AQA SOCIOLOGY EXAM REVIEW
QUESTIONS WITH ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
2026
▶ Globalisation (inter-connectedness) of education policy. Answer: It's
important to consider that British society is heavily influenced by outside
factors e.g. the European union; Transnational corporations; immigration
and cultural produce such as fashion, film, books etc.
▶ Kelly (2009) globalisation. Answer: acknowledges the following effects
of globalisation on education: unis and private schools increasingly have to
market themselves globally, often setting up overseas branches, overseas
students are commodities as they pay higher fees
▶ Ball (2011). Answer: education has become a commodity subject to
business practice and financial logistics. Marxists say competition to drive
up standards is a myth used to legitimate the turning of education into
private profit.
▶ Compensatory educational policies. Answer: CEP's are government
policies which are designed to raise the achievement levels of students
who come from materially and culturally deprived family backgrounds. (e.g.
working class and some ethnic minority groups).
▶ Operation Head Start (USA 1960s). Answer: Provided pre-school
education to improve learning skills, offered parenting skills, children
receive medical screenings, parental involvement was key, children
provided w/ at least 1/3 of nutritional requirements. No long term gains in
intelligence, intervention came too late in a child' life (age 3-4).
▶ Education Action Zones (1990s). Answer: Labour. Help for 'failing'
schools, encourages innovation, helped both primary and secondary
schools, encourages innovation, raised achievement. Inadequate funding,
patchy success rate.
, ▶ Sure Start (2000). Answer: Labour. Covers kids from conception-14
years, encourages high quality learning environments for babies and young
children and babies, also supported kids with special educational needs.
Unemployed, lone parents or kids of teenage mothers did worse in sure
start areas, sucking support away from those in greatest need who may
feel 'overwhelmed' by the sure start offer.
▶ EMA (2004). Answer: Education Maintenance Allowance was
introduced by Labour. A Level students whose households earn less than
£30,000 per year entitled to £30 a week to help with the cost of studying.
Encouraged social mobility, acted as a motivator to stay in education,
encourages kids not to take up part-time work, EMA improved A Level
students performance by 4.5%. Extremely costly, can spend the money on
anything they wanted, created resentment between kids who couldn't claim
it, argued it is morally wrong to incentivise students with money.
▶ Pupil premium (2012). Answer: Conservative government. Replaced
EMA, given to the school not individual students, head teachers choice how
to spend it, schools monitored for how they spend it, OFSTED monitors it.
OFSTED (2012) found its not always spent appropriately, only 1/10 of
headteachers said it helped support disadvantaged kids in school.
▶ Free school meals. Answer: FSM means tested benefit available to kids
whose household income is less than £16,000 a year, estimated to cost
gov. £600 million a year, research shows kids w/ a regular healthy meal
more likely to concentrate. It isn't extended to older kids in education,
scheme has been extended to kids who can afford meals, gov. cut from
child benefit to fund it (irony), detrimental effect on other areas of school
life.
▶ Multi-cultural education (1980s). Answer: an anti-discrimination policy
that encourages kids to recognise cultural diversity, encourages schools to
move away from ethnocentric curriculum, raise-self esteem of minority kids.
Pressures of national curriculum have left no time for multicultural
education, criticised for tokenism.
▶ Social inclusion policies (1990s). Answer: an anti-discrimination policy.
monitoring of exam results by ethnicity, English as an additional language
programmes, help for voluntary Saturday schools in the black community.
QUESTIONS WITH ACCURATE SOLUTIONS
2026
▶ Globalisation (inter-connectedness) of education policy. Answer: It's
important to consider that British society is heavily influenced by outside
factors e.g. the European union; Transnational corporations; immigration
and cultural produce such as fashion, film, books etc.
▶ Kelly (2009) globalisation. Answer: acknowledges the following effects
of globalisation on education: unis and private schools increasingly have to
market themselves globally, often setting up overseas branches, overseas
students are commodities as they pay higher fees
▶ Ball (2011). Answer: education has become a commodity subject to
business practice and financial logistics. Marxists say competition to drive
up standards is a myth used to legitimate the turning of education into
private profit.
▶ Compensatory educational policies. Answer: CEP's are government
policies which are designed to raise the achievement levels of students
who come from materially and culturally deprived family backgrounds. (e.g.
working class and some ethnic minority groups).
▶ Operation Head Start (USA 1960s). Answer: Provided pre-school
education to improve learning skills, offered parenting skills, children
receive medical screenings, parental involvement was key, children
provided w/ at least 1/3 of nutritional requirements. No long term gains in
intelligence, intervention came too late in a child' life (age 3-4).
▶ Education Action Zones (1990s). Answer: Labour. Help for 'failing'
schools, encourages innovation, helped both primary and secondary
schools, encourages innovation, raised achievement. Inadequate funding,
patchy success rate.
, ▶ Sure Start (2000). Answer: Labour. Covers kids from conception-14
years, encourages high quality learning environments for babies and young
children and babies, also supported kids with special educational needs.
Unemployed, lone parents or kids of teenage mothers did worse in sure
start areas, sucking support away from those in greatest need who may
feel 'overwhelmed' by the sure start offer.
▶ EMA (2004). Answer: Education Maintenance Allowance was
introduced by Labour. A Level students whose households earn less than
£30,000 per year entitled to £30 a week to help with the cost of studying.
Encouraged social mobility, acted as a motivator to stay in education,
encourages kids not to take up part-time work, EMA improved A Level
students performance by 4.5%. Extremely costly, can spend the money on
anything they wanted, created resentment between kids who couldn't claim
it, argued it is morally wrong to incentivise students with money.
▶ Pupil premium (2012). Answer: Conservative government. Replaced
EMA, given to the school not individual students, head teachers choice how
to spend it, schools monitored for how they spend it, OFSTED monitors it.
OFSTED (2012) found its not always spent appropriately, only 1/10 of
headteachers said it helped support disadvantaged kids in school.
▶ Free school meals. Answer: FSM means tested benefit available to kids
whose household income is less than £16,000 a year, estimated to cost
gov. £600 million a year, research shows kids w/ a regular healthy meal
more likely to concentrate. It isn't extended to older kids in education,
scheme has been extended to kids who can afford meals, gov. cut from
child benefit to fund it (irony), detrimental effect on other areas of school
life.
▶ Multi-cultural education (1980s). Answer: an anti-discrimination policy
that encourages kids to recognise cultural diversity, encourages schools to
move away from ethnocentric curriculum, raise-self esteem of minority kids.
Pressures of national curriculum have left no time for multicultural
education, criticised for tokenism.
▶ Social inclusion policies (1990s). Answer: an anti-discrimination policy.
monitoring of exam results by ethnicity, English as an additional language
programmes, help for voluntary Saturday schools in the black community.
