Marriage, divorce, cohabitation and family diversity P2

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

Examiner's comment

Most students found this question straightforward and were able to gain both marks. Secularisation and changes in the position of women were popular ways of gaining credit.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• credited: secularisation, less stigma for alternatives (cohabitation, single life), women's changed position, fear of divorce
• secularisation and women's position most popular

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

On the 10-mark 'outline and explain' question (the fourth question in each topic area), and the 6-mark 'outline three...' question (the third question in each topic). In the 6-mark 'outline three...' questions, students could improve their performance by including a brief explanation of each identified point—such as a criticism or feature—rather than simply listing them. This question was answered very well, with many students providing a wide range of reasons for the lone parent families being headed by a woman. Women being awarded custody, general expectations of society and male abandonment proved popular reasons. The phenomena of some responses giving a valid reason being without it being developed (and so not gaining full marks) remains.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• credited: men less likely to leave work, breastfeeding, courts awarding custody to mothers, father abandonment, women choosing lone parenthood, gender norms
• answered very well
• undeveloped reasons still lost the second mark

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

On the 10-mark 'outline and explain' question (the fourth question in each topic area), and the 6-mark 'outline three...' question (the third question in each topic). For the 10-mark 'outline and explain' questions, students would benefit from clearly identifying a specific way, reason, or factor, followed by a developed explanation. This approach would help make their answers more coherent, structured and easier to reward. This question required students to name a diverse family form type, for example the lone parent family and suggest how that family form may impact on the domestic division of labour. One common way to do this was found in answers which suggested that in lone parent families the lone parent carried out the entirety of the roles and tasks making up the domestic division of labour. Answers which named a family type generally went on to be developed in an effective way. Where a diverse family type was not named, the development of the answer was limited and often could not gain credit.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must name a diverse family type and link it to the division of labour
• examples: dual-earner/neo-conventional, same-sex couples without gender scripts, lone parents doing all tasks, beanpole/extended and triple shift, cultural diversity
• general accounts of domestic division of labour = 1-3
• unnamed family types rarely earned credit

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

Examiner's comment

For both marks students needed to identify that the matrifocal family was female led and that power in the matrifocal family rested with the woman leading it.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks need a female-led family with power held by the woman
• an example such as a female-headed lone-parent family = 1 mark

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

The ‘outline three …’ 6-mark question. Students could easily improve outcomes on this question by realising the need to provide a line or so outlining the criticism / feature etc they have identified. This question was answered very well and extensive reasons for an increase in cohabitation were given. Some students identified communal household sharing as cohabitation, which could not be credited. The other main reason students did not gain full marks for this question was by not adding some development of the reason in order to gain the second mark.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of three reasons clearly outlined, 1 if only partially outlined
• communal house-sharing is not cohabitation
• marks lost by not developing each reason

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 are unlikely to 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. 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 and take up valuable time. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two separate points, 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. Question 4: This was generally answered quite well, with answers often citing changes in values or legal changes. Some did not explicitly state what the change to pattern of marriage was, although this was usually implicit from the context.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways social change affects marriage (declining stigma, secularisation, same-sex marriage law, feminism, cost of living)
• drift into a general account of marriage patterns = 1–3
• generally answered well via value or legal change
• some did not state the actual change in marriage pattern

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

For example, A2 question 6 asked about how demographic changes had affected families. Some answers included a lot of material on reasons for demographic changes, which were not asked for. 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). 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 include every possible theory. Students who made essay plans appeared to benefit by having more structured and coherent responses. Question 6: Students were knowledgeable about demographic changes but some gave descriptive accounts rather than focusing on effects on families. Many included a debate about nuclear families as opposed to family diversity, using theories. This sometimes focused on more general arguments rather than connecting these with demographic changes.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must focus on effects of demographic change (birth rate, immigration, ageing) on families, not reasons for the changes
• top band debates New Right, feminist, Marxist, postmodernist, personal life and functionalist views
• general nuclear-vs-diversity debate often not connected to demographic change

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This was a question that most students found accessible and had good material with which to frame their answers. Students who were able to look at the various impacts of an ageing population and link these to sociological concepts and theory were well rewarded. There were two types of approach which emerged that did not manage the above and so limited the reward available. The first kind of response documented often in great detail the causes and reasons for the emergence of an ageing population rather than looking at the impact of the ageing population on the family and wider society. The second type of response focussed on the impact by listing illustrations of the changes and impact: eg the greater preponderance of grandparents helping out with childcare, without linking the illustration to sociological concepts or theories. For example, the emerging child care role of grandparents could be viewed as contributing to a new kind of modified extended family. Evaluation and analysis in this question often took the form of reviewing various theories’ stance towards the impact of an ageing population, the New Right view of beanpole families for example.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band evaluates impacts on families and wider society through perspective debates (e.g. New Right on beanpole families)
• two weak approaches: describing causes of population ageing instead of its impact, and listing impacts (grandparent childcare) without concepts such as the modified extended family

