AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 | 2026 Predicted Paper
A-level Sociology 7192
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods
Time allowed: 2 hours
Instructions
Answer all questions.
The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
Questions worth 10 marks or more should be answered in continuous prose.
Use relevant sociological concepts, evidence and analysis where appropriate.
Education
Answer all questions.
Question 01
Outline two ways in which the education system may prepare pupils for their future work roles.
[4 marks]
Question 02
Outline three factors outside schools that may contribute to girls achieving more highly than boys.
[6 marks]
Question 03
Read Item A below and answer the question that follows.
Item A
Schools may value some forms of behaviour and identity more highly than others. Pupils may respond by presenting themselves in ways that gain approval from teachers.
Pupils may also use their appearance, consumption and relationships with peer groups to express who they are. These identities can influence how pupils participate in school life.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which pupil identities may affect pupils' experiences of education.
[10 marks]
Question 04
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Governments have introduced a range of educational policies intended to improve opportunities for pupils. Some policies provide additional support for disadvantaged pupils, while others have changed the choices available to parents and the ways in which schools operate.
However, social groups do not have equal resources. Some parents may be better able than others to take advantage of the opportunities provided by educational policies. Differences in educational achievement between social classes continue to be an important issue.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that government educational policies have been successful in reducing social class inequalities in educational achievement.
[30 marks]
Methods in Context
Question 05
Read Item C below and answer the question that follows.
Item C
Investigating parental attitudes towards education
Some sociologists argue that cultural factors may contribute to social class differences in educational achievement. Researchers may therefore be interested in parents' attitudes towards education, their expectations of their children and the ways in which they support learning.
One way of investigating parental attitudes is through unstructured interviews. These allow researchers to explore people's meanings and experiences in detail and to ask further questions when interesting issues arise. However, parents may be reluctant to discuss their family life or may present their attitudes and behaviour in a favourable way.
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of using unstructured interviews to investigate parental attitudes towards education as a possible source of cultural deprivation.
[20 marks]
Theory and Methods
Question 06
Outline and explain two reasons why ethical considerations may limit the use of field experiments in sociological research.
[10 marks]
End of Questions
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