June 2025: 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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. This question was not as well answered as expected, with answers sometimes not explicitly focused on ethnic groups. The better answers made connections between ethnicity and consumption by, for example, considering the role of consumption in maintaining cultures based on ethnicity, or comparing consumption between ethnic groups.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• answers must focus explicitly on ethnic groups
• drift into ethnicity in general = 1–3
• top band: consumption to express ethnic identity or keep diasporic culture, and comparing consumption between groups
• not as well answered as expected

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Answers were able to identify the hooks, but the development of the two ways globalisation may be linked to popular culture was often limited to brief examples. Some struggled with how to develop international travel being cheaper and easier, in relation to culture. The second hook was often better developed, using concepts such as homogenisation and cultural imperialism and often referring to the role of transnational corporations.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• item hooks: cheaper travel (bringing other cultures into UK popular culture) and the same products sold worldwide
• drift into descriptive accounts of globalisation = 1–3
• travel hook often undeveloped
• product hook better handled via homogenisation, cultural imperialism and TNCs

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most students understood the difference between socialisation as a one-way process and as a two-way process. Most were also able to use appropriate studies and perspectives, including interactionism for evaluation. The greater interactivity of social media featured in some successful answers.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates one-way (functionalist, Marxist) against two-way (interactionist, postmodern, feminist) views of socialisation
• most handled the one-way/two-way distinction well
• interactivity of social media used in some strong answers

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. This was generally answered well. Most responses focused on social changes such as the growth of feminism, changes in women’s ambitions and secularisation. Most answers showed understanding of the effects of change in patterns of divorce. It was good to see some students looking at divorce decreasing due to pure love and cohabitation.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link a social change to divorce patterns
• drift into describing divorce patterns = 1–3
• common answers: feminism and women's independence, secularisation, rising expectations, law changes
• credit also for change reducing divorce (pure relationships, cohabitation, cost of living)

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Many answers tended to discuss gender roles rather than functions of the family. Some became more relevant by touching on, for example, the functions of primary socialisation and reproduction. There was also a tendency to write all that was known about, for example, lone parent families rather than analysing an effect on functions of families.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must analyse effects on functions of the family (e.g. economic provision, primary socialisation, reproduction) from the single-parent and same-sex hooks
• many drifted into gender roles or everything known about lone parents
• reasons for diversity = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most answers showed good knowledge of changes in childhood over time. Most were aware of the different laws in place to improve childhood and some were aware of differences between childhood in developed and less developed countries. Some contemporary examples, such as tracking apps on mobile phones, were used well. Better answers were able to evaluate through considering ways in which childhood may not have improved, such as limits on freedom and the idea of toxic childhood.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates march of progress against toxic childhood, feminist, Marxist, New Right and postmodern views
• better answers evaluated via limits on freedom and toxic childhood
• contemporary examples (tracking apps) and global comparisons used well

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Students generally chose to interpret this question by focusing on access to health care and how this affected the distribution of health chances. The idea that more affluent individuals resided in places with better health care provision was a common way to do this and the inverse care law frequently featured.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link medicine (consumer choice, private treatment, postcode availability) to the social distribution of health chances
• drift into health chances in general = 1–3
• most answered through access to care and the inverse care law

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Answers often linked being poor or working class to higher levels of stress and a greater prevalence of anxiety or depression. Access to private health care was frequently linked to more affluent classes securing a wider range of effective treatments and therapies. Some effective responses used empirical material to bring out the extent of differences in rates of mental illness between classes.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• item hooks: poverty causing stress and depression
• private treatment of higher classes (better treatment, and less likely to be recorded in statistics)
• drift into mental illness in general = 1–3
• empirical data on the size of class differences strengthened answers

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most answers showed some knowledge and understanding of social construction as applied to health and illness. This was often illustrated by using examples relating to disability and impairment. Answers were then often developed by juxtaposing other explanations such as the biomedical model and the social construction view. This could be successful but often drifted into accounts of these explanations rather than them being used to evaluate the social construction view.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates social construction/interactionism against the biomedical model
• disability and impairment examples common
• many described rival explanations instead of using them to evaluate social construction