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. The questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in a way that they are unlikely to have done before. There was a tendency, however, to attempt to answer the question by giving knowledge based on words or phrases in the question, rather than meeting the demands of the question. Students are advised to spend time reading the question, and, where there is one the item, to ensure that they are answering the question. Some students seemed unaware of the different demands of the two types of questions. The marks awarded for the assessment objectives are different in the two types of ten mark questions, and students should be aware of this. In “analyse” (with item) questions, the answers need to be clearly based on the prompts or “hooks” in the item, not just on the final sentence of the item which restates the question. There is no need for an introduction or conclusion for 10 mark questions. It is helpful if answers are set out to clearly indicate the two answers, with wording such as “One way is…” or by starting a new paragraph for the second point. The best answers to 10 mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point that addressed the question and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence and, where appropriate, theory. Answers need to address all aspects of the question. Q5 Successful answers used the item well. Answers which linked to choice in who to be in a relationship with included same sex couples and families; those linked to ways relationships end included single parent families and reconstituted families.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two hooks: choice of partner (e.g. same-sex families) and choice when relationships end (lone-parent, reconstituted, divorce-extended families)
• analysis of how far choice really has increased
• drift into family diversity in general = 1–3 band

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

For low mark tariff questions where candidates are required to either define, explain or outline, care should be taken to ensure that points are not just identified. Most students were able to provide an accurate outline of the extended family, showing a clear sense of the nuclear family plus wider kin regardless of whether they lived in the same home. Some students gained partial credit for giving examples of wider kin without giving a definition of the extended family. A minority of students defined the reconstituted family and gained no marks.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for a family including kin beyond parents and children (e.g. grandparents, wider kin)
• 1 mark for an example only (families with grandparents)
• most answered well
• defining the reconstituted family scored nothing

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

For low mark tariff questions where candidates are required to either define, explain or outline, care should be taken to ensure that points are not just identified. Many students scored well in this question and were able to identify three effects and explain them briefly. Some answers to this question were longer than necessary; some included references to, and descriptions of, research. Partial marks were achieved when an effect was identified but developed in an incorrect way. For example, parents may see less of their children as they are at work, which gained credit, but then developed by claiming the children will miss out on socialisation so won’t know right from wrong which is incorrect. Some answers drifted to effects on women’s careers rather than on the family. Occasionally students confused what was meant by dual earner and went into descriptions of househusbands ie role reversal.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for each of three effects clearly outlined, 1 if only partially outlined
• e.g. more equal domestic roles, more father involvement, grandparent or nursery childcare, affluence, smaller families
• incorrect development (e.g. children not learning right from wrong) limits to 1
• drift into women's careers or role reversal not credited
• long answers unnecessary

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The majority of students understood the demands of this question and were able to apply their knowledge of the ageing population to the affects on family organisation and structure. The most common responses were the increase in extended families, grandparents providing childcare and beanpole families. The extent to which the application was developed was variable and this is reflected in the marks awarded. Weaker responses focused on the effects of the ageing population on the wider society, by discussing the dependency ratio for example.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways an ageing population affects family structure/organisation (beanpole families, three-generation households, grandparent childcare, single-person households)
• drift into general effects on society such as the dependency ratio = 1–3
• development of application varied

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Answers to essay questions were sometimes disjointed; it would be worth students considering making a brief plan for the 16 and 20 mark questions. Many answers discussed the nature and extent of family diversity without engaging in the debate about the traditional family no longer being the centre of peoples’ personal lives. The best responses were able to analyse and evaluate by presenting evidence both for and against the decline of traditional families and locating this within a theoretical debate about the centrality of traditional families in people’s personal lives. The theories used most effectively were functionalism, feminism, postmodernism and the personal life perspective. Middle range answers showed sound knowledge and some focus on the debate in the question, but often included overlong accounts of diversity and changes in the role of women, and failed to focus on whether the family is no longer the centre of people’s personal lives. Weaker answers were often characterised by one-sided accounts of why the family is no longer central in people’s lives. There was also a tendency to explain theoretical views, for example functionalist and the New Right claims about what families should be like, rather than addressing the question directly.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• top band debates postmodernist, functionalist and personal life perspectives on whether traditional families remain central
• many described family diversity without engaging with the debate
• weaker answers one-sided or explained what families should be like (functionalist/New Right) instead of answering

