OxfordAQA A Level Sociology: Introducing Sociology — 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 OxfordAQA’s own specimen paper and mark scheme for Unit 1.

Unit 1 is examined in two sections: Section A Families (40 of the unit’s 60 marks) and Section B Research methods (20 marks, short questions plus a structured question based on data about an unseen issue). This paper follows that shape.

Related: Introducing Sociology study guide

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Section A: Families (40 marks)

Question 1 [4 marks]

Identify and briefly describe two types of family structure found in contemporary societies, other than the conventional nuclear family.

Question 2 [6 marks]

Outline one difference between a functionalist perspective and a Marxist perspective on the role of the family in society.

Question 3 [8 marks]

Explain two demographic changes that have affected family life over the last 50 years.

Question 4 [10 marks]

Explain, using concepts from the specification, two ways in which family diversity has increased in recent decades. Your answer should refer to named sociologists or named concepts where relevant.

Question 5 [12 marks]

“The family is losing its traditional functions to other institutions.” Evaluate this view, drawing on at least two sociological perspectives.

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Answers: Section A

A1 [4 marks — 2 marks per type identified and briefly described]

Award 2 marks per named type with a brief accurate description, up to a maximum of 4. Acceptable types include: lone-parent families; reconstituted (step-) families; same-sex families; extended families (including multi-generational households); single-person households; cohabiting-couple families. A bare name with no description scores 1 mark for that type.

A2 [6 marks — up to 3 marks per perspective]

Functionalist (e.g. Parsons): the family performs necessary functions for society and its members — primary socialisation and the “stabilisation of adult personalities” — and industrialisation produced a nuclear family suited to a geographically and socially mobile workforce. Marxist (e.g. Engels/Zaretsky): the family serves capitalism’s interests rather than society’s as a whole — reproducing labour power, absorbing workers’ frustration with capitalism (“a unit of consumption”), and transmitting private property through inheritance. Award full marks only where the difference is explicitly drawn out, not just two descriptions placed side by side.

A3 [8 marks — up to 4 marks per change, explained not just named]

Two from: rising divorce rates (linked to changes in the law and reduced stigma); increased life expectancy (more multi-generational and “beanpole” families); declining birth rates and rising average age at first birth; increased cohabitation and delayed or declining marriage rates; increased lone-parent households. Marks for explanation of the change’s effect on family life, not just the statistical trend itself.

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A4 [10 marks — up to 5 marks per way, using named concepts]

Two from: individualisation (qualified by Smart’s concept of personal life, which stresses continuing connectedness) — family and personal life increasingly shaped by individual choice and negotiation rather than fixed roles; transnational families — members maintaining close ties and obligations across national borders, often sustained by migration and communications technology; the “triple shift” — women in dual-earner households managing paid work, domestic work and emotion work; “boomerang families” — adult children returning to live with parents, often for economic reasons. Full marks require the named concept applied to explain the increase in diversity, not just defined in isolation.

A5 [12 marks — levelled response]

Indicative content: functionalists (Parsons, Fletcher) argue the family retains its essential functions — primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities — even as some functions (education, welfare, production) have been taken on by other institutions (“functional fitness”). Marxist and feminist critiques (Engels, Oakley) argue the family has not “lost” functions so much as taken on ideological ones that serve capitalism and patriarchy — reproducing labour power and absorbing emotional strain that would otherwise fall on the state or employers. Postmodern approaches (e.g. Stacey’s “divorce-extended family”) suggest the question of “losing functions” assumes a fixed, singular family form that no longer describes lived reality. A strong answer weighs these perspectives against each other and reaches a supported judgement rather than simply listing them. Levels-based mark scheme:

• Level 1 (1–4): Undeveloped, descriptive, limited range.
• Level 2 (5–8): Explained points from more than one perspective; limited evaluation.
• Level 3 (9–12): Sustained analysis and evaluation across perspectives with a supported conclusion.