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Most answers showed understand of why women might be prevented from entering full time employment. Some of the most successful answers used intersectionality, for example considering how ethnic minority women may face a double oppression of racism and patriarchy that affects employment opportunities.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• drift into full-time employment in general = 1–3
• common reasons: family responsibilities, employer discrimination, reserve army of labour
• best answers used intersectionality (e.g. ethnic minority women facing racism and patriarchy)

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Most answers were able to make two points based on the hooks in the item and showed some knowledge of welfare policies. Ways based on the second hook tended to be less well developed than those based on the first.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• item hooks: active state welfare provision vs encouraging self-reliance (reduced welfare)
• drift into the existence of poverty in general = 1–3
• the second hook was usually less developed

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most answers were able to consider both the positive aspects, such as upskilling, and negative ones such as automation and deskilling. The best answers often discussed how the quality of life and life chances may improve because of manual labour declining. Less successful answers often lacked studies and relied on anecdotal evidence.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates Marxist deskilling against Fordist/post-Fordist upskilling views
• best answers weighed upskilling against automation and deskilling
• weaker answers lacked studies and relied on anecdote

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Some students found it difficult to interpret “social groups”, although this term is in the specification, and gave two reasons for secularisation rather than addressing the question. There were some unorthodox social groups, but credit as given where these were reasonable and plausible. Many better answers focused on age and ethnicity; for example, ethnic minorities and cultural defence slowing secularisation down and young people no longer feeling religious speeding it up.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must be how social groups (age, class, ethnicity, gender, urban populations) influence secularisation, not general reasons for secularisation (= 1–3)
• plausible unorthodox groups credited
• good answers: ethnic minorities' cultural defence slowing it, young people speeding it

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Most students were able to identify the hooks. Good responses used the hooks to show the difference between denominations and New Age Movements focusing on individuality, spirituality and equality, with examples. Less successful answers essentially took the hooks and stated that NAMs were different, with little if any further development. A number were also unclear about NAMs, confusing them with New Religious Movements or sects.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• item hooks: traditional beliefs vs self-spirituality, and formal hierarchy vs individual authority
• weaker answers just said NAMs were different without development
• some confused NAMs with NRMs or sects
• drift into other organisations = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most responses successfully focused on the concept of powerful groups. Marxism and feminism featured strongly, often contrasted with functionalism. Better answers were able to apply a range of studies and when attempting to evaluate avoided drifting into listing functions. A minority answered the question more as if it were about religiosity by class or gender.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates Marxism and feminisms against functionalism, postmodernism and interactionism
• evaluation should not drift into listing functions
• a minority wrongly treated it as religiosity by class or gender

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. This question was generally well answered with successful answers often discussing standardised Western teaching practices spreading globally and ways in which aid from non- governmental organisations may affect education.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• drift into education in general = 1–3
• common answers: spread of standardised Western teaching, NGO aid for schooling
• also global ideas on girls' education and reaction against Western schooling

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Most students showed some knowledge of the information in the hooks but some had difficulty making a connection with global inequalities. This was particularly the case for the first hook. Good answers often explored how having a young population provided workers who could help a country develop. The second hook led to more developed answers, often considering how remittances from emigrants could reduce poverty in the country of origin.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link demographic change to global inequality
• item hooks: young populations (workforce for growth) and emigration (remittances vs brain drain)
• first hook often poorly linked
• drift into demography in general = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Most answers showed good knowledge and understanding of different theories of industrialisation, though some lacked range. There was a tendency to give information about modernisation and dependency theories without relating these clearly to industrialisation. Answers could often have been stronger with detailed examples of countries that have followed different paths to development.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates modernisation against dependency, people-centred and post-development views
• many described the theories without tying them to industrialisation
• named country examples of different paths would strengthen answers

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Answers often showed good knowledge and understanding of some issues around this area but did not always manage to make a clear connection between ownership or control and representations of social class. Better answers often gave one way based on ownership (e.g. by media oligarchs) and one on control (e.g. new media allowing the audience to contribute some content).

