Globalisation, the media, green crime and state crime P3

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Question two was on the whole answered well and there was a wide range of different responses provided, some with more success than others. There were some challenges faced with repetition, in particular with students who had used moral panics as their identification and then tried another identification with stereotyping, which led to repetition of the self- fulfilling prophecy. Many students also used the deviancy amplification spiral and discussion of the ‘mods and rockers’. Where this was used, students did not always focus on the question set as they did not discuss the increase in crime. A small number of students drifted away from the question set and discussed the lack of media representation of some groups. Some students made use of new media in this question, and when this was given as an identification, they were able to develop it by using examples of new types of media such as social media platforms and new types of crime such as hate crime or hacking. This showcased the range of knowledge in answers to this question.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of three ways clearly outlined
• credited: copycat crime, new media creating new crimes, desensitisation, relative deprivation from advertising, moral panics and stereotypes leading to targeting, undermining social controls
• moral panic then stereotyping repeated the same self-fulfilling prophecy point
• deviancy amplification often not linked to rising crime

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

It enabled a synoptic link between sociological theory and world issues, seen mainly in question 4. This question saw the full range of marks awarded. Students should be praised for their ability to write about global crime, using appropriate sociologists and some developed contemporary examples. There was a tendency to over use the item without developing points. This resulted in a list like essay.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must apply Item B (new opportunities and types of crime, cybercrime, Marxist view of deregulation, global cooperation against green crime and human rights abuses)
• top band: debate between perspectives or problems of defining and measuring global crime
• drift into general explanations of crime = 7–12
• over-reliance on the item produced list-like essays
• best answers used contemporary examples and named sociologists

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

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

Notes from the mark scheme and report

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

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This question was on whole well attempted with many students being able to identify and develop the two hooks from the item. There were several students who were able to develop the hooks well, using sociological evidence. A number of students used the same hook to develop two different ways, this was with some success. Students were able to apply sociological studies well and used some appropriate contemporary examples.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two hooks: glamorous role models (imitation, desensitisation, relative deprivation) and exaggerated news (labelling, moral panics, deviancy amplification)
• labelling or crime not linked to the media = 1–3 band
• well attempted
• using one hook for both ways had some success

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Most students attempted this question. Most students could identify two ways in which media representations of crime may not reflect reality. There was a tendency to write too much for this question, some students explained the work of sociological studies, and although this displayed excellent knowledge it is not a requirement for this question and may have had an impact on timing.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of two ways clearly outlined, 1 if only partially outlined
• credited: over-reporting violent and sexual crime, under-reporting property crime, exaggerated risk of victimisation, exaggerated police success
• describing studies not needed and many overwrote

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This question was well attempted on the whole with many students being able to develop the two hooks in the item. Students displayed a wide range of knowledge and could further link global crime to sociological research and studies. A common error was to not make explicitly clear how this would influence crime in UK. Although the question was about global crime students needed to make the link with the UK.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must make the link to crime in the UK explicit
• item hooks: new technologies (cyber crime, money laundering, online terrorism) and cross-border trade (drug smuggling)
• crimes not influenced by globalisation = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Effective answers showed both breadth and depth of knowledge with a good range both of concepts and of issues. Material was presented analytically, unpacking a range of aspects of the relationship between crime and the media. These often included the social construction of crime news; media representations of crime, criminals and victims; the role of the media in creating crime (for example, relative deprivation, moral panics and the deviance amplification spiral) and the role of new media in contributing both to crime and to its policing. Evaluation was explicit and well linked to the specific issues raised in the answer. Less effective, but still reasonably successful, answers tended to lack this level of analysis and evaluation, and were more knowledge-driven. Weaker responses had a narrower range of aspects (usually focusing on media distortion) or presented little in the way of studies to support their claims. Such answers tended to be descriptive, limited in terms of concepts and lacking analysis and evaluation. Accounts of significant issues, such as moral panics or relative deprivation, were often hazy; the presentation of relevant studies was frequently skimpy or with inaccuracies. Some answers took a 'perspectives' approach, including Marxist, functionalist, feminist or other views. Unfortunately, this approach led many to focus on tangential material, with detailed accounts of the general sociological perspectives that quickly lost sight of the media, crime, or both. However, there were a few very good answers of this type that did succeed in applying such perspectives to the set question.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band covers several aspects of the relationship (construction of crime news, representations, media causing crime via relative deprivation/moral panics/amplification, new media for committing and policing crime) and evaluates them or locates them in perspective debates
• accounts of crime theories with little reference to the media = 7–12
• weaker answers narrowed to media distortion
• 'perspectives' approaches often drifted into general theory
• moral panic and relative deprivation accounts often hazy
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• specimen paper, no examiners' report
• 2 marks for each of two ways clearly outlined, 1 if partial
• creditable: over-representing violent and sexual crime, exaggerating police success, romanticising criminals, moral panics, exaggerating risk of victimisation