Volume 25, Number 1, September 2015
Revision
Education exam practice
Joan Garrod
Use these exam-style questions to help you revise.
The questions below are similar in style to those that will appear on the AQA Education topic in the
exam, but they will provide useful revision and practice even for those using a different awarding body.
A few guidelines have been provided to help you.
Decide whether you prefer to answer them taking your time and referring to your notes and textbooks,
or whether you want to try it without notes and under timed conditions (probably only when you have
finished studying this topic).
Questions
1. Define the term ‘National Curriculum’.
This is asking for a simple definition — no need to provide examples or go into too much
detail.
2. Using one example, briefly explain how some parents provide ‘cultural capital’ for their
children.
Give a very brief definition of cultural capital, followed by one example — make sure that it is
something likely to be provided by parents.
3. Outline three ways in which schools may be preparing pupils for the world of work.
A simple list will not be sufficient here — you will need to provide brief details. Your examples
can be based on knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes — try to provide a variety and
make sure that they relate to the world of work.
4. Outline and explain two possible reasons for the achievement gap at GCSE between pupils
from richer and poorer backgrounds.
Focus on the reasons for the gap, rather than going into a lengthy description of what the gap
is.
[See next page for question 5.]
Philip Allan Publishers © 2015
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/sociologyreview
5. Applying material from Item A and your knowledge, evaluate the view that boys are now
disadvantaged by the education system.
Item A
For some years now, girls have outperformed boys at every level of the
education system, including higher education. It was thought that removing
coursework from contributing to final exam marks would reduce girls’
achievements, but this has not been the case.
Some see the reason for the so-called ‘gender gap’ as the increasing long-term
participation of females in the labour market. Girls now accept that marriage
and motherhood will not bring an end to their employment. Others point out that
the knowledge-based, ‘fact-filled’ curriculum often leaves boys bored and
frustrated and less inclined to work at school.
Make sure that you use (apply) the information given to you in the Item. Don’t just copy it out
— do something with it. You must also use other knowledge that you have — you could
consider issues of class and ethnicity to show differences within gendered groups, and also
look at the types of subject likely to be chosen by males and females at different levels of
education.
Joan Garrod is a managing editor of SOCIOLOGY REVIEW.
This resource is part of SOCIOLOGY REVIEW , a magazine written for A-level students by subject experts.
To subscribe to the full magazine go to www.hoddereducation.co.uk/sociologyreview
Philip Allan Publishers © 2015
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/sociologyreview