So how should you write your sociology essays to best meet the needs of the examiners?
A Strong Sociology essay needs:
· Structure: A beginning (Introduction), middle (Main Part) and end (Conclusion). Each needs careful planning.
· Use of the 3 assessment objectives: AO1, AO2 and AO3
Introductions should be:
Short; define key terms; show how the terms link together; outline the debate.
Main Parts should:
Outline and assess alternative theories/studies, making use of AO1, AO2 and AO3.
Conclusions should:
Offer your opinion on the question, with reference to the theories/studies outlined in the Main Part.
Emphasising Assessment Objectives in your written work
Phrases for showing AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding): Refer to sociologists, perspectives, dates, concepts accurately, appropriately and concisely. Using the following phrases in your answers will help a great deal as they encourage you to explain the sociology you have learnt:
‘X’ (the Sociologist) argues that ….
This suggests that…
So we can see that…
Therefore…
An example of this is…
By this, ‘X’ (the Sociologist) means…
Phrases for AO2 (Interpretation and Application):
This would imply that… because….
One consequence would be…
This has been applied to…. situation, where….
This was seen is the recent example of….because….
There may be cultural variations, such as…. because….
An alternative explanation could be…. because….
Phrases for AO3 (analysis and evaluation):
This is supported by… because….
This is challenged by… because….
One advantage/strength of this is… because….
One limitation/weakness of this is… because….
‘X’ compares/contrasts with ‘Y’ because…
Remember:
If you are to write a strong ‘assess’ essay you will need to check/ensure that for each Main Part Paragraph/Reference:
Have you got (at least):
1 x reference to the question or key word in it to show the relevance of the material to the Q
2 x concepts. These are key words (eg ‘universal family’, ‘geographical mobility’). Remember each key word when used the first time will need to be defined (as briefly as possible).
2 x comparisons. This could include comparing sociologists of the same perspective (eg Goode and Parsons) or contrasting different perspectives (eg Functionalism and Marxism).
2 x ‘real world’ supporting examples/strengths. This could include an example from the news or your own experience or from other sociologists/sociology books. It will need a ‘because’ or an ‘as’ in order to link it with a reason/justification for it being a strength).
2 x ‘real world’ critical examples/limitations or theoretical criticism. This could include an example from the news or your own experience or from other sociologists/sociology books. It will need a ‘because’ or ‘as’ to link it with a reason/justification for it being a weakness).
Use the above as a checklist to reflect on your essay before you hand it in. If there are elements missing, add it now while you can.
An example of an introduction and a conclusion
Explain and assess the view that there is no equality within households
‘Equality means that power, roles and status are shared in a more or less evenly balanced fashion. In the home this could involve equal input into housework, equal authority with the children and equal status in decision-making. Functionalists believe in equality in the home, which links in with their vital idea of consensus. Sociologists who don’t believe in equality in the home include most feminists, but foremost among them are the Marxist Feminists. Liberal Feminists, however, believe that due to the changing law system, equality is slowly but surely becoming a reality…..
(Main Part here)
….. The sociological theory I most agree with is Liberal Feminism. I agree with it because the theory takes into account the changing times and the rising status of women in society rather than focusing on the negative majority (Radical Feminists) or views that only had some relevance in the past (Functionalism and Marxist Feminism). I agree with the fact that education has increased women’s equality both in society and the home due to separate incomes, and that attitudes have changed for the better. This is due to socialisation; as the views of the parents change, they pass this on to their children, and raise them to be less sexist individuals who encourage equal opportunities. Betty Friedan, an example of a Liberal Feminist, said that women should be encouraged into higher-paid jobs to make a more equal, and so more stable, society. This is a view I completely agree with because if either men or women are made to be submissive, then society cannot use their respective talents to the full and let them work together for the ‘greater good’. They can also use their talents to help society from the home; if a woman wants to go out and work, then she should be allowed, and vice versa for a man who wants to stay at home and look after the children. In the end I think that most of these theories generalise too much and that individual families and households should be studied rather than grouping everyone together as a whole.
· Structure: A beginning (Introduction), middle (Main Part) and end (Conclusion). Each needs careful planning.
