as sociology paper 1 education with methods in context

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AS and A-level Sociology

• Specification
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• Introduction
• Specification at a glance

3.1 Education with Methods in Context

• 3.2 Research Methods and Topics in Sociology
• 4.1 Education with Theory and Methods
• 4.2 Topics in Sociology
• 4.3 Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods
• Scheme of assessment
• General administration

The study of the topics in this paper should engage students in theoretical debate while encouraging an active involvement with the research process.

The study should foster a critical awareness of contemporary social processes and change, and draw together the knowledge, understanding and skills learnt in different aspects of the course.

In their study of the topics, students should examine:

• topic areas in relation to the two core themes (socialisation, culture and identity; and social differentiation, power and stratification)
• both the evidence of and the sociological explanations for the content listed in the topic areas below.

Throughout, students should be encouraged to use examples drawn from their own experience of small-scale research.

Attention should be given to drawing out links with other topics studied in this specification.

Students are expected to be familiar with sociological explanations of the following content:

• the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure
• differential educational achievement of social groups by social class, gender and ethnicity in contemporary society
• relationships and processes within schools, with particular reference to teacher/pupil relationships, pupil identities and subcultures, the hidden curriculum, and the organisation of teaching and learning
• the significance of educational policies, including policies of selection, marketisation and privatisation, and policies to achieve greater equality of opportunity or outcome, for an understanding of the structure, role, impact and experience of and access to education; the impact of globalisation on educational policy.

Methods in Context

Students must be able to apply sociological research methods to the study of education.

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Methods in Context: Tackling the Paper 1 MIC Question (Online Lesson)

Last updated 17 Aug 2021

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In this online lesson students are guided through the process of how to tackle the methods in context question on Paper 1 of the AQA A level Specification.

What you'll study in this online lesson

• How to approach the methods in context question in Paper 1 (AQA A-Level Sociology)
• The strengths and limitations of unstructured interviews to investigate identify formation in schools

How to use this lesson

Follow the sequence of activities below. Some are interactive game-based activities, designed to test your understanding, analysis and evaluation of research methods. Most are based on short videos, that include activities for you to think about and try at home.

If you would like to download a simple PDF worksheet to accompany the video activities, you can download it here . You can print it off and annotate it for your own notes, or make your own notes on a separate piece of paper to add to your school/college file.

Activity 1:

This video introduces you to a methods-in-context style question. You will be asked to pause the video to answer questions at different intervals

Activity 2:

This video looks at the issue of identity formation in schools and students will be asked to recall ways in which schools shape student identity

Activity 3:

This video looks at unstructured interviews. Students will be asked to recall some of the strengths and limitations of unstructured interviews

Activity 4:

Connection Wall activity. Students need to group the responses on the screen into 4 different categories

Activity 5:

This examines the characteristics of teachers and pupils. Students will be required to apply their knowledge of research to identify different types of pupil that might be interviewed and how teachers may react to being interviewed.

Activity 6:

Connection Wall activity. Students will need to sort the responses into 4 different categories based upon educational research into pupils.

Activity 7:

This video demonstrates how to bring together the skills learnt in the first 4 videos and be able to compose and improve responses to a methods-in-context style question

Activity 8:

Attempt this marking activity .

Further information:

Watch the following tutor2u topic videos about methods in context:

• Researching Teachers
• Researching Pupils
• Researching In-school factors

Additional Teacher Guidance

This online lesson includes:

25 minutes in total of guided video

20 to 25 minutes (throughout the videos) of "thinking time" and short activities

2 interactive games

A marking activity. You can find the answers to that here .

Some links for extension work

If students complete all tasks fully, this is around one and a half hours work.

• Methods in Context
• Unstructured Interview
• Internal Factors

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ReviseSociology

A level sociology revision – education, families, research methods, crime and deviance and more!

A Level Sociology AQA Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods

Table of Contents

Last Updated on January 11, 2019 by

Hints and tips for answering the AQA’s Sociology A Level Paper 1 Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1).

• See this post for an overview of the three AQA sociology A level exam papers .
• For advice on Paper 2 (families and beliefs) please click here .
• For advice on Paper 3 (Crime and Theory) please click here .
• My main post on exam advice and how to answer short answer questions and essays is here .
• For an overview of the content of these two sections please see the education , theory and methods pages.

This information is derived from 3 separate training course I’ve been on run by the AQA’s representatives, my interpretation of how you should answer these questions is not endorsed by the AQA. I have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible in this advice, and it’s the same advice I use with my own students.

AQA A Level Sociology Paper 1 – An Overview

• Paper 1 is a  2 hour paper, out of a total of 80 marks.
• It is a ‘write in’ paper – you get a gapped booklet, and you write your answers after each question.
• There are a total of 6 questions and you must answer all of them. You have 1.5 minutes per mark.

