IGCSE Sociology Past Papers & Drilling (Paper 1): Research Methods and Identity

Question 1

(a)(i) Two findings: family was the factor most pupils named as the strongest influence on identity (58%), and 62% agreed that gender affects identity. (3 marks)

(ii) Method feature: the study used a self-completion questionnaire (a quantitative method) with fixed options, which suits comparison across a large sample; the response rate was 960 / 1200 x 100 = 80%, which is high and reduces non-response bias. (4 marks)

(iii) Two problems: questionnaires carry social desirability bias and differences in interpretation, so pupils may pick family while hiding other views; the closed options cannot be probed, and studying only four schools limits representativeness – a ranking of influence is not evidence of cause. (5 marks)

(b) Primary data are collected first-hand by the researcher for this study (such as the questionnaire here); secondary data are produced by others or for another purpose and then analysed (official statistics, earlier research reports). (6 marks)

(c) Advantages: the questions are standardised, so a large sample can be compared and quantified (1200 returns produced the 58% and 21% distribution); and anonymity encourages answers to sensitive questions at lower cost and in less time than interviews. (8 marks)

(d) Evaluation: quantitative methods are repeatable and comparable, so sampling and statistics support inference and give high reliability; but reliable is not the same as valid – closed options can force answers that fit nobody, and they cannot reveal meaning. Qualitative methods (interviews, observation) capture motive and process with more depth but are hard to replicate and small samples limit inference. The strongest design is mixed methods: a survey for the distribution, interviews to explain it, checked by triangulation. (8 marks)

(e) Plan: use stratified random sampling by school type and attainment band, taking 20 pupils per stratum (about 200 in total); run semi-structured interviews first to explore subject-choice reasoning, then a questionnaire to quantify it; use school option statistics (secondary data) to check the overall trend. These choices give both representativeness and depth, and allow official statistics to verify the findings. (6 marks)

Question 2

(a) Socialisation is the process through which people learn social norms, values and roles from agencies such as the family, school, peers and media; identity is a person’s understanding of who they are, covering gender, class, ethnicity and roles. (4 marks)

(b) The family is the site of primary socialisation: parents pass on norms and gender expectations through language, rewards and modelling, so children learn “appropriate” behaviour in daily interaction and internalise the family’s class and ethnic position. (6 marks)

(c) Peer groups offer comparison and acceptance with people of the same age: dress, language and taste become membership tests, while an “us and them” boundary strengthens group identity; peer pressure also changes behaviour such as subject choice and sport, and in the teenage years its influence often runs alongside or ahead of the family. (8 marks)

(d) The media shape identity through representation: advertising and drama repeat templates of success, beauty and gender roles, and audiences evaluate themselves against them; social media turns identity into something measurable and comparable through likes and followers, feeding appearance anxiety and selective self-presentation. (8 marks)

(e) For: expectations of gender vary between societies, which shows that gendered behaviour is largely learnt, and family and school rewards, toys and activities reinforce the norms. Against: biology and individual agency also shape behaviour, socialisation is not one-way, and people resist norms, so identity is negotiated. Conclusion: socialisation is the main mechanism but does not explain everything. (8 marks)

(f) For: teenagers spend more time with peers and at school, and peer feedback is immediate and frequent. Against: the family still shapes early language, class and religion and provides money and emotional support at key choices. The source above supports the second view – 58% named family as the strongest influence against 21% for friends – so peer influence has grown without replacing the family. (6 marks)

Question 1

(a) Social stratification is the ranking of groups into higher and lower layers by wealth, status and power; social mobility is movement up or down between those layers, within or between generations. (4 marks)

(b) Example: resources and expectations are unevenly distributed – low-income households struggle to fund tutoring and activities, while the hidden curriculum and labelling can steer their children into lower sets, widening the attainment gap. (6 marks)

(c) Class works through economic capital (income, housing, money for education), cultural capital (language and familiarity with institutional rules) and social capital (networks and information). The three reinforce each other, so children of higher-class families gain an advantage in education and work and pass it on. (8 marks)

(d) Gender affects income through occupational segregation (female-dominated sectors pay less), differences in promotion and working hours because of care responsibilities, and pay negotiation and discrimination. The source shows the top 10% receiving 42 / 8 = 5.25 times the income of the bottom 50%, while the Gini coefficient rose from 0.42 to 0.50, a 19.0% increase. (8 marks)

(e) For: division of labour and unequal rewards exist in every society, so perfect equality is hard to achieve. Against: the degree of inequality is set by institutions – tax, social security, education funding and labour protection can narrow it – and the 19.0% rise in the Gini coefficient shows change comes from policy and markets, not nature. Conclusion: difference may be unavoidable, but today’s level is not. (8 marks)

(f) For: the law protects equal opportunity, consumption and lifestyles have converged, and some people move up through education. Against: income, health and educational outcomes remain closely tied to background, intergenerational mobility is slow, and class culture shapes self-expectation. Conclusion: class has changed form – from open barriers to hidden resource advantages – but has not disappeared. (6 marks)

Question 2

School sampling fraction = 960 / 24,000 x 100 = 4.0%; city sampling fraction = 1200 / 250,000 x 100 = 0.48%. The smaller the fraction, the more representativeness depends on random selection.

Question 3

Mean = (14 + 15 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18) / 6 = 15.83 years; median = average of the third and fourth values = 15.5 years; mode = 15 years. Reporting both mean and median prevents outliers from misleading the reader.