AQA A-level Sociology (7192): Paper 2 – Global development – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover Global Development, section 4.2.6 of the AQA AS and A-level Sociology (7191, 7192) specification, Version 1.2 (14 October 2021), listed as 3.2.6 in the specification at a glance. The topic is assessed in Section B of A-level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, which the specification describes as “one from option 2: 4.2.5, 4.2.6, 4.2.7 or 4.2.8” and “extended writing, 40 marks”. All countries, firms and figures below are fictional.

Revise first with the Global development study guide and the Global development revision notes. The AQA A-level Sociology hub and the AQA A-level Sociology checklist show where the topic fits.

Questions

1. Define the term tied aid and give one reason why a donor might use it. [2]

2. Identify three explanations that neoliberal theorists give for a lack of development in poorer countries. [3]

3. Outline two differences between non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international agencies such as the World Bank. [4]

4. The table shows figures for two fictional countries.

Indicator	Velmora	Tarsen
GNI per capita (US$)	9,800	4,200
Life expectancy at birth (years)	62	71
Mean years of schooling (adults)	5.1	8.4
Adult literacy, men (%)	78	90
Adult literacy, women (%)	51	88

(a) Identify which country has the higher GNI per capita and state roughly how many times higher it is. [2] (b) Using the data, explain why GNI per capita alone may give a misleading picture of development. [4]

5. Read the scenario.

Corvane Apparel, a fictional clothing TNC based in Western Europe, opens a factory in an export processing zone in Port Ilsa, a fictional coastal city. The zone offers ten years without company tax. The factory employs 2,400 workers, of whom 1,920 are women aged 17 to 25. Profits are returned to the company’s head office.

Using the scenario, outline three ways in which a dependency theorist might interpret the arrival of the factory. [6]

6. Outline two criticisms of Rostow’s stages of economic growth. [4]

7. Explain two ways in which globalisation may affect the culture of developing societies. [4]

8. Read the scenario.

The fictional Republic of Calder lends the fictional state of Ondara US$40 million to build a dam. The agreement requires 70% of the loan to be spent on Calder construction firms and equipment. The loan must be repaid with interest over 20 years.

(a) Calculate how much of the loan, in US$ million, must be spent on Calder firms and equipment. [1] (b) Analyse two problems this form of aid may create for Ondara. [4]

9. The table shows crude birth and death rates for Kesmara, a fictional country (per 1,000 people per year).

Year	Crude birth rate	Crude death rate
1980	44	21
2000	38	12
2020	27	8

(a) Calculate the rate of natural increase per 1,000 for each year. [3] (b) Explain what the figures suggest about Kesmara’s demographic change, and give one limitation of using the demographic transition model to interpret them. [4]

10. Analyse two ways in which employment in global factories may both reinforce and challenge gender inequality in developing societies. [8]

11. Evaluate the view that urbanisation is mainly beneficial for development. [12]

12. To what extent does dependency theory explain global inequality? [16]

Answers

1. Aid that must be spent on goods or services from the donor country [1]. Reason: it supports the donor’s own firms and jobs, or secures political influence [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A definition that says only “aid with conditions” is too vague; the point is where the money must be spent.

2. Any three: too much state interference in the economy [1]; corruption and poor governance [1]; protectionism and barriers to free trade [1]; also creditworthy: lack of private property rights or market incentives. [3] Examiner insight: These are internal explanations; do not drift into dependency arguments about exploitation.

3. NGOs are non-profit bodies independent of governments [1], while agencies such as the World Bank are funded and governed by member states [1]. NGOs usually work on small, local projects [1], while international agencies lend large sums for national programmes, often with policy conditions attached [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Each difference needs both sides stated; describing NGOs alone earns half.

4. (a) Velmora [1]; about 2.3 times higher (9,800 / 4,200) [1]. [2] (b) Velmora is richer per head but its life expectancy is 9 years lower than Tarsen’s [1]. Its adults have 3.3 fewer years of schooling on average [1]. The literacy gap between men and women is 27 points in Velmora against 2 in Tarsen, showing income is not reaching women equally [1]. GNI per capita is an average, so it hides how income is distributed; measures such as the HDI combine health and education to correct this [1]. [4] Examiner insight: “Using the data” means quoting figures from the table; a general critique of GNI without numbers stays in the lower marks.

5. The tax holiday means Port Ilsa’s state gains little revenue, so surplus flows to the core [1]; this fits Frank’s metropolis-satellite model [1]. Returning profits to head office is a drain of capital from periphery to core [1], a form of neo-colonialism through trade rather than rule [1]. Hiring 1,920 young women (80% of the workforce) suggests a search for cheap, compliant labour [1], keeping Port Ilsa in a low-wage role within the world system [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Each point needs a scenario detail plus a dependency concept; repeating the scenario without theory earns little.

6. It is ethnocentric, assuming all societies should follow the Western path [1], which ignores other models of development such as state-led East Asian growth [1]. It ignores colonialism and unequal power between nations [1], so it blames poor societies’ values instead of their position in the world economy [1]. [4] Examiner insight: “Outline” needs the criticism plus a short development; a list of single words earns one mark each at most.

