A2 Sociology SY3 feedback 2010 Principal Examiner Janis Griffiths

Statistical screening Purpose of screening Impact of screening on the distribution of grades and grade boundaries

January series Larger entry for SY 3 Mostly first time candidates Many very good responses.

January series - Options Understanding Crime most popular option Few attempted Politics, but generally good Very few attempted Health and Disability

General observations Fewer rubric errors Better at time planning Misreading of questions apparent Misunderstanding of ‘how’ and ‘why’ Tendency to lose the plot and revert to ‘all I know about...’

January series SY3 Qu 1 Some excellent answers with a range of different crimes Many focused on white collar and corporate crime Some wandered into long discussions of the validity and reliability of the BCS and lost their way

January series SY3 Qu 2 Those who knew their theory did very well on this, but many did not Limited evaluation of Marxism per se. Tended to run through all theories and say at the end what they thought of Marxism Many wrongly attributed theorists

January series SY3 Qu 3 Many wrote explanations of theories of the link between ethnicity and crime without considering the nature of that link in any way. Stephen Lawrence biographies appeared. Limited mention of White crime, Black on Black or of victimisation of ethnic minorities

January series SY3 Qu 4 Those who knew what pressure groups do wrote very clear accounts. There was some confusion of pressure groups with political parties

January series SY3 Qu 5 Again, understanding of Marxism was very weak in some cases. Limited reference to either ideology or power Often only linked to voting The choice of weaker candidates?

January series SY3 Qu 6 Very well handled. Limited evidence from studies, but lots of examples of recent political activity and reference to different social groupings Choice of better candidates?

June series Larger entries for SY3 but weaker on whole. (Re-sit effect?) Larger entry than for previous series, so centres new to WJEC coming on board. More English centres attracted to specification

January series - Options Understanding Crime most popular option Fewer attempted Politics, but generally good Bigger entry for Health and Disability

Knowledge Some candidates were not able to think on their feet so answers are tangential to question. Some odd interpretations of theory were offered, especially for crime and deviance.

Structuring answers Some weaknesses in the organisation and planning of answers –Not defining key terms –Limited deployment of paragraphs –Repetition –Limited use of evidence and AO 1 –Dated studies

June series SY3 Qu 1 Some excellent answers outlining the three ways crime data is collected – BCS, OCS and self-report Some wandered into long discussions of research methods and failed to address the question – missed the significance of the term data.

June series SY3 Qu 2 Those who knew their theory did very well on this, but many did not and added long descriptions of other theories justified by a quick reference to Realisms. Limited evaluation of Realism (especially strengths) – tendency to describe and then leave evaluation as a final paragraph

June series SY3 Qu 3 Polarisation of answers – some excellent, many weak. Feminism not understood. Many wrote ‘ Why do men commit crime?’ Some uncritical accounts of the increasing violence of women

June series SY3 Qu 4 Very few understood the notion of devolution or even decentralisation. Those who did, described it well and gained good marks

June series SY3 Qu 5 Those who knew and understood pluralism did well. Tendency to leave evaluation to final paragraph

June series SY3 Qu 6 Few takers Most knew the features of a democracy but there was little assessment or application of that knowledge to the UK

June series SY3 Qu 7 Very well handled by those who knew and understood the notion of the sick role. The role of the doctor in allocating sick role was not always appreciated

January series SY3 Qu 8 Very well handled by those who understood the debate. Choice of better candidates?

June series SY3 Qu 9 This was very much the preferred choice. Wide range of answers of different standards Technical language used well. Limited reference to question of whether the medical profession is a threat to health.

Improving performance Learn key terms – these are the focus of questions Read the questions carefully, noting commands and debates. Choose the appropriate question – recognise that there is usually a theory/debate dichotomy. Don’t leave evaluations to the end of the essay

Special plea Computer written answers – many are very difficult to read (small cramped fonts etc) Please – double spacing and size 12 or 14 fonts. Serif fonts tend to be easier than sans-serif for extended writing.

For further information, please contact the subject officer at the WJEC Joanna Lewis 245 Western Avenue Cardiff CF5 2YX