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

This question required knowledge and understanding of functions of families; these could be from functionalist, Marxist, feminist or other perspectives. Discussion of changing roles within families was accepted as being about functions. Some students concentrated on outlining changes to the structure of the family without referring sufficiently to functions. The particular requirements of both types of 10 mark questions mean that the role of the teacher in explaining the format of questions and, for ‘analyse’ questions, the structure and content of the items, is essential, as is practice followed by constructive feedback. Students need to be aware that these questions will always require connections to be made between different parts of the specification for the topic, and that this will require thinking in the examination about how the two aspects are connected.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• each way must link a structural change (lone-parent, dual-earner, same-sex, childless families, divorce) to a family function
• functions from any perspective were accepted and changing roles counted as functions
• many described structural change without linking it to functions
• drift into an account of functions = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

As information was given in the item about family diversity, students needed in their answers to focus on government policies. This could be done either by referring to specific acts of parliament or equivalent, or by more general discussion of the impact of, for example, provision of welfare benefits; both approaches were acceptable and could be equally successful. The particular requirements of both types of 10 mark questions mean that the role of the teacher in explaining the format of questions and, for ‘analyse’ questions, the structure and content of the items, is essential, as is practice followed by constructive feedback. Students need to be aware that these questions will always require connections to be made between different parts of the specification for the topic, and that this will require thinking in the examination about how the two aspects are connected.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must develop hooks from Item C (rising divorce, more same-sex couples)
• the last line restates the question and is not a hook
• the item already gives the diversity, so answers had to focus on government policy, either named laws (divorce reform, civil partnership, same-sex marriage) or welfare provision in general
• drift into examples of policy or diversity alone = 1–3

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Answers tended to be significantly stronger on gender roles and relationships than on ways in which these might be derived from changes in childbearing patterns. Some students wrote only about changes in gender roles without mentioning changes in childbearing patterns. Better answers often considered how having fewer children and having the first child later had enabled women to engage in paid work more and, importantly, went on to discuss how this might have affected roles and relationships within families. The 10-mark “outline and explain” questions produced variable answers. A common fault was to focus on one element of the question only, rather than recognising that the question required connections to be made between different elements. Students need guidance from their teachers to appreciate that these questions may require them to bring together learning from different sections of the specification within the topic. Students also need to be aware that there are no marks available for evaluation on this question.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link childbearing change (fewer children, later first child, childfree women) to gender roles and relationships
• e.g. more women in paid work, joint conjugal roles, dual/triple shift
• drift into reasons for changing childbearing = 1-3
• answers often strong on gender roles but did not link them to childbearing
• no marks for evaluation in this question type (examiners' report general remark)

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

While there were some very good answers to this question, others focused on changes arising from mid-twentieth century immigration rather than more recent ways globalisation may have influenced families and households. The 10-mark “analyse” questions require use of the item, which will provide a starting point for answers. Answers which do not use the item will be unable to access higher marks.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• apply Item C (travel and inter-connectedness, freedom of lifestyle and relationship choice)
• e.g. transnational families through migration, more complex negotiated families, wider choice of partners
• drift into family diversity = tangent
• weaker answers dwelt on mid-twentieth-century immigration rather than recent globalisation

Mark scheme

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks needs both fewer children per generation and more generations alive (longer life expectancy)
• 'more generations alive at once' alone = 1

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link migration to UK household structures (e.g. multi-person households of young migrants, extended families, lone-parent households)
• describing household types without the migration link = 1–3 band
• analysis e.g. migrant fertility rates

