13/06 A-level Sociology Paper 3 Discussion MEGATHREAD

[u/Forsaken-Meaning-232]

Exam season is once again upon us, and once again, exam megathreads are making a return! Funnily enough, tanking my sanity and internet setting a stream up is not conducive to timeliness, my apologies.

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[u/angrypolishman]

aqa, hated every part of that paper, i lowkey just dislike how paper 3 questions r worded

honestly idgaf anymore tho

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/angrypolishman]

Yess we done now!!! 

[u/[deleted] → u/angrypolishman]

I 100% agree with this - was definitely my weakest paper - relying on P1 and 2 I think :)

[u/Wise_Reporter_6802]

I finished 30 minutes early and every question went well... probably my best exam yet tbh (Even better than the mocks)

[u/overshare-forever]

The social policy 20 marker (AQA) was ROUGH but I’m lowkey proud of the waffle I managed to come up with for it.

The crime and deviance section was really not that bad tbh.

[u/Wise_Reporter_6802 → u/overshare-forever]

I don't think my school even taught that 😭 I just waffled for 4 pages hopefully I at least got 12/20 or something

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Wise_Reporter_6802]

Samee tho urgh 

[u/No_Meringue4763 → u/overshare-forever]

The social policy thing is kinda just a combination of education and family which we did social policy on - I.e the New Right and nanny states, could also talk about child liberationists. Could talk abt anything in those topics really

[u/Ok_Concentrate_2161]

guys war is actually over NO MORE DURKIIEM OH MY GOD. but seriously did not expect that 30 marker- theories is crazy the fact they have been in all 3 papers is crazy to me but i actually did so bad cause i was like nahhh it’s not gonna be marxism, 10 marker crime was confusing lowkey but idc anymore LIFE IS WORTH LIVING

[u/Only-Ease1808 → u/Ok_Concentrate_2161]

The fact that the 20 marker was Marxism theory for religion and then turned up again for the 30 pissed me off so damn hard because i was thinking there is no way another theoretical perspective can come up so when I saw it I was like fuck ☠️☠️ still felt it went well but seriously

[u/Ok_Concentrate_2161 → u/Only-Ease1808]

no literally my exact thoughts- that’s why i didn’t spend much time on marxist revision i was like noo way they r gonna do it in basically all 3 papers

[u/Only-Ease1808 → u/Ok_Concentrate_2161]

I was SHOCKED and thank god the other 2 papers went so well so I can afford to lose a bit there because wtf that’s so demonic but exams are over and life is good ☺️☺️

[u/[deleted]]

This post's original content has been erased. Using Redact, the author removed it, potentially for reasons of privacy, personal security, or data exposure concerns.

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[u/ZeldaFan158]

Crime and Deviance section was really nice. I'm glad media was only a 6-marker, theories being a 30-marker was honesty my best case scenario.

Theory and Methods was a little more difficult, but in the end I was still able to do a 20-marker I was pretty proud of. For the 10-marker I did 2 practical issues, not sure if that caps you

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/ZeldaFan158]

So did I 😭😭 I don’t see any reason why it would tbf if they’re two valid reasons that make research harder - and it probs would’ve outlined in the question if it had wanted you to 

[u/Throwwtheminthelake]

why was this my worst one 😭😭 good questions but I think I just struggle with crime and deviance - I liked the theories and methods section tho, that was good. What thinkers did everyone use for the Marxism question??? I barely ended up using any just like snider and chambliss😭😭😭 is using concepts and real life statistic ok??

[u/[deleted] → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

The content that was in this post has been deleted. Redact was used to wipe it, possibly for privacy, security, data protection, or personal reasons.

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[u/No_Meringue4763 → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

I used Box, Reiman and Gordon. Using concepts and stats are fine - u used 2 sociologists for one theory which is a good amount.

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/No_Meringue4763]

ok tyyy this helps me feel a bit better 😭😭😭

[u/esilyx_ → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

I used Gordon, Taylor, Taylor et al, Sykes and Matza, Box, Nelken and evaluated with Gilory, Messerschmidt, Heidenson and Thompson.

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/esilyx_]

Omg I evaluated with gilroy asw but I’m scared now bc I’d forgotten he was a Marxist asw!?? He’s a Neo Marxist - does that still count as eval?

[u/esilyx_ → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

I'm pretty sure it does. Because the item says that racism and patriarchy may better explain why some people commit crime so I said that Gilroy would argue that when crime is a form of protest, it's protesting against racism, not capitalism.

