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Sociology · Oct / Nov 2025 · Paper 11 · Question 1

0495

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The question as text

Read Source A and then answer the questions below. 1 Source A Table 1.1 shows the percentages of people who participate in different types of internet activity. The table shows statistics from five selected countries. In 2024 the World Bank did a large-scale online questionnaire on types of internet activity. The sample was made up of people aged 18-65. The statistics in Table 1.1 have been adapted from the primary data collected by the World Bank. Table 1.1 Internet activities of individuals, by country India Mauritius United Arab Emirates Zimbabwe Germany Type of internet activity 26% 52% 90% 32% 93% Use internet banking 35% 40% 74% 28% 66% Make voice calls 39% 39% 66% 26% 70% Read books, newspapers and magazines 46% 56% 79% 25% 83% Buy goods or services 18% 22% 23% 20% 19% Take an educational course 61% 62% 80% 32% 85% Watch TV and movies and play games 82% 64% 88% 38% 90% Use social networks

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  • 1(a)(i)[2]

    From Source A, identify the two countries with the highest percentage of people using the internet to buy goods and services. Award one mark for each point correctly identified from Source A (up to a maximum of two). Possible answers:

    Germany
    United Arab Emirates

  • 1(a)(ii)[4]

    Using information in Source A, explain two reasons why the research is useful for studying people’s internet activity. Award one mark for each point correctly identified from Source A (up to a maximum of two). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two). Possible answers:

    the data is based on a questionnaire – closed questions used means that the data is likely to be easily replicated and hence reliable;
    based on a large scale questionnaire – this means that the sample is more likely to be representative in each country, hence generalisations can be made from the data gathered;
    the sample covers those aged 18-65 – this gives information about the internet habits of different adult age ranges;
    the data is from 2024 – it is recent data and thus provides up to date information;
    the data is in percentages/numerical form/quantitative data– it makes it easy to draw comparisons across categories and also across different countries;
    the data is in percentages/numerical form/quantitative data – we can easily see how many people are doing different internet activities;
    the statistics come from the World Bank – they have been compiled by professional researchers, making the data trustworthy;
    it is based on data from 5 different countries – so comparisons can be made between these nations;
    the table provides secondary data – it is convenient as it would be difficult for researchers to acquire on their own;
    the data is secondary data – it is easy to access and cheap/free as it is available online;
    any other reasonable answer.

  • 1(a)(iii)[6]

    Using information in Source A, explain three problems with the research for understanding people’s internet activity. Award one mark for each point correctly identified from Source A (up to a maximum of three). Award one mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of three). Possible answers:

    The questionnaire is online – it is impossible to know if the intended respondent filled it in or someone else on their behalf OR people often ignore questionnaires so the response rate may be low;
    a questionnaire was used – it will likely use closed questions which means that respondents have no opportunity to explain their answers or give more detail;
    not all internet activities are listed in the table – this means that any findings won’t be fully accurate;
    it is secondary data that comes from the World Bank – researchers can never be sure that the original survey was carried out correctly or whether data has been manipulated by the World Bank and hence it may lack validity;
    the data is from 2024 only – it therefore only provides a snapshot and may not be accurate over time;
    the data is in numerical form – it does not allow researchers to understand why people engage in these activities as they do;
    the data has been adapted – it could have been changed or had data added or omitted, making it liable to inaccuracy;
    the data only comes from 5 countries – it cannot therefore be used to understand how people use the internet across the world and is thus not representative;
    the sample for the original survey was only 18-65 year olds – which means that those aged under 18 or over 65 are not included making it not fully representative;
    any other reasonable answer.

  • 1(b)[2]

    Give two examples of personal documents. Award one mark for each example correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). Possible answers:

    letters;
    diaries;
    passport;
    household accounts, bills etc;
    wills;
    home videos;
    shopping lists;
    photos;
    school reports;
    autobiography;
    any other reasonable answer.