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Some students wrote introductory paragraphs and/or conclusions. These are not necessary, and are unlikely to gain additional marks; they also take up time. Some students made only one point in their answers, or three or more, rather than the two asked for. The word ‘two’ is put in bold in the question to try and draw students’ attention to this. Sometimes it was not clear how many points were being made. It is helpful for students to clearly indicate their two answers, with wording such as “One way is…” or by starting a new paragraph for their second point. Notably, some students wrote far more than was needed for a 10-mark response. The two types of 10-mark question, “outline and explain” and “analysis” types, are marked differently as the assessment objectives have different weightings. It is important that students are aware of this. For 10 mark “analyse” questions, the parts of the item being used should be clearly indicated, preferably by exact words being quoted. It is acceptable for two different points to be drawn from one part of the item, but answers which do not use the item cannot access the application marks. The best answers to 10-mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point and then developing it, and used sociological concepts, studies, evidence and theory as appropriate. Those answers that simply went into reasons for the changing patterns of marriage and divorce could not be credited. Popular answers used the reference in the item to ‘lone parent’ in both the New Right’s views of inadequate socialisation, and in contrasting views of how lone parent families might be a positive experience for many children. The reference in the item to ‘serial monogamy’ and ‘remarrying’ was used by many as a basis for discussion of those children within reconstituted families and the possible difficulties of adapting to a divorce - extended family with step relatives. Less successful answers were often focused on changes in marriage and divorce rather than how these have affected the experience of childhood.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must be effects on the experience of childhood, not reasons for divorce or changes in family patterns
• popular hooks: lone parents (New Right socialisation fears vs positive experiences) and serial monogamy/remarriage (reconstituted families, step-relatives)
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Some answers confused one-person households with lone parent households and therefore struggled to make appropriate points. Many students successfully identified and outlined three reasons for the increase in one-person households. The most common responses mentioned were an increase in the divorce rate, the decline of stigma in living alone, and women’s greater on focus on education and career. Partial answers failed to identify any change affecting the increase in one-person households or alternatively were sometimes unclear about the link to the increase to one-person households.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• 2 marks for each of three reasons clearly outlined
• credited: divorce, ageing population and widowhood, living apart together, less stigma, affluence, women's careers
• some confused one-person with lone-parent households
• reason must be linked to the increase
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The requirements of the 10-mark question seem to be well understood by the majority of students. Many answers either discussed changes in families and households without explaining how these affected the experience of childhood, or more frequently discussed changes to the experience of childhood without relating these to changes in families and households. For example, students that discussed the disappearance of childhood and the negative aspects of modern technology, or the changes in child labour laws, often failed to make any link to families and households changes. The best answers had a clear example of family change such as increased divorce or decline in family size and were then able to explain how this change had impacted on the experience of childhood. Child centeredness, same sex parents, and changes to gender roles were all common themes. Good answers analysed the impact, both positive and negative, of these changes to the experience of childhood. For example, some answers identified that families in general are more affluent today than in the past. This has had a positive impact on childhood in terms of access to resources and technology but may have come at a price, as both parents are too busy to spend as much time with their children as parents did previously. These ideas could then be developed with reference to toxic childhood or diminished role of parents in the socialisation process vis a vis media or other agents.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• each way must link a family or household change (divorce, working mothers, reconstituted families, stay-at-home dads) to children's experience
• many described changes to childhood (toxic childhood, technology, child labour laws) with no family link
• drift into descriptions of childhood = 1–3
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The best responses were able to link a number of forms of family diversity with a strong focus on evaluation and analysis. These answers explicitly discussed the extent to which family diversity has undermined the traditional nuclear family. Alternatively, they argued that diverse family forms might be simply a variation of the traditional nuclear family better suited to fit the needs of a postmodern individualised society. Weak answers would list forms of family diversity with a recycling of the item. Middle-range answers tended to assume that it was obvious that the traditional nuclear family was no longer important and instead focused on outlining different examples of family diversity. These answers often tried to use sociological views (usually functionalist, feminist and New Right) to discuss whether family diversity was a good thing for society. Relatively few responses explored whether the changes to the family unit had been exaggerated. Those answers that did often took a life cycle approach arguing that the traditional nuclear family was important at different stage in people’s lives.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• AO grid not printed
• must apply Item B
• QP and MS versions of Item B differ: QP puts postmodernists with the decline view, MS with the exaggerated view
• top band debates the significance of diversity
• many assumed the nuclear family is no longer important and listed diverse forms
• few explored whether change is exaggerated (e.g. life-cycle, neo-conventional family)
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Some students wrote introductory paragraphs and/or conclusions. These are not necessary, and are unlikely to gain additional marks, and they also take up time. Some students made only one point in their answers, or three or more, rather than the two asked for in the question. Sometimes it was unclear how many points were being made. It is helpful for students to clearly indicate their two answers, with wording such as “One way is…” or by starting a new paragraph for their second point. Evaluation is not a requirement for answers to 10 mark “outline and explain” questions. The marks awarded for the assessment objectives being targeted are different in the two types of ten mark questions, and students should be made aware of this. The best answers to 10 mark questions were focused, clearly stating a point and then developing it, using sociological concepts, evidence and theory where appropriate. In some questions students tended to focus on the first aspect of the question at the expense of the second. Students need guidance on how to approach these questions and how to best demonstrate their sociological understanding. The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. These questions will ask them to bring together aspects of their sociological knowledge in a way that they are unlikely to have done before. There was a tendency to go into detail about the chosen policies rather than to discuss effects on family structures. Some answers assumed an effect and did not take the opportunity to use their sociological understanding to explore the ideas in greater depth. For example, some answers said that changes to divorce laws (often described in detail) increased the number of lone parent families, but few discussed increases in reconstituted families or bi-nuclear families. Similarly the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act of 2013 was recognised as increasing the number of same sex married couples but also led to same sex divorces, changes in adoption, surrogacy and so on.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two policies each linked to an effect on family structure (e.g. divorce law, welfare and lone parents, migration and multi-generational households, same-sex marriage, housing and boomerang children)
• drift into family diversity in general = 1–3
• many described the policy in detail but assumed the effect
• few explored reconstituted or bi-nuclear families
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

