‘A2’ SOCIOLOGY PAST PAPERS & MARK SCHEMES

The link underneath will take you straight to the AQA website past papers section.  There are a number of ways you can use these papers:

Ø      Learn and reinforce your knowledge of the exam structure in terms of marks for each question.  You don’t want to waste any valuable exam time reminding yourself of this: the structure is slightly different for each paper – no-one seems to know why, but make sure you are properly prepared for each exam.

Ø      You may attempt any paper at any time and it will be marked by Mr Hawes – you may even get “instant” feedback if you’re lucky.  If you are retaking an exam, don’t be afraid to redo papers you have done in the past, it all helps.

Ø      The mark schemes are dense, repetitive and elaborate, and for A2 are broken up into AO1 and AO2 skills.  Don’t worry too much about them if you find them bewilderingly complicated, just use the suggested content to guide you – this is usually in boxes at the end of the AO1 Knowledge & Understanding section for the 40 mark questions.

Ø      You will see that the word “reasonable” still occurs regularly in the middle bands, which is where 70% of students find themselves at A2.  Practicing papers and having them marked will help you understand exactly what the chief examiner, Rob Webb, means by “reasonable” at A2 – you are a year older and more experienced Sociologists, so a little more is expected of you.

PAST PAPERS & MARK SCHEMES