Sociology · May / June 2023 · Paper 22 · Question 2
0495
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Many changes have occurred in the education system. There are now more types of schools and there have been changes in the curriculum. However, despite the changes, there are still clear 2 differences in the educational results of different students and their experiences of being at school. Some sociologists believe that social factors and family background are the reason for these differences.
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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘social factors’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. male or female OR social class. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. things that affect lifestyle and life chances, such as wealth, religion, age, gender, and ethnicity.
2(b)[4]
Describe two sanctions that schools use to control students. Possible answers:
detentions – students may be kept behind by teachers at lunchtime or after school to teach them a lesson for their bad behaviour e.g. not doing homework;loss of privileges – schools can remove things that students desire as a form of punishment aimed to encourage conformity e.g. loss of mobile phone, loss of prefect status, loss of lunchtime exit pass etc.;physical punishment – whilst no longer legal in many countries, some schools do use physical punishment in order to control their students and to deter bad behaviour;isolation – schools often have ‘time out’ rooms that badly behaved students are sent to in order to reflect on their actions and to remove them from their peers;exclusion – schools can formally exclude students whose continued bad behaviour is so serious that they are unable to be educated in the institution any longer;letters of praise/recognition in assemblies – public praise for the student’s good behaviour leads to increased likelihood of social conformity amongst other students who then also want this praise;treat trips – students that follow the rules may be rewarded with trips out of school, so encouraging further good behaviour;any other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).2(c)[6]
Explain how Marxists would criticise the education system. Possible answers:
lack of social mobility – education reproduces social inequalities it does not offer many possibilities for upward social mobility and downward social mobility is very rare indeed;myth of meritocracy – schools claim that they offer equal opportunities to all but Marxists claim that this is not true and that those from the higher social classes achieve more;private schools – these typically achieve the best results in society but can only be afforded by those at the very top of the social hierarchy which is seen to be unfair;selection – many schools select students from an entrance exam or use systems of setting and streaming to teach students – these tend to benefit students in the higher social classes;material factors – students from families with more economic capital are more likely to achieve in education as they can afford additional resources, private tutors, internet etc.;working class underachievement – the lower a pupil’s social class the less well they do in education which then limits their life chances;capitalism – schools reproduce and normalise capitalist values and so maintain the unfair system of elitism and privilege for the few (ideological state apparatus);middle class institutions – schools are very middle class places based on middle class values – they use the elaborated code, teachers label pupils who do not meet the ideal pupil stereotype and they require students to accept the merits of deferred gratification;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4 – 6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well–developed way or cover several points in less detail.2(d)[8]
Explain why a student’s family background may affect educational achievement. Possible answers:
parental values – whether parents value education and engage with schools has been proven to be very influential in affecting student aspirations and how well an individual does at school;role models – having parents who have succeeded in education and who have benefited from deferred gratification is likely to positively affect children;cultural capital (Bourdieu) – families with more cultural capital help to make education a more straightforward and understandable process than those without e.g. regular trips to art galleries/theatre;material factors – families that cannot afford additional resources, books, digital technology etc. to support a student’s studies may not achieve as highly as those that can;accommodation – working class students may live in cramped, noisy conditions in which it will be difficult to study and this is likely to negatively affect their achievement;diet – students in poverty may not have enough to eat and a lack of good quality nutrition can affect concentration levels and hence how well they achieve at school;communities – schools based in areas where education is not valued, unemployment is high and deviance is commonplace are unlikely to do as well as those families living in more prosperous areas;social networks – Bourdieu found that families that had good social contacts and capital were able to help children in terms of gaining work experience placements, seeking careers and university advice etc.;ethnicity – Archer’s study showed how UK Chinese families encouraged their children to work hard at school and to achieve the best they could do, ‘Tigermums’ studies show the same;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4 – 6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses maybe underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7 – 8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well–developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well–focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.2(e)[15]
To what extent is the comprehensive system of education the best? Possible answers: Arguments for:
equal opportunities – this is at the heart of the comprehensive system and is the ethos that the schools and the teachers represent – all students can choose from the same offer of subjects and all can do well – they are typically mixed ability and mixed gender;strong community – comprehensive schools bring together all children and families in an area, regardless of social class, ethnicity or ability – this promotes social solidarity and social integration;no labelling of students – children are no longer labelled as ‘successes’ or ‘failures’ at the age of 11/when joining secondary school and those that develop academically at a later age have a real chance to succeed;standardised curriculum and testing – all students follow and have access to the same curriculum and tests which is a system based on fairness and universal standards;achieved status – the value of working hard to be successful is central to comprehensive schools and this ensures that very few students now leave without qualifications, resulting in better life chances;meritocracy – functionalists see comprehensive schools as being fair to all students and equalising social divisions to allow hard working, talented young people from all backgrounds the chance to be successful and upwardly mobile;working class pupils – this group of students are particularly thought to benefit from comprehensive schools improving life chances through the opportunities they offer, as they are the least likely to get into grammar/selective schools;special educational needs – comprehensive schools are thought to offer nurture and support for children with special educational needs, supporting them through their education, encouraging tolerance and celebrating diversity;any other reasonable response. Arguments against:lower standards – some claim that educational standards are lowered in comprehensive schools because the brighter students have to work at the same speed as the less able;lack of diversity – comprehensive schools are not actually very diverse in their make–up – if the school has a mainly working class catchment area then most of the pupils will also be working class;impersonal system – comprehensives tend to be large and many are now impersonal academy chains – discipline problems and bullying have been reported by many researchers;streaming and setting – most comprehensives use systems of setting and streaming, providing a different education for pupils with different abilities – basically selecting – this is not the best for all students;teacher labelling – teachers still have stereotypes of the ‘ideal pupil’ in their minds in comprehensive schools and this can affect student motivation and work ethic through either positive or negative labels;other schools – in areas where there are other schools for parents to choose from, the brightest may attend faith/grammar/private schools meaning in effect the tripartite system continues;vocationalism – comprehensive schools still set students off on different educational paths – some for academic education, others for more work–based courses – some sociologists question how fair this really is and whether it is best for all students;league tables – schools are under pressure to get good results and this means that schools will often ‘get rid of’ troublesome students or reduce/limit exam entries for those students who are unlikely to do well;faith schools – some sociologists believe these are the best type of school for students to attend as they allow religion to be prioritised alongside education, promoting particular beliefs and values;private schools – many parents choose to pay for their child’s education and results indicate that students do better academically in private schools due to factors such as better facilities, more cultural capital and smaller class sizes;single–sex schools – both boys and girls tend to get better results in single–sex schools than co–ed schools which indicates that comprehensive schools may not be the best for all students – bullying is also said to be reduced;any other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1 – 4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one– sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5 – 8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list–like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two– sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list–like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one–sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9 – 12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well developed, focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two–sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13 – 15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well–developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two–sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent.?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.
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