Exam Technique for Paper 1

Some of the exemplar questions on the next few slides are taken from the AQA’s A Level Sociology Specimen Paper 1, 2015.

4 and 6 Mark ‘Outline’ Questions

• A four mark question will ask you to ‘Outline’ two ways in which/ reasons why/ criticisms of….
• A six mark question will ask you to outline three ways/ reasons/ criticisms.
• Think of these as ‘1+1’ question/ answers –  you need to give a reason and explain how.

Example of a 4 mark question

‘Outline two material factors that may affect social class differences in educational achievement.’ (4)

Mark Scheme

• Two marks for each of two appropriate factors clearly outlined
• One mark for appropriate factors partially outlined.

Example of an answer which would get full marks:

• Overcrowding at home (1 mark) means not having private space in which to study (+1 mark).
• High family income (1 mark) means parents can pay for private tuition to help with schoolwork (+1 mark).

Example of a 6 mark question

‘Outline three reasons why government education policies aimed at raising educational achievement among disadvantaged groups may not always succeed’. (6)

• It is difficult to implement policies (1 mark), for example if they involve intervening in pupils’ home life to change how parents socialise/motivate children (+1 mark).
• Educational policies alone cannot overcome poverty as a cause of underachievement (1 mark). This requires far-reaching redistributive economic policies to tackle it (+1 mark).
• Means tested educational policies such as free school meals may have low uptake by targeted groups (1 mark ) because of the stigma attached to them (+1 mark).

10 Mark ‘Applying from the Item and Analyse’ Questions

• A ten mark question (on papers 1 and 3) will ask you to analyse two reasons (applying material from a very short item).
• You need to give a reason, develop it and analyse it, and then repeat for the next reason.
• You should spend about 15 minutes on this question. Each reason MUST come from the item!

Example of a 10 Mark Question

Read item A then answer the question below

According to the Marxist sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, middle class parents possess more cultural capital, than working class children.

Bourdieu argues that the skills and knowledge middle class parents possess, such as themselves having benefited from education, and the fact that they are more comfortable dealing with middle class institutions such as schools, is passed down to their children, which explains why they do better in school.

Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which cultural capital might give some children an advantage in education (10)

Hooks in the item:

• Skills – might be research skills)
• Knowledge (might be linked to tastes)
• Better education
• More comfortable dealing with middle class institutions

Any of these hooks can form the basis of ‘one way’ for each ‘way’…

• Make a point about cultural capital from the item
• Explain how it gives children an advantage
• Develop it once, ideally by using a research study, linking to other sub-topics within education
• Develop it at least one more time, using perspectives if possible.

30 Mark Essays

Possible 30 Mark Essays on Education

• Evaluate the contribution of Functionalism to our understanding of the role of education ins society (30).
• Evaluate the view that differential achievement across social groups is mainly due to in-school factors (30).
• Evaluate the view that educational policies since 1988 have both raised standards and improved equality of educational opportunity (30).

Writing 30 Mark Essays

• Allow yourself enough time – 1.5 minutes per mark = 45 minutes.
• Read the Question and the item, what is it asking you to do?
• Do a rough plan (5-10 mins) – initially this should be ‘arguments and evidence’ for and ‘against’ the views in the question, and a few thoughts on overall evaluations/ a conclusion. If you are being asked to look at two things, you’ll have to do this twice/ your conclusion should bring the two aspects of the essay together.
• Write the essay (35 mins)– aim to make 3-5 points in total (depending on the essay, either 3 deep points, or 5 (or more) shallower points). Try to make one point at least stem from the item, ideally the first point.
• Overall evaluations – don’t repeat yourself, and don’t overdo this, but it’s useful t tag this in before a conclusion.
• Conclusion (allow 2 mins minimum) – an easy way to do this is to refer to the item – do you agree with the view or not, or say which of the points you’ve made is the strongest/ weakest and on balance is the view in the question sensible or not?

General Structure for Any Sociology Essay

• Introduction
• Point (relate to question)
• (repeat 3-5 times)
• Overall Evaluations
• Conclusion (refer to item)

20 Mark Methods in Context Questions

• A ‘methods in context’ (MIC) essay question will ask you to apply a method to a topic within education
• The easiest way to explain how to write MIC essays by using an example…

Example of a Methods in Context Question

Read item B then answer the question below

Investigating unauthorised absences from school

There is a close correlation between frequent unauthorised absence from school and educational underachievement. Those pupils who are not doing well at school are more likely to truant. Similarly, those who truant regularly are likely to finish their school career with poor qualifications. Pupils may be absent without authorisation for many reasons, from caring responsibilities at home or dislike of school, to parents arranging family holidays in term time.

