20 mark essay structure sociology

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Essential AQA A-Level Sociology How to Maximise Student Performance in 20 & 30 Mark Essays

This course provides comprehensive guidance and resources to support the teaching of effective exam technique for the 20 and 30-mark questions in AQA A-Level Sociology.

• 2-3 hours learning time
• 7 course steps

About this course

Who it's for.

All teachers delivering AQA A-Level Sociology

Course series

Essential AQA A-Level Sociology

Course outline

• Introduction
• Writing 20 & 30 mark questions
• Overall structure
• Planning Essays
• Introductions & Conclusions
• Marking Activity

Duncan Hall

Duncan is Subject Lead for Sociology, History and Politics at tutor2u. Duncan is an experienced teacher, writer and senior examiner.

Craig Gelling

Craig is an experienced Sociology teacher and examiner and is known as The Sociology Guy on social media. Craig helps design and deliver tutor2u Sociology CPD courses and student exam workshops.

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Essay Questions

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You will find a 20 mark question on all three papers of the A-Level exam, however, Methods in context question will be dealt with separately.

20 mark questions are essay style questions and should be answered in continuous prose and paragraphs. You should take around 25 – 30 minutes to answer these questions and contain between 3 and 4 paragraphs as well as an introduction and conclusion.

30 Mark Questions only appear on paper 1 and 3 for both Education and Crime and Deviance. 30 Mark questions are to be approached in the same way as the 20 markers, however, you ware expected to show a deeper level of knowledge and understanding (4-5 points), analysis and evaluation.

Command Words 

All essay questions use the same command words: 

Applying material from = Use the item explicitly in your answer. The examiner needs to see "the item" to show you have taken material from the item. 

Evaluate = Look at multiple arguments and come to a reasoned and definitive conclusion

Evaluation Stems

There are two types of essay that you can be asked, Argument or relative importance. You will need to identify which type it is by looking at the question and identifying the evaluation stem. There are four stems for argument essays and two for relative importance: 

ARGUMENT ESSAY STEMS

• The view 
• The contribution of 
• The usefulness of 

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE ESSAY STEMS

• Sociological explanations of 
• The reasons / causes / factors of

Planning your answers is an important step in practicing essay questions. There is no point writing out a full essay answer if you have no idea or are unsure on what it is you are being asked to do or what to include. 

The for and against sides of the content section are essentially two different essays. They do not have to correspond. You then choose which you one you are going to turn into your essay [answer].

Introduction

The introduction should give an overview to the examiner of what it is you are going to write about in the essay. It is also there to show the examiner that you understand the question and what it is asking you to do.

The introduction should contain three elements:

Context: 

This is the background information on the question and can come in three forms:

• Definition of key sociological terms.
• Trends in statistical subjects.
• Background of the theory or topic.

Content: 

In this part of the introduction you show the examiner that you have interpreted the question correctly by explaining the key points that you are going to cover in the essay.

For an   argument   essay this will be both the arguments for and against the view in the question. Whereas for a   relative importance   question this will be the reasons, factors or explanations you are going to discuss.

This a a single sentence which either states that you are going to argue for or against the view in the question, or which reason, factor or explanation is the most important.

The main body of the essay should be around 3 or 4 paragraphs for a 20 marker and 4 or 5 paragraphs in length for a 30 marker, meaning that there should be 4 or 5 points that come from both the item that you have been given as well as your own knowledge.

A nswer the Question

The first sentence of your paragraph should directly answer the question. Use the terms of the question to help make sure you are answering the question set. 

Argument Essay - Why have you come to your overall answer. Give a reason not a concept. 

Relative Importance - Identify the explanation, reason, cause or factor. 

R easons / Explanation 

Use your sociological knowledge to explain how and why this answers the question. This should be around 3-4 sentences where you teach the reader and convince them that your answer is the correct one. 

E valuation 

The evaluation section of the paragraph is where you show your understanding of the opposing argument to your answer. The evaluation should directly link to the point that you are making at the start of your paragraph. It must be shorter than your explanation. 

A pplication  

The application elements of your paragraph are floating and go where they fit. Application comes in a range of formats:

• Integrated use of the item [Paraphrase don't quote]
• Appropriately named sociologists
• Appropriately used sociological studies
• Contemporary real life examples
• Illustrative Examples 

L ink  

This is where you reiterate your answer. 

Argument Essay - What is your overall argument again. Not necessary for Assessment objectives but good literacy. 

Relative Importance - Why is this factor the most important / not the most important. This is ESSENTIAL to show you are answering the question and not just describing the topic. 

The conclusion should be about 2 or 3 sentences long and needs to answer the question directly, and explain why you have come to that answer. 

Do not evaluate or add anything you have not mentioned already. 

The Sociology Teacher

Types of Questions

There are a variety of different questions that come up across your three A level exams. Knowing what's needed in each question will help you structure your answers.

Mark Questions

What are they?

These questions simply ask you to outline two (for four marks) or outline three (for six marks) things. These things are usually 'reasons' or 'factors'.

Where are they?

Paper 1: A four marker and a six marker as questions 1 & 2 both on education.

Paper 2: None of these! ​

Paper 3: A four marker and a six marker as questions 1 & 2 both on crime and deviance.

How do I answer them? ​

Quite simply you get one mark for a partially outlined factor/reason, and two marks for a clearly outlined factor/reason. 

These questions make up 1/8th of your total marks. All though that seems small, it could be the difference between you getting the grade you need or falling short!

10 Mark Questions

These questions come in two variations:  "Outline and explain two..." and  "Using material from Item A, analyse two...".  They require you to write two paragraphs, aim for about a page of A4 handwritten.

Paper 1: One "analyse" question on education and one "outline" question on theory & methods.

