SCLY1 (Old Specification) Past Exam Questions

Although June 2016 will be a new specification and exam structure much of the material you have learnt in families and households applies to the new exam. Below are examples of questions taken from the old exam papers that you should practice writing plans for as they are still relevant.

However there are a few key differences:

  • The question you will answer will be worth 20 marks not 24 marks.
  • You will have 30 minutes to write a 20 mark answer.
  • The essays will consist 4 paragraphs and a conclusion containing new information.

How to use this document:

  • Use the extract from the mark scheme and examiners’ advice to create essay plans of the questions.
  • You may not have heard of all of the concepts in the markscheme but there should be at least some that are familiar to you.
  • The examiner’s advice usually outlines bad, moderate and good answers to the question so pick out the ways in which you can achieve top band and incorporate this into your plan.

June 2015

Examine the impact of government policies and laws on family life. [24 marks]

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: patriarchy; familism; surveillance; ideological control; gender regimes; marital breakdown; family structure; family diversity; welfare dependency; underclass; reserve army of labour Policies/laws on abortion; divorce; contraception; reproductive technology; marriage; adoption; pensions; benefits; taxes; education; childcare; child protection; sexuality; immigration may be discussed Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing the impact of different policies/laws or by discussing perspectives on social policy and the family (eg New Right, feminist, functionalist etc)

From the examiner’s report:

The most successful answers were able to identify relevant policies which had a clear impact on the family, and then used a theoretical framework that helped analyse and evaluate these policies. Weaker answers struggled with one or more of these elements. Typically such students identified a few policies (of which divorce reform, various rights to gay and lesbian couples, child protection and welfare benefits were the most popular), but then struggled to relate them to the family. Alternatively, they discussed theoretical perspectives on social policy in general, but then failed to relate them to the family. Discussions on China’s one child policy and the various family policies of the Soviet Union rarely led to much sociological analysis. Some students had knowledge of perspectives, but were unable to offer much beyond statements such as ‘functionalists like policies because they support the family, while New Right don’t because they undermine family’. Sometimes, in answers such as these, the sociological perspectives got in the way of a coherent discussion of the impact on the family of government policies.

Item 2B Some sociologists argue that changes in society have led to a situation where childhood is being lost. By this, they mean that children today no longer have an opportunity to enjoy childhood, but instead have to deal with adult concerns and pressures while they are still young. An alternative view is that children are now denied access to the adult world for a much longer period than was the case for previous generations of children.

Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that childhood is being lost in society today. [24 marks]

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: expansion of higher education; child-centredness; age patriarchy; globalisation; toxic childhood; children’s health; child abuse; child protection; child poverty; the disappearance of childhood; the commercialisation of childhood; the impact of technology; family diversity; gender/class/ethnic/cross-cultural differences. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing different sociological views on childhood and/or discussing the relative importance of various changes to childhood in contemporary society.

From the examiner’s report:

Many answers demonstrated a significant amount of sociological knowledge, but failed to take note of the wording of the question, and therefore were unable to apply the knowledge appropriately. For example, many students ignored the reference to ‘today’ and instead launched into a lengthy account of the nature of childhood in the Middle Ages, and subsequently struggled to focus on the 6 of 8 question. Other students were able to discuss the way in which childhood was socially constructed and the changing nature of childhood, without explicitly discussing whether childhood today is being lost. More focused answers tended to use Postman and Palmer to suggest that childhood was being lost, contrasting these with the views of Opie and Pilcher that childhood remains distinct. Many made reference to the mass media without necessarily tying it to the specifics of the question; similarly, others referred to the commercialisation of childhood without linking this explicitly to the question. Many students compared various cross-cultural models of childhood, and in some cases contrasted these with the experience of childhood in modern industrial societies. Relatively few students were able to differentiate between stages of childhood, or address gender or class differences. Overall only a minority of answers retained their focus on the issue of whether childhood is being lost in society today.