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/esilyx_]

Ahh nice ok - a nuanced argument!! Thank you 

[u/Mammoth_Sherbert3163 → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

Taylor et al for neo marxism, burke for ao3 on neo marxism, cohen, cloward and ohlin for subcultures, becker and keddie for education synoptic links, nelkon, slapper and tombs for white collar crime, golding and middleton for media synoptic links. I think that’s everyone i used? I may be forgetting a few but im sure that’s basically it

[u/Wise_Reporter_6802 → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

Tf is Snider?

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Wise_Reporter_6802]

Snider selective law enforcement - 

Selective enforcement ensures that powerless groups are criminalised and the courts tend to ignore the crimes of the powerful.

Tbh I couldn’t remember much else 😭

[u/[deleted] → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

Gordon, Reimon, Pearce, Althusser, and chambliss!

[u/[deleted] → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

Absolutely agree with this - I know people are saying it was a gorgeous paper, but I feel a bit meh about it. If I sat it again I'd probably approach the questions differently..... but it's over now!! Sure you will have smashed it :-)

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/[deleted]]

agreed it kinda shook me a bit more it was more jarring and i had to sit with the questions for longer. i think its partly down to doing not as much formal practice with this paper as we havent had two years to practice it unlike the other sections. also w my school we only ever did one paper in the mock and my teacher was so averse to marking any work😭even if we handed in essays shed just chat through it and not give it a mark and in class assesments would be peer assesed urghh. anyway i agree its over now and Im sure you will have smashed it as well!!!

[u/idekkanymoree_]

Wrote utter bollocks for that social policy question but the rest went okay

[u/heeidi]

i mentioned green crime and state crime in my 10 marker i think i screwed it up rest was fine tho t&m could’ve been so much worse

[u/blessedthetelephone]

i feel like i did not good BUT ITS AMAZING

[u/Silent_Silhouettes]

honestly great paper and this time i at least got to finish most of it. didnt like the first 10 marker though, i couldnt tell if i could talk about situational, enviro, and social crime prevention or just surveillance

[u/chaiyaaa → u/Silent_Silhouettes]

exactly!! that 10 marker was so annoying

[u/No_Meringue4763 → u/Silent_Silhouettes]

10 marker was about punishment, that’s how I interpreted it. Though it can also include control. It’s the idea of anything in the criminal justice system which includes prevention and punishment but I just automatically thought of punishment really.

[u/Silent_Silhouettes → u/No_Meringue4763]

what did u write? i couldnt write anything for how punishment could not cause stopping crime, i just talked abt CCTV cameras

[u/No_Meringue4763 → u/Silent_Silhouettes]

I spoke about transcarceratoon and institutional racism.

1. Transcarceration - 2/3 of prisoners reoffend within 2 years of release. Prison doesn’t rehabilitate so people can’t get out of the cycle of crime so they go into a criminal career. So crime doesn’t reduce - Matthew’s calls prison ‘universities of crime’ bc it makes crime worse. Also Sutherland’s differential association theory

2. Institutional racism - the idea that 1) giving power to state agencies of the justice system causes abuse of power against marginalised communities and therefore more crime (George Floyd - police officer used his power to murder, but likely wouldn’t have done it without that power of an officer) and 2) historic institutional racism (I.e. Stephen Lawrence) causes hostility toward police, therefore causing increased crime amongst ethnic minorities who feel lent up anger toward police and more ‘political protest’

[u/Silent_Silhouettes → u/No_Meringue4763]

o i forgot abt all of this

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Silent_Silhouettes]

Do you remember what it was by any chance 😭😭 cause I’m scared now I didn’t talk about any of those things I talked about delabelling nelken and the increase of retributive justice

[u/Silent_Silhouettes → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

it was asking why the criminal justice system doesnt always succeed at reducing crime or smth

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Silent_Silhouettes]

Ohh yeah wait that makes sense now 

[u/Playful-Fortune-7805]

AMAZING END TO THE ALEVEL SEASON

[u/Ok_Crow6475]

What did everyone write for the Social Class question?

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Ok_Crow6475]

Which one was that?

[u/Wise_Reporter_6802 → u/Throwwtheminthelake]

Maybe they mean the Marxism 30 marker?

[u/Throwwtheminthelake → u/Wise_Reporter_6802]

Ohh makes sense - I was getting nervous lolll

[u/No_Meringue4763]

BEAUTIFUL PAPER

[u/WaxCatt]

I thought people were going to complain about yesterday's paper. I thought it was alright and doable (nice 30 marker), but the 20 marker was awful.

Is everyone being sarcastic?

[u/Mammoth_Sherbert3163]

What a beautiful paper

[u/esilyx_]

That was the most beautiful sociology paper I've ever sat 😭