OxfordAQA International A-level Sociology (9690): Unit 4 – People and the environment – 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 section 3.2.2 People and the environment (3.2.2.1 to 3.2.2.3) of the OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Sociology (9690) specification, Version 1.1 (first teaching September 2026; first A-level exams May/June 2028). The section is assessed in Unit 4: People and the environment, a 1 hour 30 minute exam worth 50 marks with “short and extended response questions”. This is a new specification, so first A-level exams are in May/June 2028 and there are no past papers yet. All places, organisations and data below are fictional.

Revise first with the study guide and the revision notes. Track progress on the OxfordAQA A-level Sociology hub and the OxfordAQA A-level Sociology checklist.

Questions

1. Define the term “zoonotic disease”. [2]

2. Explain what Augé meant by a “non-place”, using one example. [3]

3. Outline two differences between ecological modernisation theory and green Marxism. [4]

4. Read the data about the fictional country of Velmora.

Year	Births per 1,000 people per year	Deaths per 1,000 people per year
1930	44	38
1960	45	21
1990	31	11
2020	12	10

(a) Identify which stage of demographic transition theory Velmora was in during 1960 and during 2020. [2] (b) Calculate Velmora’s rate of natural increase in 1990, as a percentage per year. Show your working. [2] (c) Explain one limitation of using demographic transition theory to understand Velmora. [2]

5. Read the item.

In the fictional coastal city of Port Ashwell, a developer has built a gated estate, Mangrove Reach, on land where mangrove forest once slowed storm surges. The informal settlement of Tide Lane, about 4,000 households without legal title, sits just inland. After the estate was built, Tide Lane flooded three times in two years. The city council had approved the estate within six months; Tide Lane residents’ request for a drainage channel has waited four years.

(a) Identify two inequalities shown in the item. [2] (b) Using the item and the idea of environmental justice, explain how power shapes who suffers from environmental change in Port Ashwell. [6]

6. A fictional campaign group, Clear Teral, wants microplastics in Lake Teral to be treated as a national problem. Using Hannigan’s factors, explain three things the group would need for its claim to succeed. [6]

7. Outline two reasons why some people are sceptical about, or deny, the climate crisis. [4]

8. Explain two ways the Columbian Exchange changed relationships between people, animals and the environment. [4]

9. Read the data about the fictional island of Isla Corvo.

Year	Permanent residents	Visitors per year
2005	60,000	900,000
2025	48,000	3,600,000

(a) Calculate the number of visitors per resident in 2005 and in 2025. [2] (b) Using the data, explain two ways over-tourism may be affecting social life on Isla Corvo. [4]

10. Evaluate the view that conservation, zoos and rewilding can reverse biodiversity loss. [12]

11. To what extent are the effects of environmental and climate change shaped by inequalities between and within countries? Use examples from your own society or a society you know about. [16]

Answers

1. A disease that passes from animals to humans [1], such as rabies or avian influenza [1]. [2] Examiner insight: The second mark needs a correct example or the mechanism of transmission, not a repeat of “from animals”.

2. A space of transit or consumption, such as an airport or motorway service area [1], where people pass through anonymously [1] without forming shared history or social relationships, unlike a traditional place [1]. [3] Examiner insight: “Explain” needs the contrast with a meaningful place, not only the example.

3. EMT argues capitalism can become sustainable through technology and regulation [1], while green Marxism argues capitalism’s drive for profit and growth is the cause of damage [1]. EMT sees economic growth and protection as compatible [1], while green Marxists such as Schnaiberg see a treadmill of production that keeps raising resource use [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Each difference needs both sides stated; describing EMT alone scores half at most.

4. (a) 1960: stage 2, falling death rate with high birth rate [1]. 2020: stage 4, low birth and death rates [1]. [2] (b) 31 - 11 = 20 per 1,000 [1]; 20 / 10 = 2.0% per year [1]. [2] (c) The model is based on European history [1], so it may not explain Velmora’s path, for example if its birth rate fell because of a state policy rather than industrialisation [1]. [2] Examiner insight: In data questions, show the working step; a correct answer with a wrong unit, such as “20%”, loses the second mark.

5. (a) Any two: inequality of housing, as the estate is formal while Tide Lane lacks legal title [1]; inequality of exposure, as Tide Lane floods while the estate is protected [1]. Also credit: unequal speed of council response. [2] (b) Environmental justice examines how harms fall unequally across social groups [1]. Removing the mangroves raised flood risk [1], but the cost fell on Tide Lane rather than on the estate’s owners [1]. The council approved the estate in six months but has delayed drainage for four years [1], which shows that those with economic power shape planning decisions [1]. This supports Bullard’s finding that hazards cluster where people have least political power [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Application marks come from the item’s specific details, such as the six months and four years, not a general account of environmental justice.