Many scripts had one substantial well developed answer to a 20 mark question and one significantly briefer one, suggesting problems with timing. It is often the case that a wide range of material can be relevant to these questions, and students need to carefully choose the content they wish to use by planning their answers. For example, it may be more effective to cover a limited number of views or theories in some depth rather than to include every possible theory. There was a tendency for answers to progressively lose sight of the question and to become a list of different views. The best answers will address all aspects of the question and will draw on theories, concepts and empirical examples or evidence. Evaluation which meets the demands of the questions is better than points of criticism which have been learned and included, regardless of the question. Students should also be aware that evaluation includes awareness of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of an argument, theory or piece of evidence. Many answers discussed changes in family life such as divorce, cohabitation, same sex marriage and gender roles in terms of greater choice but few explored whether these developments made family life more important or less important. More developed analysis showed how diversity did not always lead to less importance being given to family life, importance of a changed form of family life. Functionalism and the New Right were often included but, sometimes with Marxism, described rather than being applied to the question. There was a shortage of postmodernist views in addition to choice and diversity. Better answers referred to pure relationships, confluent love, negotiated families and alternative life courses.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must address whether choice has made family life less important, not just describe divorce, cohabitation and same-sex marriage as choices
• top band evaluates the extent of individuation or locates the debate between perspectives
• functionalism, New Right and Marxism often described rather than applied
• better answers used pure relationships, confluent love, negotiated families, life course
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The 10 mark outline and explain question requires students to link two aspects of the specification. The best answers took note of both aspects of the question, clearly identified two separate points and developed them in relation to the second part of the question. Weaker answers either ignored one aspect of the question or attempted to cover a number of ideas rather than focusing on two. It was not always clear which areas of choice students had chosen to discuss. Some answers were highly descriptive accounts of family diversity without linking this to the idea of increased choice. Some answers failed to identify or discuss how patterns of family life had been affected. The best answers had a theoretical dimension that helped students discuss the nature of the increased choice. These answers often referred to Giddens or Beck and explicitly discussed post-modernist views on family. Common areas of choice included divorce, the decision to get married, cohabitation, same sex relationships as well as career choices for women. Good answers analysed the underlying reasons for these changes for example, by referring to the growth of individualism or debates about the nature of what constitutes a family. Weaker answers often lost focus on family patterns and instead discussed general changes to society or family roles. Alternatively, they covered a number of possible changes in society that affected family without developing any one of them sufficiently. Students should be encouraged to write a two-paragraph answer.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• two ways choice affects family patterns, from a postmodernist angle (Giddens, Beck, Stacey)
• examples: marry/cohabit/live alone, choosing who counts as family, divorce, same-sex relationships
• descriptions of family types or diversity without linking to choice = 1-3
• best analysed individualism
• answer in two developed paragraphs
• AO split from AQA's standard grid for this paper (this year's mark scheme does not print it).

