: AQA past-paper questions pack

Primary and secondary data, quantitative and qualitative data

Past-paper questions pack

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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 · 11 parts · mark schemes follow the questions · www.alevelsociologytutor.com · Questions and mark schemes © AQA

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q6 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=8,AO3=4

0 6
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Investigating teacher–pupil relationships
There are many teacher–pupil relationships in schools; for example, between pupils and
their classroom teacher, senior staff such as heads of year, and the headteacher.
These relationships are seen to be important influences in shaping pupil achievement,
pupil behaviour and well-being.
One way of studying teacher–pupil relationships is through documents. Schools
produce many documents, such as reports and letters sent home to parents about
pupils. Pupils can also create documents through text messaging or posting on media
platforms like Snapchat or Instagram, as well as through more traditional documents
such as exercise books.
Documents may have the advantage of presenting genuine accounts of teacher–pupil
relationships which might be high in validity. However, there can be issues of access
and representativeness associated with the use of documents.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the
strengths and limitations of using documents to investigate teacher–pupil relationships in
schools.
[20 marks]

2. June 2025 · Paper 3 · Q5 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2

0 5
Outline and explain two problems that sociologists collecting primary data may face when
conducting their research.
[10 marks]

3. June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q6 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=8,AO3=4

0 6
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Investigating disruptive pupil behaviour
Disruptive pupil behaviour in schools can take lots of different forms. For example,
using mobile phones in class, ignoring rules on school uniform, littering or even fighting
with other pupils. Sociologists are interested in studying disruptive pupil behaviour to
understand its possible causes. Such causes may be teacher labelling or the formation
of anti-school subcultures by pupils.
One way of studying disruptive pupil behaviour is through official statistics. Official
statistics have the advantage that certain types of disruptive pupil behaviour, like
truancy, are recorded and all schools must gather such information. Though this is the
case, there can be issues with the validity of official statistics and problems to do with
their reliability.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the
strengths and limitations of using official statistics to investigate disruptive pupil behaviour
in schools.
[20 marks]

4. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=2,AO3=2

0 1
Outline two advantages of using primary research methods in sociological investigations.
[4 marks]

5. November 2021 · Paper 1 · Q5 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=8,AO3=4

0 5
Read Item C below and answer the question that follows.
Item C
Investigating the academic progress of pupils in schools
There are differences in educational achievement between groups of pupils in schools.
Sociologists seek to identify patterns of differential achievement and the reasons for
these patterns. Academic progress is influenced by a range of factors, both external and
internal to schools.
One way of studying the reasons for differences in academic progress between groups
of pupils is to use secondary data. Schools collect and produce a range of quantitative
secondary data, such as exam statistics, as well as qualitative secondary data, such as
progress reports and pupils’ work. One practical advantage of using secondary data is
that it is often available in the public domain. However, access to some secondary data
may be restricted. Data on pupil progress may also be presented in a selective way.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the
strengths and limitations of using secondary data to investigate the academic progress of
pupils in schools.
[20 marks]
Extra space

6. November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q6 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=8,AO3=4

0 6
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Investigating working-class pupils’ experiences of school through the use of
documents.
Sociologists may use documents to examine the experiences of working-class pupils in
school. For example, they may analyse such documents to investigate whether there is
a system of class bias in schools, as Marxists suggest. Working-class pupils may feel
that the language and culture of the school does not reflect that of their community.
Schools are a rich source of documents. Schools create documents such as:
statements explaining school exclusions, after school detentions, letters home to
parents and school reports. There are also documents that are created by the pupils,
for example: work completed in exercise books and homework planners. Other types of
student-authored documents can be found online, for example comments on social
media that give insight into pupils’ experiences of school. However, some documents
may be seen as unrepresentative and lacking in validity.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the
strengths and limitations of using documents to investigate working-class pupils’
experiences of school.
[20 marks]

7. November 2020 · Paper 1 · Q6 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2

0 6
Outline and explain two problems of using primary qualitative methods in sociological
research.
[10 marks]

8. June 2018 · AS Paper 1 · Q6 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=8,AO3=4

0 6
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Investigating how successful a school is
The success of a school can be judged in a number of ways. League tables focus on
exam results and researchers can make comparisons between schools on that basis.
There are a number of other statistics that schools produce that allow judgements to be
made. School success may also be about things such as tolerance, a sense of
belonging and community, or indeed the happiness of pupils.
Sociologists may use official statistics to investigate how successful a school is. This
method allows the researcher to see trends and patterns over a number of years.
Official statistics also enable a comparison to be made between schools. However,
official statistics on a school only produce quantitative data, which may not capture fully
the real experiences of life in a school.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the
strengths and limitations of using official statistics to investigate how successful a
school is.
[20 marks]

9. June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q1 · 4 marks · AO1=2,AO3=2

0 1
Outline two problems of using questionnaires with closed questions in sociological
research.
[4 marks]

10. June 2016 · AS Paper 2 · Q2 · 16 marks · AO1=6,AO2=5,AO3=5

0 2
Evaluate the advantages of using official statistics in sociological research.
[16 marks]

11. Specimen set 1 · Paper 3 · Q5 · 10 marks · AO1=5,AO2=3,AO3=2

0 5
Outline and explain two advantages of using official statistics in sociological research.
[10 marks]

Mark schemes

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 1 · Q6

Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 1 Q6

2. June 2025 · Paper 3 · Q5

Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 3 Q5

3. June 2024 · AS Paper 1 · Q6

Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 1 Q6

4. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q1

Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 2 Q1

5. November 2021 · Paper 1 · Q5

Mark scheme November 2021 Paper 1 Q5

6. November 2020 · AS Paper 1 · Q6

Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 1 Q6

7. November 2020 · Paper 1 · Q6

Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 1 Q6

8. June 2018 · AS Paper 1 · Q6

Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 1 Q6

9. June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q1

Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 2 Q1

10. June 2016 · AS Paper 2 · Q2

Mark scheme June 2016 Paper 2 Q2

11. Specimen set 1 · Paper 3 · Q5

Mark scheme Specimen set 1 Paper 3 Q5