Sociologists may use self-completion written questionnaires to study unauthorised absences. These can be distributed easily to large numbers of pupils, parents or teachers. The findings of the questionnaires can also be used to establish patterns and trends in relation to unauthorised absences. However, self-completion questionnaires often have very low response rates, especially when they ask about sensitive issues .

Applying material from Item B and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using self-completion written questionnaires to investigate unauthorised absences from school (20 marks)

A ‘Safe’ Strategy for Answering Methods in Context (‘MIC’) Questions

• Spend about five minutes planning the essay first:
• Highlight the ‘hooks’ in the question.
• Jot down the theoretical, ethical and practical strengths/ limitations of the method.

Essay section 1:

• Write a ‘safe’ three paragraphs on the method, covering the theoretical, practical and ethical strengths and limitations of the method.
• As you do this, try to discuss the general strengths and limitations of the method relating to researching education in general (pupils, parents, teachers, in schools and classrooms, maybe in pupils’ homes).

Essay section 2:

• Use the hooks in the item to discuss why this method might be a particular problem, or particularly useful for the topic you are.
• Just doing this two or three times should be enough to lift you into the top mark band (17-20).

Essay section 3:

• Write a brief conclusion – state whether this is a sensible method for researching this topic!

Paper 1: Theory and Methods Section

‘outline and explain’ something to do with theory and/ or methods (10) marks).

• There won’t be an item for this question
• Pick two reasons/ ways which are as different from each other as possible.
• Try to develop each using different parts of the course – making links….
• There will probably be two bits to the question – make sure you make the links.
• There may only be one ‘little’ 10 mark question, but it could be on any aspect of theory and/ or methods:

Examples of possible theory and methods ten markers

• Theory: ‘Outline and explain two criticisms of the Marxist view of society (10). Methods: Outline and explain two practical problems of using Participant Observation in social research’ (10).
• Theory and Methods: Outline and explain two reasons why Postmodernists are generally critical of quantitative research methods (10).

Video Version of the above advice (for ‘visual’ learners)

Good luck – And don’t panic… Everyone’s in the same boat.

A level sociology of education revision bundle.

• 34 pages of revision notes
• mind maps in pdf and png format – 9 in total, covering various topics within the sociology of education
• short answer exam practice questions and exemplar answers
• how to write sociology essays, including 7 specific templates and model answers on the sociology of education

Theory and Methods Bundle also available at the same link above!

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AQA A-Level Sociology Past Papers

This section includes recent A-Level Sociology (7192) and AS-Level Sociology (7191) past papers from AQA. You can download each of the AQA A-Level Sociology past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below.

June 2022 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers

A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper     -    Download Mark Scheme

A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper     -    Download Mark Scheme

A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper     -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers (Labelled as June 2021)

November 2021 A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers (Labelled as June 2020)

November 2020 A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 AQA AS-Level Sociology (7191) Past Papers (Labelled as June 2020)

November 2020 AS Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context (7191/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2020 AS Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology (7191/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers

June 2019 A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 AQA AS-Level Sociology (7191) Past Papers

June 2019 AS Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context (7191/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2019 AS Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology (7191/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers

June 2018 A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 AQA AS-Level Sociology (7191) Past Papers

June 2018 AS Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context (7191/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2018 AS Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology (7191/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2017 AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) Past Papers

A-Level Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

A-Level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

A-Level Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

June 2017 AQA AS-Level Sociology (7191) Past Papers

AS Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context (7191/1) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

AS Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology (7191/2) Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

For more A-Level Sociology past papers from other exam boards  click here .

AQA A-Level Sociology Past Papers With Answers

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Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

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On This Page:

AQA A-Level Sociology (7192) and AS-Level Sociology (7191) past exam papers and marking schemes. The past papers are free to download and use as practice for your exams.

Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context

A-level (33.3%).

• 2 hour written exam (80 marks)
• Education: short answer and extended writing (50 marks)
• Methods in Context: extended writing (20 marks)
• Theory and Methods: extended writing (10 marks)

2021 Exam Paper 2021 Mark Scheme (Answers) 2021 Examiner Report

2020 Exam Paper 2020 Mark Scheme (Answers)

2019 Exam Paper 2019 Mark Scheme (Answers) 2019 Examiner Report

2018 Exam Paper 2018 Mark Scheme (Answers) 2018 Examiner Report

2017 Exam Paper 2017 Mark Scheme (Answers) 2017 Examiner Report

AS-Level (50%)

• 1 hour 30 minutes written exam (60 marks)
• Education: short answer and extended writing (40 marks)
• Theory and Methods: extended writing (20 marks)

Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology

• Section A: extended writing, 40 marks
• Section B: extended writing, 40 marks

2017 Exam Paper 2017 Mark Scheme (Answers)

• Section A: short answer and extended writing, 20 marks
• Section B: short answer and extended writing, 40 marks

Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods