June 2022: Paper 3

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Question 1 proved challenging for some students. It was noticeable that some did not have enough relevant knowledge of green crime. On the whole it was attempted by the majority of students, however in this question there were some no responses. Students who did attempt this could drift off the focus of the question and there was some overwriting. Centre recommendations are to assist students to not overwrite by sequencing practice style questions into teaching, underlining key aspects of the question, and to provide exemplars.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of two problems clearly outlined, 1 if only partially outlined
• credited problems include no agreed definition, laws differ between countries, hard to detect, crosses legal borders, corporate power to conceal, no victim able to report
• many lacked knowledge of green crime and some drifted or overwrote

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Question 2 was answered well. The vast majority of students were able to provide three different crime prevention strategies. Students had deep and holistic knowledge of this area. There was some drift onto theory without providing a strategy and some students repeated their strategy. This question saw the most overwriting from students which may have had an impact on their timing in other questions. Centre recommendations are to assist students to not overwrite by sequencing practice style questions into teaching, underlining key aspects of the question, and to provide exemplars.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of three different ways clearly outlined, 1 if only partially outlined
• naming a type of strategy (situational, environmental, social/community) plus how it reduces crime is credited
• drift into theory without a strategy and repeated strategies lost marks
• widely overwritten

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Question 3 was the most challenging question on the paper for students this series. Students had some difficulty drawing hooks from the item and developing them. There was a lack of developed knowledge on victims. Despite this the question was well attempted with very few no responses. There was a tendency to drift onto explanations of offending. Some students displayed deep holistic knowledge of this topic area. Centre recommendations are to provide exemplars and practice activities where students are required to use/identify hooks.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must be reasons for class differences in victimisation
• drift into class differences in offending = 1–3
• item hooks: deprivation and lack of resources (radical victimology), higher violence in lower classes (positivist victimology, victim precipitation)
• the last line of the item restates the question
• hardest question on the paper, with weak knowledge of victims and difficulty using hooks

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Question 4 was accessed well with the vast majority students making some attempt at the question. The item was used well and students were able to use the hooks in the item. This question provided a full range of responses. There was some drift from the focus of the question, for example on functions of crime. Students were able to draw from a wide range of knowledge to support the item and develop it; many were able to name sociologists. The most common sociologist used was Durkheim. The weakest skill in this question was AO3, evaluation. Many students offered juxtaposed alternatives of other theories; some students were not able to offer much evaluation. Centre recommendations are to practise the AO3 skill and support students to move away from juxtaposition to explicit evaluation.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• QP and MS differ in the wording of Item B and the question (QP 'beneficial for individuals and for society as a whole', MS 'have benefits for individuals and for society')
• must address inevitable and beneficial
• drift into alternative perspectives or just the functions of crime limits marks
• evaluation was the weakest skill, mostly juxtaposed theories
• Durkheim most used

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This question was accessed by students very well. There were very few no responses to this question. The vast majority of students were able to select two reasons why and develop them. Many students were able to support their reasons with sociological research studies as examples and this was best practice.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• drift into structured interviews = 1–3
• top band: validity and rapport on sensitive topics, with analysis of participant control vs structured interviews
• best practice was supporting each reason with a named study

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Timing issues were evident where some students had run out of time often in the final question. Question 6 saw a varied response from students. It was evident some students did not have the developed knowledge/limited knowledge on social action theory. Some students simply repeated the item. Some students had limited knowledge on social action theory but were able to develop the other theoretical hooks in the item. This question provided the full range of responses with some students presenting a wide range of AO1, knowledge points with developed AO3 evaluative points. There were some timing issues where students had run out of time in this question. Centre recommendations are to encourage retrieval based practice and spaced practice to feed in sociological theory. Students need to develop knowledge of all sociological theory.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates social action against structural theories (functionalism, Marxism, feminisms, postmodernism)
• drift into alternative theories = 5–8
• many had thin knowledge of social action theory or repeated the item, though some developed the structural hooks
• timing problems on this last question