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Section B: Research methods (20 marks)

Question 6 [6 marks: 2 + 2 + 2]

(a) Define the term “unstructured interview”. [2]

(b) State one strength of using official statistics to research family life. [2]

(c) State one weakness of using covert participant observation to research family life. [2]

Question 7 [14 marks]

Item C

A sociologist wants to investigate the rise of multi-generational households, in which grandparents, parents and adult children share one home. National survey data show the proportion of households containing three or more adult generations has grown steadily over the last fifteen years. The sociologist is considering how best to research the reasons families give for living this way, and the effects it has on relationships within the household.

(a) Using Item C, identify one trend in multi-generational household formation. [2]

(b) Suggest two reasons, drawing on material from this unit, why multi-generational households might have become more common. [4]

(c) Using material from Item C and elsewhere, assess one claim that could be made about the effects of multi-generational living on family relationships. [4]

(d) Evaluate one methodological issue the sociologist would face in researching the reasons families give for living in a multi-generational household. [4]

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Answers: Section B

A6

(a) [2 marks] An interview with no fixed set of questions or wording, where the interviewer explores topics conversationally and can follow up on the respondent’s answers in an order not decided in advance. (1 mark for a partial/vague definition; 2 for a clear, complete one.)

(b) [2 marks] Any one accurate strength, e.g. official statistics cover very large, often whole-population samples, so findings on trends such as divorce or household composition are highly representative and allow comparison over time (1 mark for a bare assertion, 2 for a developed point).

(c) [2 marks] Any one accurate weakness, e.g. covert observation raises ethical problems because participants cannot give informed consent to being studied, which can also make it difficult to record data openly without breaking cover (1 mark for a bare assertion, 2 for a developed point).

A7

(a) [2 marks] One trend correctly identified from Item C, e.g. “the proportion of households with three or more adult generations has grown steadily over the last fifteen years.” Award 2 marks for a trend stated in the item’s own terms; 1 mark for a vaguer restatement.

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(b) [4 marks — 2 marks per reason] Two from: rising housing costs making independent living harder for young adults; increased life expectancy meaning more grandparents are alive and able to co-reside; economic pressures on families following job loss or the cost of living; cultural or religious traditions in some communities that favour multi-generational living; the need for informal childcare or eldercare within the family. Award 2 marks for each reason that is explained, 1 for a reason merely named.

(c) [4 marks] Assessment of one plausible claim (e.g. that multi-generational living increases informal support and reduces isolation, or alternatively that it increases tension over privacy and authority within the household), using the item’s data as a starting point and bringing in material from elsewhere in the unit (e.g. functionalist ideas about mutual aid, or feminist concerns about unequal caring loads falling on women within the household). Award up to 4 marks for a developed, evidenced assessment; 2–3 for a claim that is stated and partly supported; 1 for an unsupported assertion.

(d) [4 marks] One methodological issue evaluated in the context of this specific research question, e.g. social desirability bias if family members are interviewed together about tensions in the household, and how this might be addressed (separate interviews, use of vignettes); or practical/ethical difficulties of gaining access to and consent from every generation within one household. Award up to 4 marks for an issue that is both explained and evaluated in context; 2–3 for an issue explained but not evaluated; 1 for a bare assertion.

(6 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 20 marks for Section B; 40 + 20 = 60 marks total, matching Unit 1’s real mark allocation.)

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Where marks are usually lost

• Naming without applying. In Question 4, students often name a concept such as “individualisation” or “the triple shift” correctly but never connect it back to the question of increasing diversity — the connection, not just the definition, carries the marks.
• Treating Item-based questions as generic. In Question 7, answers that could have been written without reading Item C at all score lower than ones that engage with the specific scenario (multi-generational households, the reasons families give, the effects on relationships).
• One-sided essays. Question 5 rewards weighing perspectives against each other and reaching a conclusion, not describing functionalist, Marxist and feminist views in three separate, unconnected paragraphs.
• Confusing strengths/weaknesses of a method in general with its suitability for this particular topic. Question 6(b) and 6(c) and Question 7(d) all score higher when the point is tied to researching families specifically, not method pros and cons recited from memory.