Consensus theories | AQA A-Level Sociology

For Specification 7192

AQA A-Level Sociology | Free Revision Notes

Estimated study time: 35 minutes

exam questions by topic 👇

Consensus theories form part of the compulsory Theory and Methods content in AQA A-Level Sociology. This Consensus theories A-Level Sociology revision page focuses on how consensus fits into the wider theoretical framework of the course, how it should be applied to sociological issues and how students should approach evaluation. It builds directly on theoretical considerations in sociological research [Theoretical considerations in sociological research] and prepares you to compare consensus approaches with conflict approaches [Conflict theories].

Learning Objectives 🎯

By the end of this revision page, you should be able to:

• Explain where consensus theories fit within AQA's Theory and Methods requirements.

• Explain the relationship between consensus and other theoretical categories named in the specification.

• Apply consensus approaches to sociological issues across the course.

• Analyse links between consensus, conflict, social structure and social action.

• Evaluate consensus explanations by making comparisons and reaching reasoned judgements.

• Apply the AQA assessment objectives to extended writing about sociological theory.

Revision Notes 📚

Consensus theories A-Level Sociology revision: what AQA requires

Consensus theory is part of the compulsory Theory and Methods content for A-Level Sociology 7192. AQA requires students to examine:

• consensus theories

• conflict theories

• structural theories

• social action theories

• modernity and post-modernity

• whether Sociology can be regarded as scientific

• the relationship between theory and methods

• subjectivity, objectivity and value freedom

• Sociology and social policy.

AQA also states that students must understand the significance of:

• conflict and consensus

• social structure and social action

• the role of values.

These are not intended to be completely isolated areas of knowledge. Sociological theories, perspectives and methods are integral to the study of the different substantive topics across the course.

This means your revision of consensus theories should eventually connect with structural approaches [Structural theories], social action approaches [Social action theories] and the wider relationship between theory and research [The relationship between theory and methods].

Consensus as a course-wide theoretical issue

Although the supplied specification does not define consensus theory itself, it makes clear that consensus and conflict are significant theoretical issues throughout Sociology.

The specification requires the following two core themes to run through the course:

1. Socialisation, culture and identity

2. Social differentiation, power and stratification

Students are expected to understand these themes in relation to substantive areas of Sociology rather than treating them as separate topics.

The same principle applies to theoretical debates. Consensus should therefore be considered when studying actual sociological issues rather than memorised only as an isolated Theory and Methods label.

Course requirement	What this means for revision
Consensus and conflict	Be able to recognise and compare contrasting theoretical explanations.
Social structure and social action	Consider how an explanation relates to wider debates about structure and action.
Core themes	Link theoretical explanations to socialisation, identity, differentiation, power and stratification where appropriate.
Sociological evidence	Connect theoretical arguments to the evidence and explanations studied within substantive topics.
Contemporary society	Apply sociological arguments primarily to contemporary UK society, with comparative or global dimensions where relevant.

AQA explicitly expects students to make connections between the integral elements, core themes and different areas of subject content.

Applying consensus approaches to sociological issues

Application is important because AQA's Assessment Objective 2 (AO2) requires students to apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to a range of issues.

A useful application process is:

1. Identify the sociological issue.

2. Identify the relevant consensus explanation from your taught material.

3. Explain how that theoretical argument relates specifically to the issue.

4. Link the explanation to relevant evidence or sociological concepts.

5. Where useful, connect the discussion to the course's core themes.

6. Compare the explanation with another theoretical approach rather than leaving it isolated.

The specification gives many substantive issues to which theoretical approaches may be applied.

Education

Students study the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and class structure.

This creates an important opportunity to apply theoretical ideas when revising the role of education [The role and functions of education].

Rather than merely writing:

"This is a consensus explanation."

a developed response would need to explain how the particular consensus argument relates to the role or functions of education.

Crime and deviance

The specification requires students to study:

• crime and deviance

• social order

• social control

• crime control

• surveillance

• prevention

• punishment.

The revision plan later requires students to apply consensus and conflict theories directly to crime and deviance in sociological theories and crime [Sociological theories and crime].

This is an important synoptic connection. A theory learned in Theory and Methods may therefore help students analyse a substantive issue elsewhere in the course.

Families and households

Students studying Families and Households are required to examine the relationship between the family and the social structure, including its relationship to the economy and state policies.

This provides another area where wider sociological theories can be applied.

Beliefs in society

Students studying Beliefs in Society examine relationships between:

• social change

• social stability

• religious beliefs

• religious practices

• religious organisations.

The specification therefore provides opportunities for theoretical arguments to be related to questions of social stability and social change.

Applying rather than simply describing

A common difference between knowledge and application is the level of connection to the particular issue.

For example, suppose an examination question concerns education.

Description only:The student explains a theoretical argument but never shows how it relates to education.

