Edexcel A-Level Politics | Paper 2 | 2027 Predicted Paper | Question 3(b) Mark Scheme
Question 3 Mark Scheme: Anarchism
Question 3 is a 24-mark Political Ideas essay, worth 8 marks each for AO1, AO2 and AO3. “To what extent” requires students to compare areas of agreement and disagreement within anarchism, use the prescribed thinkers to support those strands, and reach a sustained judgement about how far the ideology is united.
Pearson's current mark scheme confirms that candidates must consider both sides and refer to specific thinkers from the relevant section of the specification. If either requirement is missing, the response cannot progress beyond Level 2. The specification defines anarchism through rejection of the state and political authority, and specifically requires liberty, anarchy is order, collectivist and individualist anarchism, plus Stirner, Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin and Goldman.
Levels of response
Level | Marks | Characteristics |
Level 1 | 1–4 | Superficial knowledge, limited comparison and largely descriptive or unsupported judgements. |
Level 2 | 5–9 | Some accurate knowledge and some comparative analysis, but arguments and evaluation are only partly developed. |
Level 3 | 10–14 | Mostly accurate knowledge, generally focused comparison and some substantiated judgements. |
Level 4 | 15–19 | Accurate, carefully selected knowledge, coherent comparative analysis and mostly substantiated judgements. |
Level 5 | 20–24 | Thorough knowledge, perceptive and sustained comparison, consistently substantiated evaluation and fully focused conclusions. |
These are Pearson's current Paper 2 Political Ideas level boundaries.
Question 3(b)
Question
To what extent do anarchists agree that social order can arise naturally without government or political authority?
The central concept is “anarchy is order”. Students should explain why all anarchists reject the claim that government is necessary for social order, while also comparing their very different explanations of how spontaneous order would actually emerge.
The specification states that anarchist social order occurs naturally and spontaneously from human nature and underpins the belief in a peaceful, stable, stateless society. It also distinguishes collectivist faith in altruistic and co-operative human nature from individualist confidence in rational, autonomous and self-interested individuals.
Indicative content
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