  • 1(c)[4]

    Explain one strength and one limitation of quota sampling. Award one mark for a strength correctly identified. Award one mark for development of the strength. Award one mark for a limitation correctly identified. Award one mark for development of the limitation. Possible strengths:

    it is fairly representative – a researcher can ensure they have selected the correct numbers of different types of people e.g. gender or age groups;
    it is useful when there is no access to a sampling frame from which a researcher can draw a sample e.g. students who do A Levels at a school vs students who do A Levels at a further education college;
    it is relatively easy to implement – researchers can quickly identify and recruit participants based on their pre-set quotas without the need for more complex sampling techniques e.g. stratifying a sample;
    any other reasonable answer. Possible limitations:
    there may be selection bias as the researcher chooses who to approach from the target group and they may unconsciously choose people who look friendly, less busy etc;
    quota sampling may not be appropriate for larger sample sizes, as it may be difficult to find participants who meet all of the pre-defined quotas;
    even within the quota population (e.g. nurses) the sample may not always reflect the different social characteristics of nurses (e.g. males and females, different ethnicities etc) making it potentially unrepresentative of the population under study;
    any other reasonable answer.

  • 1(d)[10]

    Evaluate the interpretivist view that it is important for a researcher to achieve verstehen in sociological research. Your answer should include:

    at least two arguments for and two arguments against
    a conclusion. Use Table A to mark answers to this question. Possible arguments for:
    using participant observation, particularly covert, a researcher can interact with other participants and take part in their activities – in this way the researcher can gain an understanding of interactions from an insider’s point of view rather than a detached view;
    using unstructured interviews researchers can probe to discover the meanings and motivations – the open questions and conversational nature of the interview allows the researcher to understand not just social behaviour but what lies behind it;
    interpretivist methods emphasise the need to gain trust and achieve a rapport with participants – this will make it more likely that participants will relax, open up and give full and honest accounts of their thoughts and feelings;
    the interpretivist approach values qualitative, rather than quantitative data, as they seek not merely to describe the social interactions but to fully understand them – qualitative data yields rich, detailed information that is more likely to deliver an in-depth understanding from the participants’ point of view;
    interpretivists adopt a micro approach which focuses in-depth on individuals – this allows them to dig deep to uncover the meanings and motivations behind their actions;
    using open questions in research allows participants to use their own words to describe their experiences, thoughts and feelings – open questions do not delimit responses in the way that closed or pre-coded questions do;
    any other reasonable response. Possible arguments against:
    methods which yield verstehen are often linked with a micro perspective – large scale macro studies are more concerned with quantitative data and patterns and trends than in-depth understanding;
    verstehen relies on subjective interpretation – since researchers are trying to understand the subjective meanings of individuals’ actions, the process can be highly influenced by the researcher’s own biases, perspectives, and ideas;
    achieving reliability of data in research is far more important – researchers must be able to confirm their findings if the study is repeated otherwise one can never be sure that findings are fully accurate from case to case;
    positivists argue that adopting a scientific approach to the study of society is more important – the methods of sociology should mirror those of the natural sciences if we are to be able to establish causality and predict the workings of the social world e.g. via experiments and large-scale studies;
    rather than interacting with participants to uncover an insider’s point of view sociologists should aim for objectivity and be neutral to avoid bias which will negatively affect the accuracy of data gathered;
    it is more important find patterns and trends in quantitative data than seek qualitative understanding – this will yield social facts or ‘laws’ governing human social behaviour;
    the focus on individual meanings and motivations can sometimes lead to findings that are specific to a particular case – thus limited generalisability makes it difficult to draw broader conclusions;
    unlike quantitative research methods, which often have standardised procedures, qualitative methods which aim for verstehen lack a standardised framework – this can make it difficult to compare and contrast findings across different studies;
    any other reasonable answer.

  • 1(e)[12]

    investigate ethnic inequalities in education. Give reasons for your choices.

    Your answer should include:

    two primary methods with relevant sampling
    one source of secondary evidence.

    Use Table B to mark answers to this question.

    Possible methods:

    interviews
    questionnaires
    surveys
    observation (all types)
    case studies
    longitudinal studies
    any other reasonable method.

    Possible sampling points:

    the group to be studied
    the size of sample
    the type of sample
    the composition of the sample
    access to the sample
    any other reasonable sampling choice.

    Possible sources of secondary evidence:

    official and other statistics (on exam performance of ethnic groups etc);
    previous sociological and other research on ethnic inequalities in education;
    media materials e.g. social networking sites, magazine articles, blogs, forums, TV documentaries, newspaper articles etc that look at issues of ethnic inequality in education;
    personal documents/diaries/social network entries of students, teachers prisoners discussing ethnicity and inequality;
    any other reasonable evidence.

    Methods and evidence

    4

    Application to context

    4

    Reasons for choices

    4

    Define the term social media.

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