· Use of the 3 assessment objectives: AO1, AO2 and AO3
Introductions should be:
Short; define key terms; show how the terms link together; outline the debate.
Main Parts should:
Outline and assess alternative theories/studies, making use of AO1, AO2 and AO3.
Conclusions should:
Offer your opinion on the question, with reference to the theories/studies outlined in the Main Part.
Emphasising Assessment Objectives in your written work
Phrases for showing AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding): Refer to sociologists, perspectives, dates, concepts accurately, appropriately and concisely. Using the following phrases in your answers will help a great deal as they encourage you to explain the sociology you have learnt:
‘X’ (the Sociologist) argues that ….
This suggests that…
So we can see that…
Therefore…
An example of this is…
By this, ‘X’ (the Sociologist) means…
Phrases for AO2 (Interpretation and Application):
This would imply that… because….
One consequence would be…
This has been applied to…. situation, where….
This was seen is the recent example of….because….
There may be cultural variations, such as…. because….
An alternative explanation could be…. because….
Phrases for AO3 (analysis and evaluation):
This is supported by… because….
This is challenged by… because….
One advantage/strength of this is… because….
One limitation/weakness of this is… because….
‘X’ compares/contrasts with ‘Y’ because…
Remember:
- That you can score high marks for AO3 by applying different evaluative criteria to a study, such as reliability, representativeness, validity, etc
- That ‘because’ can be a useful word in maximising AO1, AO2 and AO3 marks. There should be at least one every paragraph (and probably more).
If you are to write a strong ‘assess’ essay you will need to check/ensure that for each Main Part Paragraph/Reference:
Have you got (at least):
1 x reference to the question or key word in it to show the relevance of the material to the Q
2 x concepts. These are key words (eg ‘universal family’, ‘geographical mobility’). Remember each key word when used the first time will need to be defined (as briefly as possible).
2 x comparisons. This could include comparing sociologists of the same perspective (eg Goode and Parsons) or contrasting different perspectives (eg Functionalism and Marxism).
2 x ‘real world’ supporting examples/strengths. This could include an example from the news or your own experience or from other sociologists/sociology books. It will need a ‘because’ or an ‘as’ in order to link it with a reason/justification for it being a strength).
2 x ‘real world’ critical examples/limitations or theoretical criticism. This could include an example from the news or your own experience or from other sociologists/sociology books. It will need a ‘because’ or ‘as’ to link it with a reason/justification for it being a weakness).
Use the above as a checklist to reflect on your essay before you hand it in. If there are elements missing, add it now while you can.
An example of an introduction and a conclusion
Explain and assess the view that there is no equality within households
‘Equality means that power, roles and status are shared in a more or less evenly balanced fashion. In the home this could involve equal input into housework, equal authority with the children and equal status in decision-making. Functionalists believe in equality in the home, which links in with their vital idea of consensus. Sociologists who don’t believe in equality in the home include most feminists, but foremost among them are the Marxist Feminists. Liberal Feminists, however, believe that due to the changing law system, equality is slowly but surely becoming a reality…..
(Main Part here)
….. The sociological theory I most agree with is Liberal Feminism. I agree with it because the theory takes into account the changing times and the rising status of women in society rather than focusing on the negative majority (Radical Feminists) or views that only had some relevance in the past (Functionalism and Marxist Feminism). I agree with the fact that education has increased women’s equality both in society and the home due to separate incomes, and that attitudes have changed for the better. This is due to socialisation; as the views of the parents change, they pass this on to their children, and raise them to be less sexist individuals who encourage equal opportunities. Betty Friedan, an example of a Liberal Feminist, said that women should be encouraged into higher-paid jobs to make a more equal, and so more stable, society. This is a view I completely agree with because if either men or women are made to be submissive, then society cannot use their respective talents to the full and let them work together for the ‘greater good’. They can also use their talents to help society from the home; if a woman wants to go out and work, then she should be allowed, and vice versa for a man who wants to stay at home and look after the children. In the end I think that most of these theories generalise too much and that individual families and households should be studied rather than grouping everyone together as a whole.