AS Sociology SY4 feedback 2010 Principal Examiner Barbara Greenall

SY4 SY4 is demanding in terms of the range of skills required and the breadth of knowledge. It is a longer exam It is accessible yet challenging

June series Large entry almost entirely first time candidates. Lack of experience in this paper evident and markers were instructed to bear this in mind.

Compulsory section Answers to question a were mixed The best answers were clearly contextualised Some answers merely listed the strengths of non participant observation Some candidates ignored the non participant element and this disadvantages them

Compulsory section Many candidates produced research designs that were logical and clearly justified. However a significant number ignored the request for qualitative data and produced rehearsed “cover all” type answers. This is to be avoided Designs often lost focus and context and some made only cursory references to methodological issues.

Options Both options were popular and in both there were some excellent answers Some lack of experience and confusion was evident in the part a questions and this was accounted for in the marking. However there were obvious gaps in knowledge and this should be fairly easy to rectify with careful preparation and planning.

Options part b questions As in other modules many candidates continue to argue for the view in the question rather than debate the view. Consequently they are very unlikely to achieve band 4 marks in either domain. Adopting this approach also means that they have failed to respond to the command words in the question. Clear understanding of command words is a pre requisite of success

Improving performance Learn key terms – these are the focus of questions Read the questions carefully, noting commands and debates. Plan answers following clear and logical order (use opening/ closing gambits to flag up skills) Remain focussed throughout Write a concluding paragraph

For further information, please contact the subject officer at the WJEC Joanna Lewis 245 Western Avenue Cardiff CF5 2YX