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Self, identity and difference

Past-paper questions pack

Name
Class
Date set
Date due
Score/ 180

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

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 2 · Q4 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 4 Using one example, briefly explain how the perceptions of others may affect an individual’s sense of identity. [2 marks]
2. June 2024 · Paper 2 · Q2 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 2 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Popular culture is easily accessible and enjoyed by many people. Popular culture broadly reflects mainstream norms and values of society, which some people may reject. Popular culture may affect an individual’s sense of self. Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways that popular culture may affect an individual’s sense of self. [10 marks]
3. June 2024 · AS Paper 2 · Q4 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 4 Using one example, briefly explain how an individual may attempt to manage the impression others have of them. [2 marks]
4. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q3 · 2 marks · AO1=2
0 3 Define the term ‘stereotype’. [2 marks]
5. June 2023 · Paper 2 · Q3 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 3 Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B Interactionists argue that an individual’s sense of self develops through social interaction. The self is socially constructed through individuals actively interpreting the social world around them and seeing themselves from the point of view of others. Other sociologists argue that agencies of socialisation provide individuals with an identity. For example, functionalists say that socialisation makes sure that people internalise shared cultural values, leading to consensus and conformity. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the extent to which the self is socially constructed. [20 marks]
6. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q5 · 6 marks · AO1=6
0 5 Outline three features of the postmodernist view of identity. [6 marks]
7. November 2021 · Paper 2 · Q2 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 2 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A The choices people make about their identities are constrained by how others see them and interpret their behaviour. However, they can also choose to reject how others see them. An individual’s identity may be affected by being labelled as disabled. Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways an individual’s identity may be affected by being labelled as disabled. [10 marks]
8. November 2020 · AS Paper 2 · Q4 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 4 Using one example, briefly explain how having a disability may shape an individual’s experience of society. [2 marks]
9. November 2020 · AS Paper 2 · Q7 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 7 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Social action or symbolic interactionist sociologists argue that individuals develop a self-concept which has an important influence on the way they behave. This self- concept or sense of identity is developed through interactions with other people. These approaches recognise that individuals have some choice and control over their identity. However, other sociologists emphasise the importance of social institutions, rather than interactions with others, as the key factor in shaping identity. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that interactions with others is the key factor in shaping identity. [20 marks]
10. June 2019 · Paper 2 · Q2 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 2 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Agencies of socialisation contribute to people’s identities in various ways. The media have given people greater access to other cultures. At the same time, workplaces are changing as people become less likely to have jobs for life. Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which agencies of socialisation have contributed to growing uncertainty about identities. [10 marks]
11. June 2019 · AS Paper 2 · Q3 · 2 marks · AO1=2
0 3 Define the term ‘labelling’. [2 marks]
12. June 2019 · AS Paper 2 · Q7 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 7 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Biology clearly influences the way that society divides people of all ages. Different age groups also experience many aspects of life in different ways, such as work, leisure and personal relationships. However, some sociologists argue that other factors, such as gender and ethnicity, are more important in shaping our identity. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations of the ways in which age may shape social identity. [20 marks]
13. June 2018 · Paper 2 · Q2 · 10 marks · AO1=3,AO2=4,AO3=3
0 2 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A Individuals have a sense of their own identity. This sense of identity is partly a result of the way in which individuals interpret their own experience. However, it may also be affected by the expectations and reactions of the rest of the society they live in. Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways an individual’s sense of self may be affected by their sexuality. [10 marks]
14. June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q3 · 2 marks · AO1=2
0 3 Define the term ‘master status’. [2 marks]
15. June 2017 · Paper 2 · Q3 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 3 Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B Many sociologists separate the self into two parts: how individuals see themselves, and how others see them. Interactionists argue that these two parts are closely connected, and that our sense of self is influenced by the reactions of people that we interact with in our everyday lives. Other sociologists believe that we can only understand the individual’s sense of self if we consider the influence of social structures such as class. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate interactionist explanations of how an individual’s sense of self is socially constructed. [20 marks]
16. June 2017 · AS Paper 2 · Q7 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 7 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. Item A The United Kingdom is a multicultural society with a range of different ethnic groups. Some of these ethnic groups have their own distinctive identity and culture. However, individuals may adopt more than one identity, depending on the social situation in which they find themselves. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations of the ways in which ethnicity may shape identity. [20 marks]
17. June 2016 · AS Paper 2 · Q4 · 2 marks · AO2=2
0 4 Using one example, briefly explain how labelling can affect an individual’s sense of self. [2 marks]
18. Specimen set 1 · Paper 2 · Q3 · 20 marks · AO1=8,AO2=6,AO3=6
0 3 Read Item B below and answer the question that follows. Item B The postmodern view is that we have freedom of choice over our leisure activities. We are free to choose who we want to be and our choice of leisure helps to create our identity. Whatever our class, age, gender or ethnicity, we can become whoever we want to be through our leisure and consumption choices. Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that our leisure and consumption choices are the most important factors in shaping our identity. [20 marks]

Mark schemes

1. June 2025 · AS Paper 2 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2025 Paper 2 Q4
2. June 2024 · Paper 2 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 2 Q2
3. June 2024 · AS Paper 2 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2024 Paper 2 Q4
4. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 2 Q3
5. June 2023 · Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 2 Q3
6. June 2023 · AS Paper 2 · Q5
Mark scheme June 2023 Paper 2 Q5
7. November 2021 · Paper 2 · Q2
Mark scheme November 2021 Paper 2 Q2
8. November 2020 · AS Paper 2 · Q4
Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 2 Q4
9. November 2020 · AS Paper 2 · Q7
Mark scheme November 2020 Paper 2 Q7
10. June 2019 · Paper 2 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 2 Q2
11. June 2019 · AS Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 2 Q3
12. June 2019 · AS Paper 2 · Q7
Mark scheme June 2019 Paper 2 Q7
13. June 2018 · Paper 2 · Q2
Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 2 Q2
14. June 2018 · AS Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2018 Paper 2 Q3
15. June 2017 · Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme June 2017 Paper 2 Q3
16. June 2017 · AS Paper 2 · Q7
Mark scheme June 2017 Paper 2 Q7
17. June 2016 · AS Paper 2 · Q4
Mark scheme June 2016 Paper 2 Q4
18. Specimen set 1 · Paper 2 · Q3
Mark scheme Specimen set 1 Paper 2 Q3