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

A number of students wrote introductory paragraphs and/or conclusions. These are not necessary, and are unlikely to gain additional marks. A number of students made only one point in their answer, or three or more, rather than the two asked for. In these cases, the two best answers were rewarded and will be in future series. It is helpful for students to clearly indicate their two answers, with wording such as “One way is…” or by starting a new paragraph for their second point. The assessment objective allocations are different in the two types of 10 mark questions, and students should be made aware of this. There was a wide range of responses to these questions. A minority of students wrote very brief answers. For these 10 mark items, a simple statement of two ways, reasons or factors, without development, is not sufficient to access more than the lower marks in the mark range. The best answers were focused, clearly stating a point and then developing it, with use of sociological concepts, evidence and theory where appropriate, in ways that demonstrated the skills expected from the targeted assessment objectives. There was a tendency, however, for many answers to focus on the first aspect of the question at the expense of the second. Students need guidance on how to approach these questions and how to best demonstrate their sociological understanding. The nature of these questions means that students cannot rely on reciting knowledge. They require students to bring together two aspects of their sociological knowledge in a way that they are unlikely to have done before. Answers will sometimes require claims that students may be unsure of because they do not know of specific evidence (for example, in question 5, whether migrants from Eastern Europe who are single workers tend to live alone or in shared households). However, answers that are sociologically plausible will be accepted. Most answers were able to use the item to develop points about extended families (India), matrifocal families (Jamaica) and single person or shared occupancy households (Eastern Europe). A few were uncertain as to the difference between households and families, and a few mistakenly focused on the nature of households in countries of origin, for example grandparents looking after children because the parents had emigrated for work. There was also misuse of the term ‘beanpole family’.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• hooks: Commonwealth (India, Jamaica) and EU (Poland) migration, young adults seeking work
• credited extended South Asian households, matrifocal/lone-parent households, multi-occupancy households
• drift into conjugal roles in ethnic groups = 1–3
• some confused households with families, wrote about households in the countries of origin, or misused 'beanpole family'

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Successful answers referred to the idea of stages and gave examples of significant life events. Answers who just gave examples of key life stages were awarded one mark. Some students seemed unfamiliar with the term but were able to work it out and suggest a suitable definition. The term ‘life course’ is mentioned specifically in the specification and should be more familiar to students than it appeared to be.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks: the significant events individuals pass through over their lives
• examples of life events only = 1 mark
• term is named in the spec but many students seemed unfamiliar with it

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Examiner's comment

The 10 mark outline and explain question requires students to link two aspects of the specification. The best answers took note of both aspects of the question, clearly identified two separate points and developed them in relation to the second part of the question. Weaker answers either ignored one aspect of the question or attempted to cover a number of ideas rather than focusing on two. Top band answers were able to identify and develop two ways, such as changes in the position of women in society sometimes linked to other changes, such as divorce law with application to delaying childbirth and smaller family size. Changes to childhood, such as child-centred or economic liability, also successfully developed and applied to smaller family size were also rewarded well, as well as a number of responses that discussed the impact of industrialisation on family size. Occasionally more successful answers discussed how changes could increase or decrease family size, such as the re-emergence of the divorced extended family or one person households following divorce. Good answers analysed the underlying reasons for these changes, for example by referring to the growth of feminism. Weaker answers often lost focus on family size and instead discussed general changes to society or family. Alternatively they covered a number of possible changes in society that affected family size without developing any one of them sufficiently.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• no marks for evaluation in this question type
• two ways each developed, e.g. changing position of women, children as an economic liability, contraception
• descriptions of changing family size without causes = 1–3
• best answers analysed underlying causes such as feminism
• weaker answers lost focus on family size

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

Centres are reminded that questions asking for a definition of a concept that contains more than one word within quotation marks are best answered by ensuring that all the words are defined. Many students gained full marks for this question. Lack of knowledge of the term was very centre- based, and even then very few students had no understanding of the concept. Students were, on the whole, better at explaining the ‘serial’ aspect rather than ‘monogamy’. There were a few whose definition was actually for polygamy.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• 2 marks for a series of marriages/long-term partners one at a time
• partial = lots of partners
• many full marks
• students explained 'serial' better than 'monogamy'
• some confused it with polygamy

Mark scheme

Examiner's comment

In the 6 mark question some students are writing far too much, thereby losing focus on the precise wording of the question. On the whole this was answered well. Most students could identify reasons that potentially led to delayed childbirth, though some did not receive the second mark as they developed their response in relation to not having children at all, rather than just a delay. Typical responses identified the growth of the female labour force, increased numbers staying in education, more opportunities, and more independence as reasons. Other reasons used effectively were the need for financial stability, later marriage and longer life expectancy, the expense of parenthood, and the decline in stigma towards older mothers.

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• reasons for delay, not for remaining childless (second mark lost when developed as not having children)
• credited: career, education, contraception, later marriage, financial stability, cost of children

Mark scheme, including the levels grid and indicative content

Notes from the mark scheme and report

• must link women's paid work to family structures (smaller families, delayed marriage, childlessness)
• analysis e.g. dual burden in relationships
• drift into family diversity in general = 1–3 band