7. Cultural imperialism: Western brands and media may displace local traditions and languages [1], so young people may adopt consumer identities linked to Western goods [1]. Glocalisation or hybridity: global products and ideas are adapted to local tastes [1], so local cultures change and mix rather than simply disappear [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Two distinct effects are needed; two examples of the same effect count as one.

8. (a) 0.70 x 40 = US$28 million [1]. [1] (b) At most US$12 million can go to Ondara’s own firms, so local businesses and jobs gain little [1]; this supports Hayter’s view that aid serves donor interests [1]. Repayment with interest over 20 years adds to Ondara’s debt [1], which may force spending cuts or reliance on further loans, as dependency theorists argue [1]. [4] Examiner insight: “Analyse” needs a consequence for each problem, not just naming tied aid and debt.

9. (a) 1980: 44 - 21 = 23 per 1,000 [1]. 2000: 38 - 12 = 26 per 1,000 [1]. 2020: 27 - 8 = 19 per 1,000 [1]. [3] (b) The death rate fell first while births stayed high, so population growth rose to 2000 [1]; birth rates then fell faster, suggesting a move from stage 2 to stage 3 of the demographic transition model [1]. This may reflect better health care, education and changing roles for women [1]. Limitation: the model is based on European history and assumes all societies follow the same path, which may not fit Kesmara [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Refer to the trend across all three years; one figure in isolation cannot show a transition.

10. Levels of response apply in the real exam; these are indicative creditworthy points. Reinforce: employers may hire young women because they are seen as cheaper and more docile [1]; Elson and Pearson’s “nimble fingers” argument shows how stereotypes justify low pay [1]. Women may face a double burden of paid work plus domestic labour [1], so patriarchal expectations at home are unchanged [1]. Challenge: a wage gives women some independence and bargaining power in the household [1]; this can delay marriage or childbirth and raise daughters’ schooling [1]. Workplaces can bring women together, supporting collective organisation [1]. Judgement: the outcome depends on wages, safety and state protection, so both effects can occur at once [1]. [8] Examiner insight: “Analyse two ways” rewards developing each way with a chain of consequences, not adding a third or fourth way.

11. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point; these are indicative creditworthy points. Define urbanisation as a rising share of people living in towns and cities [1]. Modernisation view: cities concentrate jobs, schools and hospitals [1] and spread achievement values that support growth [1]. Migrants send money home, which can support rural families [1]. Dependency view: over-urbanisation means cities grow faster than formal jobs [1], producing informal settlements and informal work, as Davis describes [1]. Urban elites may link to TNCs while rural areas are neglected [1]. Environmental costs: pollution and pressure on water and sanitation [1]. Gender: city work may give women new roles, but also risks in insecure housing and jobs [1]. Evaluation: benefits depend on state planning and investment in services [1]; evidence from averages may hide conditions in slums, so research design matters [1]. Reasoned judgement on whether “mainly beneficial” holds [1]. [12] Examiner insight: Evaluation marks come from weighing theories against each other, not from adding more description of city life.

12. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point; these are indicative creditworthy points. Outline dependency theory as a Marxist, conflict account [1]. Frank (1966): metropolis drains surplus from satellites [1], producing underdevelopment as an active process [1]. Colonialism created economies based on a few primary exports [1]. Neo-colonialism continues this through trade terms, debt and TNC profits [1]. Strength: it explains why many former colonies stayed poor despite independence [1]. Wallerstein (1974) develops this into core, semi-periphery and periphery [1], allowing for mobility between tiers [1]. Limitation: East Asian growth through export manufacturing challenges the claim that links always harm [1]. Isolation from the world economy has not reliably produced development [1]. Modernisation theory offers a rival, internal explanation based on values and investment [1]. Neoliberals blame corruption and state interference instead [1]. Collier’s traps combine internal factors such as conflict and governance [1]. Post-development writers such as Escobar question whether Western-style development is the right goal [1]. Global inequality also exists within countries, which dependency theory’s focus on nations can miss [1]. Judgement: dependency theory explains much of the historical pattern but not all recent change, so it explains global inequality only in part [1]. [16] Examiner insight: A “to what extent” answer needs a clear judgement tied to the evidence you have weighed; a list of theories without a verdict cannot reach the top level.

Where marks are usually lost

• Not using figures from a table when the question says “using the data”.
• Repeating a scenario’s details without linking them to a theory or concept.
• Treating modernisation and neoliberalism as one theory.
• Giving two examples of the same point when two different ways are asked for.
• Description of Rostow or Frank with no evaluation in extended answers.
• Forgetting gender and the core themes when the question invites them.
• Arithmetic slips in natural increase: birth rate minus death rate, not the reverse.
• Ending an “evaluate” or “to what extent” answer with no judgement.

Next steps

• Re-read sections 1 and 4 of the study guide if you lost marks on theories or aid.
• Link globalisation to crime and deviance practice questions on green and state crime.
• Find your weaker topics with our free diagnostics.
• Want help with essay technique? Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Sociology (7191, 7192) specification, Version 1.2 (14 October 2021): section 4.2.6 Global Development, A-level Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, Section B.