June 2024: Paper 2

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q1: Most students could identify two reasons why gender may influence consumption choices. Canalisation was the most cited reason, with the use of toys and activities as examples to elaborate the answer. The influence of media was another common reason given. The impact on consumption choices was not always thoroughly analysed, which limited the potential marks awarded.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two reasons each developed (e.g. canalisation and gender role socialisation shaping tastes, media pressure on male and female identities creating markets, women's lower pay and less free time)
• drift into gender identities in general = 1–3
• canalisation with toys and media influence were the most common reasons

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q2: Many students were able to suggest two ways derived from the “hooks” in the item. Not all suggestions were fully developed in relation to the individual’s sense of self. Many students discussed how people reject popular culture through youth subcultures and drew on concepts like hegemony. Answers that included Marxist and postmodernist perspectives provided more comprehensive analyses and evaluations.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item A (accessible and widely enjoyed
• reflects mainstream values some reject), e.g. identifying with others and fitting in, rebellion through youth subcultures such as punk
• drift into examples of popular culture (fashion, entertainment) is a tangent
• ways not always developed back to sense of self
• good use of hegemony

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q3: This question posed challenges for some students. While many relied on the item, they struggled to extend beyond broadly accurate knowledge focused on social class and identity. Stronger responses incorporated a broader spectrum of knowledge, both conceptual and theoretical.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band weighs class against age, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexuality or develops a theoretical debate (Marxism, feminisms, postmodernism, functionalism)
• many leaned on the item and stayed at a broadly accurate account of class and identity
• stronger answers used a wider conceptual and theoretical range

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. For example, Topic A2 Question 4 asked about how falling birth rates may affect gender roles and relationships within families; some answers included a lot of material on why birth rates fall, which was not asked for. Q4: The responses to this question achieved mixed success. Most students managed to identify at least one way in which falling birth rates have influenced gender roles and relationships. The most thoroughly explored aspect was the shift towards women engaging in paid work, a change driven by evolving attitudes towards education and careers. The feminist perspective was effectively employed to examine the repercussions on family roles and relationships.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways each linked to gender roles or relationships (e.g. women in paid work and dual-earner households, joint conjugal roles, women's financial independence and decision-making)
• explaining why birth rates fell is not asked for and drifts to 1–3
• most developed the shift to women's paid work

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q5: A small number of students failed to effectively utilise any "hooks" from the provided material. Instead they offered knowledge on a variety of social policies or accounts of the history of childhood, rather than effects of policies on children's status. Many were, however, able to successfully connect at least one of the two “hooks” from the item to the changing status of children. One way of doing this was by illustrating the shift from being an economic asset to becoming an economic liability.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item C (protective policies
• age restrictions on activities such as paid work), e.g. safeguarding creating child-centredness, ban on paid work preventing financial independence
• drift into policies not linked to children's status, or histories of childhood, scores little

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q6: There was a tendency for essays to rely heavily on the item, with some copying sections from it and offering a brief development. Some students discussed functionalist and New Right perspectives but failed to relate these to the effects on family diversity's nature and scope. Some less effective responses listed examples of individual choice without exploring the reasons behind these emerging family structures. The most successful responses demonstrated extensive conceptual understanding and evaluated by engaging in a theoretical discussion.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band discusses the extent of diversity and/or debates functionalism, New Right, feminisms, postmodernism and the personal life perspective
• heavy reliance on or copying of the item
• functionalist and New Right views described without linking to the nature and extent of diversity
• weaker answers listed choices without explaining why new structures emerge

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q7: Students generally chose to interpret this question as referring to issues of access to health care. Responses often used issues of language and gender inhibiting take up and use of health care amongst certain ethnic groups. Other answers referred to possible ethnocentrism and racist attitudes amongst health care professionals as restricting the take up and use of health care services among some ethnic groups.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways each developed (e.g. location of services, language barriers, cultural and religious unfamiliarity of staff, preference for staff of similar background, stigma around mental health, distrust)
• drift into health care provision in general = 1–3
• most treated this as access, using language, gender norms and ethnocentrism or racism among professionals

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q8: There was some good understanding in responses to this question. Successful answers often discussed issues of work-related hazard or stress or not having the time to have health concerns checked out. Women being socialised into the caring role was also frequently developed by linking caring to a willingness to seek out medical help or to stress from a dual burden or triple shift.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item E (men in full-time work
• women socialised into caring), e.g. workplace hazards and stress for men, women's caring role increasing contact with health services
• drift into health chances in general is a tangent
• good answers also linked caring to dual burden or triple shift stress