Paper 2: One of each for family and one of each for media (so four in total).

Paper 3: One "analyse" question on crime & deviance and one "outline" question on theory & methods.

All though the questions look similar, you have to answer them in completely different ways. "Outline" questions require strong and clearly described information, focusing on AO1. It may feel like you're stating the obvious with some parts of your answer, but you need to make it clear to the examiner that you know every aspect of what it is you've been asked to outline. Opinion is divided as to how little evaluation needs to be included in each paragraph. Some say none, however go with one or two (max) sentences to be safe if you have the time.

"Analyse" questions on the other hand require you to firstly use an item. Where ever possible you need to select two points from within the item and directly quote it. In terms of your writing, your AO1 needs to be condensed, unlike the lengthy descriptive AO1 in an "outline" question. This gives you more room for AO2 and AO3. Apply it to any examples or current events, before going on to the analysis and evaluation. This needs to be assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the focus of your paragraphs. The more specific the analysis and evaluation, the better. 

These questions make up 1/4 of your total marks, so they're definitely worth getting your head around!

20 Mark Questions

Methods in context.

Methods in context questions ask you to combine your knowledge of a particular research methods and an educational topic.

There is only one of these questions and it's in Paper 1.

Aim for two sides of A4 handwritten. Include an introduction, conclusion and three main paragraphs on practical, ethical and theoretical aspects of the research. You should aim for a balance of both strengths and limitations of the research method and relate it as specifically as possible to what you are trying to investigate.

20 & 30 Mark Questions

These questions are essay questions which require you to evaluate something. They always have an item, so you will have some basic AO1 to get you going.

Paper 1: One 30 mark question on education.

Paper 2: Two 20 mark questions, one on family and one on media.

Paper 3: One 30 mark question on crime & deviance and one 20 mark question on theory & methods.

You need to start with an engaging introduction, include your main body paragraphs, and end with a confident conclusion. These main body paragraphs need to start with some relevant AO1, possibly making reference to the item, followed by AO2 and AO3. Keep an eye on the blog posts for some more detailed advice on answers.

These questions make up half of your total marks, so they're essential to achieving the grade you want.

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Theory & Methods: AQA A Level Sociology Topic Essays (20 Marks)

in Worked Answers

This collection of exemplar essays cover a wide range of 20-mark essay questions on Theory & Methods. Each comes with commentary from a senior examiner.

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The essays contained in this resource are:

Applying material from Item C and your own knowledge...

• Evaluate the usefulness of functionalist approaches to our understanding of society
• Evaluate the usefulness of Marxist approaches to our understanding of society
• Evaluate the usefulness of feminist approaches to our understanding of society
• Evaluate the usefulness of interactionist approaches to our understanding of society
• Evaluate the view that structural theories are limited in their understanding of society today
• Evaluate the view that sociology should be value free in its research
• Evaluate the view that sociology is, and should be, a scientific discipline
• Evaluate the claim that society has entered into a postmodern age
• Evaluate the claim that positivist methodologies are of limited usefulness in our understanding of contemporary society
• Evaluate the claim that the main purpose of sociological research should be to inform government policy to tackle social issues

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Exams, Essays and Short Answer Questions

Table of Contents

Last Updated on May 10, 2024 by Karl Thompson

This page provides the following information:

An Overview of the Three Sociology Exam Papers

There are three exam papers for AQA A-level sociology.  All papers are two hours long, all papers have a total of 6 questions (the format of some of these repeat across papers), and all papers are marked out of a total of 80.

For more advice on each paper and examples of specific questions and answer, please scroll down! 

A Level Sociology Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods

General advice for answering questions on paper 1, 10 mark ‘applying material from the item analyse questions’, 20 mark methods in context questions , 30 mark education essay questions , 10 mark theory and/ or methods outline and explain (no item) 10 mark questions, a level sociology paper 2: topics , families and households.

Examples of possible 10 mark questions for AQA A-Level sociology: families and households topic

Beliefs in Society (aka Religion)

Outline and explain two ways in which religion might promote social change

Outline and explain two arguments against the view that sociology is a science (10)

Applying material from the item, analyse two reasons for gender differences in the membership of religious organisations (10)

Evaluate the view that religious beliefs and organisations are barriers to social change (20)

Evaluate the pluralist view of the ownership and control of the media (20)

Global Development

Outline and explain two criticisms other theories of development might make of dependency theory (10)

Evaluate explanations of development and underdevelopment put forward by Dependency Theorists (20)

A Level Sociology Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods

General advice on answering all questions, 4 and 6 mark ‘outline and explain questions’, 30 mark crime and deviance essays , as level sociology resources .

There are two 90 minute papers at the end of the AS year, and three two hour papers at the end of the A Level Year. Remember that if you do the AS qualification, your grades don’t count towards the A level, you are reassessed in a slightly different format on all of the first year material, along with all of the second year material as part of the A level exams at the end of the two years of study. 

Related Posts

Assessment Objectives in AS and A Level Sociology  – It’s useful to know how the marks are distributed in the exam – there are complex question by question breakdowns on the specification, but to simplify it – Knowledge and Understanding (of concepts, theories, research) is worth about 50% of the marks in the exam, the other 50% are for Application, Analysis and Evaluation. 

Sociology Revision Resources for Sale

Overall the bundle contains:

Sociology Teaching Resources for Sale

Included in the bundle is a clearly structured 50 page gapped student work-pack, six PowerPoints* to structure the 10 lessons, 10 detailed lesson plans outlining a range of learning activities you can use with students, a massive list of relevant contemporary resources with links, and numerous lesson activities including introductions, plenaries and links to some Socrative quizzes.

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AQA A-level sociology exam technique

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