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Educational policy, marketisation and globalisation

Past-paper questions pack

Name
Class
Date set
Date due
Score/ 186

Questions are numbered; the mark schemes (the answer key) follow on separate pages so the question pages can be handed out alone. www.alevelsociologytutor.com

AQA AQA AS and A-level Sociology past-paper questions since 2016 · 26 parts · mark schemes follow the questions · www.alevelsociologytutor.com · Questions and mark schemes © AQA

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q1 · 2 marks · AO1=2
Education 0 1 Define the term ‘globalisation’. [2 marks]
2. June 2025 · Paper 1 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=4
Education 0 1 Outline two ways in which globalisation has affected schools in the UK. [4 marks]
3. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q5 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 5 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Factors such as income, gender and ethnicity can have a significant impact on the educational achievement of pupils. Governments have tried to reduce these differences through initiatives to encourage more pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds to enter higher education and through Pupil Premium to support such pupils. They have also set up programmes to encourage girls to participate in ‘male-dominated’ subjects. Some sociologists believe educational policies can be successful in reducing differences in educational achievement between pupils. Others argue that inequalities are deeply ingrained in society and that educational policies may have a limited impact. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that government educational policies have successfully improved the educational achievement of pupils. [20 marks] Extra space
4. June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q1 · 2 marks · AO1=2
Education 0 1 Define the term ‘marketisation of education’. [2 marks]
5. June 2024 · Paper 1 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=4
Education 0 1 Outline two advantages of vocational education. [4 marks]
6. June 2024 · Paper 1 · Q2 · 6 marks · AO1=3,AO2=3
0 2 Outline three reasons why parental choice may be limited when selecting a school for their child. [6 marks]
7. June 2023 · Paper 1 · Q2 · 6 marks · AO1=3,AO2=3
0 2 Outline three criticisms of marketisation policies in education. [6 marks]
8. June 2023 · AS Paper 1 · Q4 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2
0 4 Outline and explain two ways in which government educational policies may reflect the needs of the economy. [10 marks]
9. June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q1 · 2 marks · AO1=2
Education 0 1 Define the term ‘comprehensive school’. [2 marks]
10. June 2022 · Paper 1 · Q4 · 30 marks · AO1=12,AO2=9,AO3=9
0 4 Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B Since the introduction of marketisation policies to education, over 30 years ago, competition has grown between increasingly diverse types of schools. New Right theorists argue that every parent is free to choose the best school for their child. They also claim that this efficiently drives up standards and ensures that schools are responsive to the needs of parents and pupils. However, some sociologists argue that there are limits to these choices. They also argue that marketisation policies may reinforce existing inequalities in educational achievement. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that marketisation policies have increased diversity and choice in the education system. [30 marks] Extra space
11. June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q5 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 5 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Social class differences can have an impact on pupil achievement. One way of trying to reduce such differences is to put into place educational policies that directly focus on reducing the gap in achievement between social classes. Some sociologists believe that educational policies can change the level of support working-class students receive in education. They think educational policies like “pupil premium” and compensatory education can effectively reduce class inequalities in educational achievement. Other sociologists see social class differences in educational achievement as a reflection of wider inequalities between classes. They believe that educational policies are only likely to have a temporary short-term effect. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that government educational policies are effective in reducing social class inequalities in education. [20 marks] Extra space
12. November 2021 · Paper 1 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=4
Education 0 1 Outline two ways in which globalisation may have had an influence on educational policies in the UK. [4 marks]
13. November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q2 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 2 Using one example, briefly explain how schools might respond to increased diversity caused by patterns of migration. [2 marks]
14. November 2020 · Paper 1 · Q3 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 3 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Businesses compete with each other to attract customers. Another route to success for businesses is to provide unique products for their customers. The introduction of marketisation policies into the state education system means that schools are run like businesses. Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which marketisation policies have led to schools being run like businesses. [10 marks]
15. June 2019 · Paper 1 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=4
Education 0 1 Outline two criticisms of schools selecting pupils by ability. [4 marks]
16. June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q2 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 2 Using one example, briefly explain how schools may select pupils, other than by their academic ability. [2 marks]
17. June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q4 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2
0 4 Outline and explain two policies that may have influenced gender differences in educational achievement. [10 marks]
18. June 2018 · Paper 1 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=4
Education 0 1 Outline two reasons why marketisation policies may produce inequality of educational achievement between social classes. [4 marks]
19. June 2018 · AS Paper 1 · Q3 · 6 marks · AO1=3,AO2=3
0 3 Outline three examples of how the education system could be seen as fair to everyone. [6 marks]
20. June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q2 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 2 Using one example, briefly explain how selection policies may widen social class differences in educational achievement. [2 marks]
21. June 2017 · Paper 1 · Q3 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 3 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Since the 1980s, a major aim of government policy has been to increase parental choice in education. There is now a wider range of school types, and league tables on school performance are also publicly available. Increased parental choice has had many effects on pupils’ experience of education. Applying material from Item A, analyse two effects of increased parental choice on pupils’ experience of education. [10 marks]
22. June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q4 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2
0 4 Outline and explain two ways in which educational policies may have affected the experience of minority ethnic groups in education. [10 marks]
23. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q1 · 2 marks · AO1=2
Education 0 1 Define the term ‘compensatory education’. [2 marks]
24. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q2 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 2 Using one example, briefly explain how marketisation policies may affect social class differences in educational achievement. [2 marks]
25. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q3 · 6 marks · AO1=3,AO2=3
0 3 Outline three policies that may help to explain changes in girls’ educational achievement in the last 40 years. [6 marks]
26. Specimen set 1 · Paper 1 · Q2 · 6 marks · AO1=3,AO2=3
0 2 Outline three reasons why government education policies aimed at raising educational achievement among disadvantaged groups may not always succeed. [6 marks]

Mark schemes

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 1 Q1
2. June 2025 · Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 1 Q1
3. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q5
Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 1 Q5
4. June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 1 Q1
5. June 2024 · Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 1 Q1
6. June 2024 · Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 1 Q2
7. June 2023 · Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 1 Q2
8. June 2023 · AS Paper 1 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 1 Q4
9. June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2022 Paper 1 Q1
10. June 2022 · Paper 1 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2022 Paper 1 Q4
11. June 2022 · AS Paper 1 · Q5
Mark scheme June 2022 Paper 1 Q5
12. November 2021 · Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme November 2021 Paper 1 Q1
13. November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 1 Q2
14. November 2020 · Paper 1 · Q3
Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 1 Q3
15. June 2019 · Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 1 Q1
16. June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 1 Q2
17. June 2019 · AS Paper 1 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 1 Q4
18. June 2018 · Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 1 Q1
19. June 2018 · AS Paper 1 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 1 Q3
20. June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2017 Paper 1 Q2
21. June 2017 · Paper 1 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2017 Paper 1 Q3
22. June 2017 · AS Paper 1 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2017 Paper 1 Q4
23. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q1
Mark scheme June 2016 Paper 1 Q1
24. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2016 Paper 1 Q2
25. June 2016 · AS Paper 1 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2016 Paper 1 Q3
26. Specimen set 1 · Paper 1 · Q2
Mark scheme Specimen set 1 Paper 1 Q2