Worth 20 marks – 25% of overall grade To be completed in one hour under exam conditions

Section 1 – Research topic Issue Worth 2 marks, you are required to state what your topic is. You should present this as a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement that gives your prediction about what your research will find out. You should also give aims. Mention two things that you hope to find out when carrying out your research.

Section 1 – Research topic Issue Example: My research topic is….. Unreported crime. My hypothesis is….. Lots of crime goes unreported in Scotland My aims for this research project were….. To find out how many crimes are not reported in Scotland; And, to find out why people don’t report crimes: And, to find out who is most likely not to report a crime; To find out what types of crime go unreported.

Section 2 – Research Methods Worth 8 marks, you are required to comment on two of the research methods you have used. For each of the two methods, you should: 1.Say why you chose it 2.Describe the strengths of the chosen method 3.Describe the weaknesses of the chosen method. 4.Explain what you might do differently if you had the chance to do the research again. You must refer to research on support sheet – or maximum of 4 marks will be awarded.

Section 2 – Research Methods Example: I chose to use [method] as a research method. I chose this method because… [briefly explain one or two key reasons why] One of the strengths of using [method]is…. (x 2 times). Try to illustrate strengths by referring to your attached research. One of the weaknesses of using [method]is…. (x 2 times). Try to illustrate strengths by referring to your attached research. You would then repeat for second research method If I was carrying out this research again, I might…. (explain something you would do differently – link to faults/limits with your own research)

Section 3 – Research findings Worth 6 marks, you describe and explain the main findings of your research. To get all six marks you needs to: 1.Refer to the evidence you have gathered 2.Link it to knowledge and understanding of the topic you have chosen. You need to make two or three points here (one per aim) It doesn’t matter if your research findings don’t match knowledge and understanding.

Section 3 – Research findings Example: When carrying out my research I found that…. A lot of people in Peebles believed that the main reason people don’t report crime is because they are too scared to. My survey of 30 people found that 16 people believed that being too scared was the main reason that people did not report crime [reference to research]. There is no doubt that fear is one reason for not reporting crime. However, this is only one of many different reasons people don’t report crime. Some people are too embarrassed, possibly following a sexual crime; others may not believe the police will take them seriously, possibly following a race hate crime; or people might not report a crime such as domestic violence because they don’t want a spouse to get into trouble. [knowledge and understanding]. Repeat x 2/3

Section 4 – Research Conclusions Worth 4 marks, you are required to reach a conclusion about your topic. You should back up your conclusion with reference to your research and to knowledge gathered. Your conclusion should clearly link back to hypothesis, giving a clear judgement as to accuracy of it. THIS SHOULD NOT JUST REPEAT INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS SECTION – YOU WILL NOT BE AWARDED MARKS FOR REPITITION.

Section 4 – Research Conclusions Example: My conclusion is that… My hypothesis was correct, as a lot of crime goes unreported in Scotland. This conclusion is backed up by research, which shows…. A lot of people in Peebles had at some point in their lives not reported a crime that they were a victim of. My survey of 30 people found that 16 people had at some point not reported a crime to the police [reference to research]. This is consistent with statistics issued by the BCS study, which shows that in 2010/11, there were approximately 4 million crimes reported, though it was believed that close to 10 million offences had taken place [knowledge and understanding].