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q9: Some students were unable to move beyond generic approaches such as the Marxist or functionalist views of medical professionals being either harmful or benign. Better responses managed a wider consideration of specific groups who might be considered powerful in health and illness such as “Big Pharma”. Some also discussed ways groups perceived as powerful may be being challenged, for example by the availability of alternatives giving greater health consumer choice.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates perspectives (functionalist, Marxist, Weberian, feminist, interactionist, postmodernist) on control of health and illness
• generic 'doctors harmful or benign' accounts limited marks
• better answers considered specific powerful groups such as big pharma and challenges to their power through consumer choice and alternative medicine

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q10: Successful answers identified two reasons such as the reduction in traditional employment for working-class males and the emergence of an underclass. Social groups discussed included those based on gender or ethnicity, and people with disabilities. Some students found it difficult to develop the identified reasons. Better answers usually brought in one or more theoretical perspectives.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two reasons each developed for differences between groups (e.g. decline of manual and manufacturing work for working-class men, racism or language barriers, disability discrimination, regional decline, youth inexperience, underclass)
• discussing unemployment in general = 1–3
• development of reasons was the main difficulty

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q11: Answers demonstrated reasonable knowledge and were able to apply the “hooks” with some degree of success. Some answers referred to the effects of deskilling due to the increase in production lines, or to the idea of upskilling.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item G (production lines
• ICT), e.g. deskilling on production lines, upskilling or reskilling through ICT
• drift into the workplace in general is a tangent
• answers showed reasonable knowledge and used the hooks fairly well

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q12: These answers were largely accurate and some made good use of contemporary material of, for example, food banks and homelessness. There was though a tendency to rely heavily on the item and to not show detailed conceptual knowledge or engage in a theoretical debate. Some potentially relevant discussion on functionalist and other views on meritocracy and social mobility was not directly related to poverty.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates functionalist, Marxist, feminist, Weberian and New Right views of poverty
• good use of contemporary material (food banks, homelessness)
• heavy reliance on the item without conceptual depth or theoretical debate
• meritocracy and mobility material not tied back to poverty

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q13: Most students successfully identified two ways in which social change might lead to secularisation. Popular responses included individualism and personal choice, the privatisation of religion, and rationalisation alongside scientific advancements. Explicit 'connections' to secularisation were often underdeveloped. Some answers focused on changes within religions, which are themselves aspects of secularisation, and so lost focus on the question.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways social change drives secularisation (e.g. industrialisation and urbanisation breaking up religious communities, rationalisation and disenchantment, structural differentiation and privatisation, individualism, pluralism undermining the sacred canopy)
• drift into patterns of belief = 1–3
• explicit links to secularisation often underdeveloped

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q14: Some responses were too descriptive, failing to engage with the item's “hooks”. There were, however, some outstanding answers that demonstrated a deep understanding by incorporating concepts, religious examples, and theory. There was a tendency for answers using the second “hook” to just give an example when a more general point, then exemplified, would have been better.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item I (oppressive ideology protecting the powerful
• inspiring protest and change), e.g. false class consciousness, patriarchal ideology, fundamentalism driving change
• drift into non-religious ideologies is a tangent
• descriptive answers missed the hooks
• with the second hook make a general point then exemplify rather than just give an example

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q15. There were some outstanding answers, but a few students did not complete the question, while others relied on repeating the item with little development of the points. It was disappointing to note the limited understanding of the relationship between religion and globalisation among many students. Some responses assumed that any recent social change was part of globalisation.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band evaluates views (postmodernism, late modernism, Marxism) on whether the relationship is positive or negative: new beliefs and ways of engaging, fundamentalism, decline of belief
• many repeated the item with little development
• understanding of the religion–globalisation link was often limited
• some did not finish

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q16: Most students were able to identify two ways, for example industrialisation increasing employment or creating unemployment by undermining traditional employment patterns. For some students developing the ways proved difficult, though others used perspectives such as dependency or modernisation theories to provide a route.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways each developed (e.g. growth of formal factory employment, new paid work for women, training and mobility, decline of farming and fishing, loss of traditional work)
• drift into industrialisation in general = 1–3
• some used dependency or modernisation theory to develop points

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q17: Answers to this question were mostly example driven; it is good to make a general point before giving answers. Responses often referred to pollution, deforestation and exploitation of raw materials and these were often linked to actions of specific transnational corporations. Some students did not use the “hooks” provided and so did not demonstrate the application required.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item K (need for raw materials
• no concern for goods after sale), e.g. pollution from extraction, e-waste and plastics
• drift into TNCs in general is a tangent
• answers were example-driven, better to state a general point then exemplify
• some ignored the hooks so showed no application