6. Scientific authority: water tests from a university showing microplastic levels [1], so the claim cannot easily be dismissed [1]. Dramatic symbols and images: photographs of fish or birds harmed by plastic [1], which make an invisible problem visible to the public [1]. An institutional sponsor: support from a ministry, court or international body [1], which gives the issue legitimacy and keeps it on the agenda [1]. Also credit popularisers, media attention or economic incentives. [6] Examiner insight: Each factor scores twice only when it is applied to the Lake Teral campaign, not just named.

7. Economic interests: industries tied to fossil fuels may fund doubt to protect profits [1], as Oreskes and Conway traced in organised campaigns [1]. Identity and emotion: accepting the crisis threatens lifestyles or political identities [1], so people may avoid the issue even when they accept the science, as Norgaard found [1]. [4] Examiner insight: “Outline” rewards one developing step for each reason, such as evidence or a consequence.

8. Old World animals such as horses and cattle were taken to the Americas [1], changing farming, transport and land use for indigenous peoples [1]. Diseases such as smallpox spread to the Americas [1], causing very high mortality among indigenous populations, which reshaped societies and land ownership [1]. Also credit crops such as maize and potatoes moving to Afro-Eurasia and changing diets. [4] Examiner insight: Keep each way linked to people, animals or environment; listing exchanged items alone earns only the first mark in each pair.

9. (a) 2005: 900,000 / 60,000 = 15 visitors per resident [1]. 2025: 3,600,000 / 48,000 = 75 visitors per resident [1]. [2] (b) Visitors rose fourfold while residents fell by a fifth [1], which suggests residents may be displaced as homes become holiday rentals [1]. Five times as many visitors per resident [1] means pressure on water, waste and transport, so services may be shaped for tourists rather than local people [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Use the figures in the answer; a general essay on over-tourism without the data loses the application marks.

10. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point. Indicative content:

For. Protected areas and national parks have saved some habitats [1]. Reintroduction can restore ecosystems, as with grey wolves in Yellowstone in 1995 [1], which changed grazing patterns [1]. Zoos run breeding programmes that act as “arks” for some species [1]. Rewilding returns land to natural processes at low cost [1].

Against. Zoos hold few individuals and raise animal rights objections about captivity [1]. Conservation in protected areas has sometimes removed indigenous residents [1], so it can create injustice [1]. Rewilding often costs farmers livestock, creating conflict [1]. These measures do not tackle the drivers of loss, such as habitat clearance, overfishing and invasive species [1]; a green Marxist would argue the treadmill of production keeps destroying habitat faster than it is restored [1].

Judgement. These methods can reverse local declines, but without changes in consumption and land use they slow global loss rather than reverse it [1]. [12] Examiner insight: Strong answers judge each method separately and reach a conclusion about “reverse”, not just “help”.

11. The real exam marks extended answers with levels of response, not point by point. Indicative content:

Between countries. Richer countries have produced far more historical emissions [1], yet poorer countries often face the worst effects [1]. Pakistan’s 2022 floods hit a country with low historical emissions [1]. Climate justice argues that those who caused the problem should pay, as in the loss and damage fund agreed at COP27 [1]. Ulrich Brand and Wissen argue richer countries’ imperial mode of living depends on nature and labour elsewhere [1].

Within countries. Bullard showed that hazards cluster in poor and Black neighbourhoods [1]. In many cities, informal settlements sit on flood plains or near polluting industries [1]. Poorer households have less access to acting sustainably, such as solar panels [1]. Own-society example: a specific district, group or event from the candidate’s society, explained [1].

Other factors. Physical geography matters: some places face more risk regardless of wealth [1]. Ecological modernisation theory suggests technology and regulation can reduce exposure over time [1]. Wildfires and heatwaves also hit richer regions, such as Australia’s 2019-20 fires [1]. Hannigan argues which harms receive attention depends on claims-making [1], so unequal effects may also reflect whose problems are heard [1].

Analysis and judgement. Inequality shapes both exposure and the ability to recover [1]. A justified conclusion might be that environmental change is global, but inequalities largely decide who suffers most and who can respond [1]. [16] Examiner insight: The specification requires examples from your own society or one you know in selected extended answers, so a named local example is part of a strong answer.

Where marks are usually lost

• Giving definitions without an example or mechanism, as in Question 1.
• Not showing working in calculations, or using the wrong unit.
• Ignoring the item’s details, such as dates, delays and numbers, in application questions.
• Naming Hannigan’s factors without applying them to the scenario.
• Treating EMT and green Marxism as one “green” view.
• Writing one-sided extended answers with no judgement.
• Leaving out examples from your own society in extended answers.
• Discussing climate inequality only between countries.

Next steps

Check gaps with the diagnostics, then return to the study guide for any topic you missed. For help with essay technique, Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Sociology (9690) specification, Version 1.1 (first teaching September 2026; first A-level exams May/June 2028), section 3.2.2 People and the environment.