June 2014

Examine the reasons for changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the last 50 years or so. [24 marks]

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: secularisation; rise of feminism; attitude to careers; reconstituted families; cohabitation; confluent love; declining stigma; higher expectations of marriage; remarriage; welfare provision; the ideology of romantic love; privatisation of nuclear families; legislation; individualisation; life expectancy; domestic division of labour; variations in the patterns. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through discussing the importance of different factors or by locating the debate between different perspectives (eg New Right, functionalist, feminist, postmodernist, etc).

From the examiner’s report:

Most students could provide evidence of sociological knowledge on changing patterns of marriage and divorce over the past 50 years or so. There were some excellent answers that discussed a number of changes to marriage and divorce patterns, and these were able to analyse successfully the reasons for such changes. The changing social position of women, secularisation and rising female expectations were linked effectively to both marriage and divorce, with factors such as the fear of divorce and legal reform also examined. The strongest answers employed a strong conceptual and empirical base (with the work of Sharpe on female aspirations, Giddens on confluent love and Fletcher on expectations all appearing), and had a detailed understanding of the nature of various divorce reforms. Stronger answers were able to analyse reasons for changing patterns, whereas weaker responses tended just to list reasons with little elaboration or comment. Some students reinterpreted the question into one on the effects of changing patterns, and this led to some ill-focused material. Many students introduced theoretical perspectives such as Feminism, the New Right and Postmodernism, but often simply offered a juxtaposed commentary on the outcome of changing patterns rather than focusing on the reasons for the changes. Some weaker answers were confused about some of the concepts employed, for example citing ‘the decline of secularisation’ or ‘less stigma attached to marriage’. Similarly, details of divorce legislation were often unclear or inaccurate, with a significant minority of students claiming that before the 1960s women were unable to get divorced at all.

Item 2B- In common with many western societies, the United Kingdom has an ageing population. Rising life expectancy and a relatively low birth rate have meant that the average age of the population is rising. For some writers, the increase in the number of people over the age of 65 presents a problem for society in terms of providing for this group, most of whom are no longer in paid work. However, the fact that life expectancy is rising could be regarded as a success for society. Similarly, an ageing population may provide positive opportunities rather than just problems.

Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the view that an ageing population creates problems for society. [24 marks]

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: ageism; discrimination; dependency ratio; pension rights; beanpole family; extended family; child care; health and social care needs; infantilisation; third age; disengagement; grey power; life expectancy; quality of life; retirement age. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing different sociological views and/or by discussing the extent to which an ageing population represents a problem for society.

From the examiner’s report:

Many students were familiar with material such as the Griffiths Report, Hirsch and Townsend, and could offer a thorough account of the impact of a growing elderly population on public services, the housing market and the ‘pensions crisis’, with concepts such as population pyramids, the dependency ratio and ageism used well. Marxist and Feminist analyses of the problem (for example, the elderly offering little to capitalism, the burden of care falling on women) were also used effectively, although there were several unsophisticated claims about the New Right and the elderly as a component of the ‘underclass’ and part of a dependency culture. A few students gained credit for recognising that a falling birth rate and low numbers of young people were also pertinent, and discussed associated possible problems. Many students recognised the ‘assess’ aspect of the question and could identify possible benefits (as well as problems) of an ageing population, for example, as childcare to support dual-earner families, as volunteers etc. Such responses also examined ways in which problems might be tackled, such as an increase in the retirement age and inward migration of younger people. Some answers discussed an ageing population as grounds for celebration as evidence of improvements in living standards. A number of students made cross-cultural comparisons of attitudes to older people in society, with varying degrees of success. A minority of students could recognise diversity within the notion of ‘older people’ and this led to intelligent comparisons between an active and potentially productive ‘young old’ and the more ‘dependent and ill’ stereotype that dominated many answers. Many students relied heavily on the Item for inspiration, with those who used it as the basis for a balanced discussion of the extent of the “problem” able to perform reasonably well. Weaker responses added little to the Item, or allowed their answer to be dominated by an explanation of the reasons for demographic changes. The majority of the weaker answers struggled to find anything positive to say about older people, and simply listed various problems that older people bring to society. There was very little recognition that people may have paid into their pensions or made some contribution in their working life. Some students seemed unfamiliar with the concepts of rising.