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link ownership or control to representations of class
• drift into representations in general = 1–3
• better answers gave one way based on ownership (owner interests, chav stereotypes) and one on control (editors' news values, user-generated content)

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. A small number of students took this as a gender question rather than a sexuality question. covered both with gender points that were about sex, using concepts such as the male gaze. Most were able to apply the hooks and develop their analysis of two ways, using concepts such as heteronormativity. Some found it difficult to go beyond representations and discuss effects on people’s views.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must cover effects on views of sexuality, not just representations
• item hooks: reinforcing (heteronormativity, stereotypes) vs challenging (diverse positive portrayals)
• a few answered on gender instead
• drift into other groups = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Although this question was focused on one perspective, answers tended to try to cover several perspectives with only a short section on postmodernism itself. The best approach to a question like this is to use other perspectives only to evaluate (for example, by explaining points of agreement and difference). Some answers were limited by taking postmodernism as a synonym for pluralism. There were also some very good answers, showing knowledge of a range of studies and concepts.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• keep postmodernism central and use other perspectives (pluralism, Marxism, feminisms) only to evaluate it
• many gave several perspectives with little on postmodernism, and some treated postmodernism as pluralism

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. 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, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Students were generally able to identify two reasons. Answers often discussed lack of educational achievement amongst the working class, reducing their opportunity for upward mobility, contrasting with resources available to the middle classes. Better answers were able to explain how upward mobility could be achieved through, for example, investment, benefitting from inheritance and education. Only a minority of students referred to studies of social mobility such as by the Sutton Trust which could have allowed deeper analysis.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• drift into social mobility in general = 1–3
• common answers: working-class educational underachievement, lack of cultural capital and networks
• few used mobility studies (e.g. Sutton Trust) for analysis

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 have not done before. It is therefore important for students to allow time to think about how to answer the question. Students should be aware that there are two types of ten-mark questions. These have different requirements and different mark schemes. There are different marks available for the assessment objectives. The items for 10 mark “analyse” questions are written to give prompts or “hooks” for student answers. These must be used to access application marks. Answers can indicate use of hooks by quoting, by a reference in parentheses or by wording (e.g. “As the item says…”). Items end with a sentence restating the question; the hooks are in the preceding part of the item. Introductions and conclusions are not required for 10-mark questions, are unlikely to help students and take up time. 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 answers are unlikely to develop two of them sufficiently. The most successful answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence such as an example and, where appropriate, theory. Some answers showed difficulty in developing effective answers from the hooks. Examples of the convergence of different types of occupation and how that process might pose issues of categorisation for classifications such as the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification only featured in a minority of answers.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• item hooks: blurring of manual/non-manual work (occupation as indicator) and rising affluence (blurring class lines)
• few linked this to classification schemes such as NS-SEC
• drift into class in general = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

These require answers that are essays and are best written in paragraphs. A brief introduction can help set out the argument of the essay. It will not attract marks if it only repeats the question or parts of the item. The purpose of the items for these questions is to 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) rather than relying only on the item. 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 views/theories in depth rather than to try to include everything. Students should keep to the question. When a question is about a particular view, other views can be used for evaluation but without writing all that the student knows about them. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. Students who made brief essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Students generally produced answers which applied relevant material to the question. Popular approaches were to expand on cues given in the item, for example unpacking ethnicity as applied to education or another topic area. Evaluation and analysis were often based on theories that view ethnicity as not being the most central factor in determining life chances, most commonly Marxism (following the item) and feminism.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band weighs ethnicity against class, gender and other factors in life chances
• common approach unpacked ethnicity in education and work, evaluated mainly via Marxism and feminism