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q18: Students generally had some good knowledge and understanding of gender and development. Less effective answers drifted into generic feminist material regarding male dominance and patriarchy without linking to development and underdevelopment. Evaluation was often through contrasting the gender blind theories of modernisation and dependency with more modern theories and examples.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates modernisation, dependency and feminist theories of gendered development
• drift into generic feminism on patriarchy not linked to development limits marks
• evaluation often contrasted gender-blind modernisation and dependency with later theories

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q19: Globalisation, increased choice, and citizen journalism were commonly referred to in responses. Some were unable to develop their points and others lost focus on new media. Better answers were aware that ownership and control are not the same, and gave examples.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways new media changed ownership and control (e.g. citizen journalism weakening owners' control of content, growth of conglomerates such as Meta, data harvesting, competition for old news sources, harder regulation)
• discussing ownership in general = 1–3
• better answers knew ownership and control are different
• some lost focus on new media

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q20: Stronger responses often referred to effects models such as the two-step flow model or the cultural effects approach to enhance their answers. Citizen journalism and the greater speed of communication also often featured in good answers.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item M (wide range of media
• lower trust), e.g. audiences using varied media for different purposes, decoding and filtering with negotiated or oppositional readings
• drift into describing types of media is a tangent
• stronger answers used two-step flow and cultural effects

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q21: Most responses demonstrated accurate knowledge but were confined to a narrow scope. Many were generalised, relying on clichéd examples of working and middle-class representations on television without deeply connecting them to the question. Debates tended to lack depth, with most answers touching on Marxist perspectives but offering little evidence. The best answers drew on a range of media, on examples that do not conform to stereotypes as well as those that do, and on other perspectives.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates Marxism, neo-Marxism, pluralism, feminisms, postmodernism on class representations and how new media challenge stereotypes
• most were narrow, using clichéd TV examples of working- and middle-class portrayal
• debate mostly Marxist with little evidence

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. 10 mark “outline and explain” questions have more marks available for knowledge and understanding, and none for evaluation. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q22: Answers often discussed the creation of new jobs and opportunities or the outsourcing of production so leading to a reduction of employment opportunities. For some students developing the ways by explaining the effects on life chances proved difficult. A minority of students linked globalisation and life chances to other features such as globalisation enabling advances in health care, so improving life chances.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways each linked to working-class life chances (e.g. precarious employment, job losses from relocated production, cheaper consumer goods, weaker unions, migration opportunities)
• describing globalisation in general = 1–3
• explaining the effect on life chances was the difficult step

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. Questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in ways they will not have done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be made aware that there are two types of 10 mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes . There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. A breakdown of the marks awarded by assessment objective can be found in the mark scheme. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These have to be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording ( eg “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Students should avoid writing all they know about a “hook”, and focus on applying the idea to the question. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10 mark questions; they take up time and rarely improve the mark. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way/reason is…”, or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. Answers that give more than two points are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. Q23: Some answers had an overlap between the two “ways” they analysed. The status of women was discussed in terms of breaks in work, discrimination in the workplace, the glass ceiling and so on. Points about men were sometimes limited to these issues not applying to men. Few students considered changes in the workplace or to the balance of domestic labour which might have helped development of points.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two developed applications from Item O (women taking time off for childcare
• men in senior posts), e.g. reduced income and independence, men's occupational prestige
• drift into gender in general is a tangent
• the two ways often overlapped
• points about men were often just the absence of women's disadvantages

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The items for these questions have a different purpose to those for 10 mark “analyse” questions. The items will suggest a few starting points for students, including ways into evaluation. Students are expected to also bring in further ideas (“and your knowledge” in the instruction). A wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, so students need to be selective. It is more effective to cover a limited number of points in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Q24: Students were able to apply the item by contrasting functionalist and Marxist approaches to the nature of social mobility. They did this, for example, by setting functionalist ideas of meritocracy against Marxist concepts of class, elite self-recruitment and so on. Feminism was also frequently added to provide an extra dimension to the debate. Few students made use of more traditional material on social mobility such as intragenerational and intergenerational mobility. There were also few references to empirical mobility studies.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates theories of mobility (Marxism, functionalism, New Right, Weberianism, postmodernism, feminisms) and its significance
• most contrasted functionalist meritocracy with Marxist elite self-recruitment and added feminism