June 2013

Examine the factors affecting power relationships and the division of labour between couples. (24 marks)

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: domestic violence; decision-making; control over finance; women’s paid employment; the impact of feminism; legislation/policies (divorce, education, childcare, discrimination etc); childlessness; family size; class and ethnic variations; same sex couples; conjugal roles; kinship relationships; confluent love. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through discussing the importance of different factors or by locating the debate between different perspectives (eg Marxist, functionalist, feminist, postmodernist etc).

From the examiner’s report:

Most students were able to provide evidence of knowledge of sociological material on changing patterns in the domestic division of labour and power relationships, though in many cases the research cited was rather dated. Most were also able to link this material to theoretical perspectives and discuss to what extent patterns really are changing. However, what was often missing was a clear focus on the factors that might have influenced these patterns. Many responses demonstrated the need for students to address the full wording of the question and not simply to seize on a ‘key term’ such as division of labour. As a result, many students scored no more than 14 out of a possible 24 marks for knowledgeable essays that failed to address power and/or did not draw out factors that affect the division of labour and power. More successful students tended to use sources such as Parsons, Oakley, Willmott and Young and Edgell but also more contemporary material such as Kan, Silver and Schlor and Gershuny and Dunne. These sources were used to identify effectively factors such as the working status of women, the commercialisation of housework, the growth in numbers of same sex couples, the age and education level of the couple, alleged biological differences and size of income to analyse arguments for both segregated and joint conjugal roles and to examine power issues connected to finance, decision-making and violence as well as to recognise opportunities for debate between different perspectives and empirical evidence. Theoretical responses were occasionally successful (eg functionalism vs radical feminism vs Marxist-feminism), but these often lacked specific detail on the division of labour. It should also be noted that the question referred to couples so those who drifted towards single-parenting could not receive much reward.

Item 2b- For functionalist sociologists, the family is an important institution in society. They see the family as having a number of roles essential to the smooth running of society. For example, the family is seen as key to socialising children into the norms and values of society. Other sociologists argue that the functionalist view is too uncritical and ignores the conflict that takes place within the family.

Using material from Item 2B and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalist sociologists to our understanding of the family. (24 marks)

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: stabilisation of adult personalities; social stability; sexual/reproductive/educational/economic functions of family; family as a unit of consumption; reproduction; primary socialisation; gender roles; patriarchy; geographical mobility; hierarchy; social control. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance by comparing different functionalist views or by contrasting functionalist approaches with Marxist and/or feminist views.

From the examiner’s report:

On average, answers to this question were better than those for question 09. The majority of students were able to identify a number of functionalist ideas, usually heavily focused on the work of Murdock and Parsons, and were able to follow them up with a couple of simple points of evaluation from Marxists and/or feminists. Weaker answers provided these elements more or less in a list format, with no analysis or explanation as to how the family carried out these functions and with the evaluation simply juxtaposed. A number of students seem to think that evaluation consists of merely presenting alternative views with little or no connection between them or comment on them. Centres should steer students clear of this approach which often achieves limited reward. More incisive answers were able to build on the Item to develop arguments around the failure of functionalism to consider the ‘dark side’ of the family and its unsuitability in an increasingly diverse society. The most skilled answers carefully selected aspects of other material and provided a direct and pertinent account of appropriate debates such as a Marxist-feminist critique of the ‘warm bath’, New Right, endorsement of the idealisation of the nuclear family, and thorough debates over the loss of functions to institutions such as the state.

Jan 2013

Examine Marxist views of the role of the family. (24 marks)

From the mark scheme:

Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: family as unit of production/consumption; primary socialisation; social control; ideology; hierarchy; authority; false consciousness; reserve army; inheritance of property; consumerism; stabilisation of adult roles; reproduction; capitalism; gender roles; patriarchy. Analysis and evaluation may be developed, for instance through comparing different Marxist views or by contrasting them with different perspectives.