OCR A Level Sociology H580/02 Researching and understanding social
inequalities June 2025 Combined QUESTION PAPER and MARK SCHEME
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Wednesday 4 June 2025 – Morning
A Level Sociology
H580/02 Researching and understanding social inequalities
Time allowed: 2 hours 15 minutes
You must have:
• the OCR 12-page Answer Booklet
INSTRUCTIONS
• Use black ink.
• Write your answer to each question in the Answer Booklet. The question numbers must
be clearly shown.
• Fill in the boxes on the front of the Answer Booklet.
• Answer all the questions.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 105.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*).
• This document has 4 pages.
ADVICE
• Read each question carefully before you start your answer.
, © OCR 2025 [601/3997/3] OCR is an exempt Charity
DC (CE) 336003/3 Turn over
*136 2 6 767 07 *
, 2
Section A
Read the source material.
Source A
A small-scale study of the experience of upward social mobility
Upward social mobility involves a person changing the social class position they were born into by
achieving a higher social class position than their parents.
Samantha Evans and Madeleine Wyatt were interested in how people who had achieved upward
social mobility might experience difficulties because of cultural differences between the social
class they were born in and that of their workplace as adults.
As part of their study, a semi-structured interview was used on a sample of 20 people, allowing
qualitative data to be gathered.
The following are some quotes from interviewees in their study who had experienced upward
social mobility from working class backgrounds into middle class occupations.
• “The organisational culture is very middle class where it might be that you can quote Latin,
that you drink wine rather than beer, that you socialise in a certain way.” (Kate)
• “As a whole, the idea that we’re all actually colleagues, is something that is essentially given
lip service to [not taken seriously] and really you should shut up and know your place.” (Nigel)
• “I look at those on a higher pay grade to me and I think I could do that, but I would never
dream of applying for that job – I know my place.” (Nora)
• “I used to be a lot more self-conscious about how I spoke as I used to have a stronger
working-class accent. If I was in a situation where someone was …. of a higher social class
…. then I’d probably be more careful with how I spoke and try not to have such an accent.”
(Danielle)
Adapted from Evans, S., & Wyatt, M. (2022). ‘A Bridge over Troubled Borders: Social Class and
the Interplay between Work and Life’.
© OCR 2025 H580/02 Jun25
inequalities June 2025 Combined QUESTION PAPER and MARK SCHEME
Oxford Cambridge and RSA
Wednesday 4 June 2025 – Morning
A Level Sociology
H580/02 Researching and understanding social inequalities
Time allowed: 2 hours 15 minutes
You must have:
• the OCR 12-page Answer Booklet
INSTRUCTIONS
• Use black ink.
• Write your answer to each question in the Answer Booklet. The question numbers must
be clearly shown.
• Fill in the boxes on the front of the Answer Booklet.
• Answer all the questions.
INFORMATION
• The total mark for this paper is 105.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets [ ].
• Quality of extended response will be assessed in questions marked with an asterisk (*).
• This document has 4 pages.
ADVICE
• Read each question carefully before you start your answer.
, © OCR 2025 [601/3997/3] OCR is an exempt Charity
DC (CE) 336003/3 Turn over
*136 2 6 767 07 *
, 2
Section A
Read the source material.
Source A
A small-scale study of the experience of upward social mobility
Upward social mobility involves a person changing the social class position they were born into by
achieving a higher social class position than their parents.
Samantha Evans and Madeleine Wyatt were interested in how people who had achieved upward
social mobility might experience difficulties because of cultural differences between the social
class they were born in and that of their workplace as adults.
As part of their study, a semi-structured interview was used on a sample of 20 people, allowing
qualitative data to be gathered.
The following are some quotes from interviewees in their study who had experienced upward
social mobility from working class backgrounds into middle class occupations.
• “The organisational culture is very middle class where it might be that you can quote Latin,
that you drink wine rather than beer, that you socialise in a certain way.” (Kate)
• “As a whole, the idea that we’re all actually colleagues, is something that is essentially given
lip service to [not taken seriously] and really you should shut up and know your place.” (Nigel)
• “I look at those on a higher pay grade to me and I think I could do that, but I would never
dream of applying for that job – I know my place.” (Nora)
• “I used to be a lot more self-conscious about how I spoke as I used to have a stronger
working-class accent. If I was in a situation where someone was …. of a higher social class
…. then I’d probably be more careful with how I spoke and try not to have such an accent.”
(Danielle)
Adapted from Evans, S., & Wyatt, M. (2022). ‘A Bridge over Troubled Borders: Social Class and
the Interplay between Work and Life’.
© OCR 2025 H580/02 Jun25