Application:The student selects relevant parts of the theoretical argument and uses them to explain a specific issue concerning the role, structure, impact or experience of education.

This distinction matters because AQA assesses three separate objectives:

• AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods

• AO2: apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to a range of issues

• AO3: analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods in order to present arguments, make judgements and draw conclusions.

Evaluating consensus explanations

The lesson plan specifically requires you to evaluate consensus explanations of society.

1. Compare explanations

AQA explicitly places consensus alongside conflict theories [Conflict theories].

A developed evaluation should therefore be capable of comparing how different sociological theories explain the same social issue.

Do not simply write:

"Conflict theory disagrees."

Instead, establish what the disagreement concerns and explain why that difference matters for understanding the issue.

2. Consider the evidence

The specification requires students to examine both:

• sociological explanations

• the evidence relating to substantive areas.

Evaluation can therefore consider how adequately a theoretical explanation accounts for sociological evidence studied elsewhere in the course.

3. Make links across Sociology

AQA expects students to draw links:

• between core themes and subject content

• between different elements of subject content.

This means evaluation can become more developed when you connect theoretical arguments with wider knowledge from education, crime and deviance or an optional topic.

4. Make a judgement

AO3 includes making judgements and drawing conclusions.

An evaluation should therefore move beyond listing strengths and weaknesses.

A useful conclusion asks:

• Which explanation provides the more convincing account of the issue?

• Does one explanation account for aspects that another overlooks?

• Does the usefulness of an explanation depend on the particular sociological issue being considered?

• What conclusion follows from the comparison you have developed?

These questions provide a structure for evaluation without inventing substantive criticisms that are absent from the supplied specification.

Consensus, conflict, structure and action

AQA lists four theoretical categories together:

Theoretical category	Specification requirement
Consensus	Students must examine consensus theories.
Conflict	Students must examine conflict theories.
Structural	Students must examine structural theories.
Social action	Students must examine social action theories.

They should not automatically be treated as four interchangeable labels. AQA lists them separately, and the revision plan gives each its own lesson.

After studying consensus and conflict explanations [Conflict theories], the next stage is to explore the importance of social structure in structural theories [Structural theories] before contrasting this with social action theories [Social action theories].

These distinctions help build the theoretical debate that AQA expects throughout the qualification.

Consensus theory as part of synoptic Sociology

AQA describes sociological theories and perspectives as integral elements of topic study. This is why theory should be revisited across the course rather than learned once and forgotten.

When revising a substantive topic, ask yourself:

• Which theoretical explanations could be applied here?

• How might consensus and conflict provide different interpretations?

• Is social structure important to this explanation?

• How might social action also be relevant?

• Which core themes are present?

• What evidence could be used to analyse or evaluate the explanation?

This approach is particularly useful because the Theory and Methods requirements appear under both 4.1.3 and 4.3.2 of the specification. The revision plan therefore returns to theoretical perspectives when students later study Crime and Deviance.

Where consensus theory is assessed

A-Level Sociology has three papers.

For Theory and Methods:

• Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods includes 10 marks of extended writing for Theory and Methods.

• Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods includes 30 marks of extended writing for Theory and Methods.

This makes theoretical knowledge important beyond a single lesson. Students need to be ready to explain, apply, analyse and evaluate sociological theory.

Key Words 🔑

Key word	Student-friendly definition	How it may be used in an exam
Consensus theories	One of the broad categories of sociological theory that AQA requires students to examine.	Explain, apply and evaluate consensus explanations of sociological issues.
Conflict theories	A separate category of sociological theory that AQA requires alongside consensus theory.	Use as a comparison when analysing theoretical explanations.
Structural theories	One of the theoretical categories specified by AQA, focusing the course on the significance of social structure.	Compare structural and social action approaches where relevant.
Social action theories	One of the four theoretical categories specifically named in Theory and Methods.	Use when considering the significance of social action in sociological explanation.
Socialisation, culture and identity	One of AQA's two core themes that should run through the course.	Connect theoretical explanations to relevant substantive issues.
Social differentiation, power and stratification	The second core theme required throughout the A-Level course.	Use to develop links between theories and inequalities or power where relevant.
AO2	The assessment objective requiring application of sociological knowledge to issues.	Apply theoretical arguments directly to the particular topic or context in the question.
AO3	The assessment objective requiring analysis and evaluation, including arguments, judgements and conclusions.	Compare explanations, analyse arguments and reach a supported judgement.

Common Mistakes ⚠️

Mistake: Treating consensus theory as an isolated topic

Why this is incorrect: AQA states that sociological theories and perspectives should be integral to topic study, and students are expected to draw links between different areas of Sociology.

How to improve: Practise applying theoretical arguments to substantive topics such as education or crime and deviance rather than revising theory only as a separate list of notes.

