicity inequality limits marks
• a few points in depth scored better than long lists
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).