How to Improve Performance on 10 Mark Questions (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Here is an example of a fully developed point that could be included in a 10-mark 'Outline and explain' question on how the functions of the family may have been affected by changes to its structure:

Identify the way:

• One way changes to family structure have affected the functions of the family is through the rise of lone-parent families, which has affected the economic function

Explain the concept:

• Murdock (1949) argued that one of the four essential functions of the family is the economic function: providing material needs such as food and shelter

Build the chain of reasoning:

• With only one adult earner, lone-parent families are more likely to live in poverty than two-parent families, since they rely on one income to cover all costs

Give a developed example:

• For example, a lone mother working part-time may struggle to cover rent, food and school costs even with state benefits

State the 'so what':

• Many lone-parent families therefore depend partly on the welfare state, which New Right thinker Murray (1990) argues has created welfare dependency and an underclass

Marking commentary:

This is a fully developed point. The way is identified in the first sentence using the wording of the question, and it names both the structural change and the function affected. The chain of reasoning runs step by step from one earner, to one income, to a higher risk of poverty. The final sentence gives the consequence for the family's economic function, which is the 'so what'. There is no evaluation, as it is not credited in this question.

Here is an example of a fully developed point that could be included in a 10-mark 'Analyse' question on ways in which religion can lead to social change:

Item I

Religion gives people principles by which they can live their lives and gives them a profound sense of being right. Religious beliefs sometimes lead believers to act in ways that can have unforeseen consequences for society.

Many sociologists therefore argue that religion can lead to social change.

State the point:

• Another way is that religious beliefs can produce social change unintentionally, as a side-effect of how people live

Use the hook:

• Item I states that "religious beliefs sometimes lead believers to act in ways that can have unforeseen consequences for society"

Develop the hook with your own knowledge:

• Weber (1905) provided the classic example in his study of Calvinist Protestantism. Calvinists believed in 'predestination', meaning God had already decided who would be saved. With no way to change their fate, Calvinists looked for signs of being God's 'elect' in worldly success. They worked hard at their 'calling', lived modestly and reinvested any profits rather than spending on luxury

Give a developed example:

• For example, a Calvinist business owner would expand his trade and save rather than throw lavish parties

State the 'so what':

• Over time, this religiously driven behaviour fed the rise of modern capitalism, a result Calvinists never planned

Evaluate and link back to the question:

• However, Marxists such as Kautsky argued that capitalism came before Calvinism, and that the Protestant ethic simply legitimated the interests of the new capitalist class. Thus, religion can contribute to social change without anyone setting out to cause it, even if economic forces also played a part

Marking commentary:

This is a fully developed point. It is built on a hook from the main part of the Item, not on the final sentence, which only repeats the question. The hook is quoted and then developed with the student's own knowledge of Weber, so the Item is applied and not copied. The 'so what' explains the unintended consequence, and the brief evaluation sits inside the paragraph before a final sentence links back to the question.

Examiners have suggested the following advice to help you improve your performance on 10-mark questions:

• Introductions and conclusions are not required, are unlikely to help and take up time

• In 'Outline and explain' questions, students who evaluate do not lose marks, but they do lose time

• In 'Analyse' questions, the last part of the Item repeats the question and cannot be used as a hook

• Marks are given for the answer as a whole, not as five marks for each point

• Keep your answer focused on the question, as the mark scheme places answers that 'drift into accounts of the topic in general' in the lowest band