Mistake: Using "consensus" and "structural" as if they mean exactly the same thing

Why this is incorrect: The specification lists consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories separately.

How to improve: Keep the categories distinct in your revision and follow this lesson with structural approaches [Structural theories] to clarify the relationship between the different theoretical classifications.

Mistake: Describing a theory without applying it

Why this is incorrect: AO2 requires application to sociological issues.

How to improve: After every theoretical point, ask: "How does this help explain the specific issue in the question?"

Mistake: Giving undeveloped evaluation

Why this is incorrect: AO3 requires analysis and evaluation that contributes to arguments, judgements and conclusions.

How to improve: Explain why a comparison or criticism changes how convincing an explanation is. Finish extended responses with a judgement based on the argument you have developed.

Mistake: Forgetting the wider theoretical debate

Why this is incorrect: AQA requires students to understand both consensus and conflict, and social structure and social action.

How to improve: When planning an extended response, consider whether another theoretical approach offers a useful comparison rather than discussing one perspective in isolation.

Exam-Style Questions ✍️

Because the supplied specification names consensus theories but does not provide their detailed assumptions, named theorists or particular arguments, the questions below test only material that can be answered accurately from the provided sources.

Question 1

Identify one of the two core themes that AQA requires students to apply throughout A-Level Sociology. [1 mark]

Question 2

Identify the category of theory that AQA explicitly requires students to study alongside consensus theories and which provides an important theoretical contrast. [1 mark]

Question 3

Name the two other categories of theory, apart from consensus and conflict theories, that are specified in Theory and Methods. [2 marks]

Question 4

Outline two substantive areas of Sociology from the AQA specification to which theoretical perspectives could be applied. [4 marks]

Question 5

Item A

A sociologist is studying crime, deviance, social order and social control in contemporary UK society. They want to compare different sociological explanations and consider both consensus and conflict.

Using Item A, explain two ways in which Theory and Methods could be connected to the study of crime and deviance. [6 marks]

Question 6

Explain why consensus theories should be connected to substantive sociological topics rather than revised entirely as an isolated topic. [6 marks]

Question 7

Item B

A student writes an extended response about a sociological issue. The student accurately describes one theoretical explanation but does not apply it to the issue, compare it with another explanation or reach an overall judgement.

Using Item B, analyse how the student could improve the response in relation to AO2 and AO3. [10 marks]

Answers and Mark Scheme

Question 1

Award one mark for either:

• socialisation, culture and identity

• social differentiation, power and stratification.

Question 2

Award one mark for:

• conflict theories.

Question 3

Award one mark each, maximum two marks:

• structural theories

• social action theories.

Question 4

Award up to two marks for each appropriate area, maximum four marks.

Possible specification-supported answers include:

• education, including the role and functions of the education system

• crime and deviance, including social order and social control

• families and households and their relationship to the social structure

• religion in relation to social change and social stability

• any other relevant substantive issue contained in the AQA specification.

For each developed point, the student should make clear that sociological theories are intended to be applied to substantive topic areas rather than treated entirely separately.

Question 5

Award up to three marks for each developed connection.

Possible answers include:

• Consensus and conflict theories are both compulsory Theory and Methods content, so the sociologist could compare how different theoretical perspectives explain crime, deviance, social order or social control.

• Social structure and social action are also significant theoretical issues, so these could be connected to explanations of crime and deviance.

• Crime and deviance should be considered in relation to the core themes of socialisation, culture and identity, and social differentiation, power and stratification.

• AQA requires links between Theory and Methods and substantive Sociology, so theoretical arguments should be applied directly to the crime issue being examined.

Higher marks require a developed connection to Item A rather than simply listing areas of the specification.

Question 6

Award marks for developed explanation.

Indicative content includes:

• AQA states that sociological theories and perspectives are integral elements of topic study.

• Conflict and consensus are course-wide issues rather than completely separate substantive topics.

• Students are expected to draw links between different elements of Sociology.

• The two core themes should be applied across substantive topic areas.

• AO2 requires sociological theories to be applied to issues.

• Theoretical knowledge can therefore be used to analyse areas such as education or crime and deviance.

A stronger response explains the relationship between these points rather than presenting them as an undeveloped list.

Question 7

A high-level answer should recognise both problems in Item B.

AO2: The student needs to apply the theoretical explanation specifically to the sociological issue in the question. Simply describing a theory demonstrates knowledge but does not fully demonstrate application.

AO3: The student should analyse and evaluate the explanation. This could include comparing it with another relevant theoretical perspective, considering how adequately it explains the issue and using the comparison to develop an argument.

The student should then make a reasoned judgement and draw a conclusion, because these are explicitly part of AO3.

A stronger response would integrate application and evaluation throughout the answer rather than adding a brief criticism or conclusion at the end.