Education | AQA A-Level Sociology (7192)
Education
- 98 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context
- Paper 1
Education is examined on Paper 1, alongside Theory and Methods.
It covers what sociologists say education is for, why achievement differs by class, gender and ethnicity, what happens inside schools, and the policies that have reshaped the system since the tripartite years.
Sample questions from Education
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The role and functions of education
How does Parsons argue that school prepares children for adult life?
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By teaching them to be judged by universalistic standards, preparing them for achievement-based adult roles in wider society. -
Class differences in educational achievement
What are the characteristics of Bernstein's elaborated code?
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Wider vocabulary and context-free language, used by the middle class and in schools. -
Labelling, subcultures and processes within schools
How can setting and streaming create self-fulfilling prophecies?
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Pupils in lower sets are labelled as less able and achieve less as a result of internalising these expectations. -
Gender and educational achievement
How have equal opportunities policies in schools contributed to girls' improved achievement?
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Policies promoting gender equality have challenged stereotypes and encouraged girls to achieve. -
Ethnicity and educational achievement
How might higher rates of poverty among some ethnic minorities contribute to lower educational achievement?
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Poverty limits access to educational resources such as books, computers, private tuition, and adequate nutrition, which can negatively affect concentration, attendance, and academic performance. -
Selection and marketisation
What is marketisation in education?
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Policies introducing market forces into education, making schools compete for pupils and funding. -
Privatisation and vocational education
What are free schools as a form of privatisation?
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Schools set up by parents, teachers, or other groups, funded by the state but operating independently. -
Educational policy, equality and globalisation
What is the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of outcome?
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Equality of opportunity means giving every pupil the same chance to succeed regardless of background; equality of outcome means ensuring all groups achieve similar results.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The role and functions of education | Functionalist and Marxist accounts of what education does for society, and the hidden curriculum. | 14 |
| Class differences in educational achievement | Material and cultural deprivation, Bernstein's codes, and Bourdieu on cultural capital. | 9 |
| Labelling, subcultures and processes within schools | Teacher labelling, the self-fulfilling prophecy, setting and streaming, and pupil subcultures. | 15 |
| Gender and educational achievement | Why girls now outperform boys, the explanations for boys' underachievement, and what feminists still say limits girls. | 15 |
| Ethnicity and educational achievement | Patterns of achievement by ethnic group, and the cultural, material and institutional explanations for them. | 15 |
| Selection and marketisation | The tripartite system, comprehensives, the 1988 Act, parentocracy, and Ball on how markets reproduce inequality. | 13 |
| Privatisation and vocational education | Academies, free schools, outsourcing, and the Marxist view of vocational routes. | 8 |
| Educational policy, equality and globalisation | Compensatory education, equality of opportunity and outcome, and how global competition shapes policy. | 9 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,116 questions with their answers.