Sociology Unit 4 - Crime - 19th June 2012 - Notes - Disscussion and more

I got 120/120 on this paper so so happy, got my A* <3

Wow well done you! especially as that paper was so hard. I just managed to scrape an A which was disappointing as I wanted an A* but I'm in uni so i'm happy

I think my teachers had an inkling that the big essay would be that sort of question so we spent ages going over how to answer research methods questions with theory aswell hehe, well done for getting into uni!

Ah I guess that's where my class went wrong We revised the actual core crime and deviance chapters so much, the research methods with theory were left until quite last minute. Thank you, I'm guessing you did too!

yeah birmingham for psychology, needed AAB and got A*A*B so

ahh see we had two teachers, one teaching core topics and the other doing theory, we did barely anything on methods cause even questions like are which seemed like a methods question you're actually meant to use loads of theory, I went on about feminism, science, value freedom, funding loads of stuffss, I really liked this exam tbh hehe

I find it so hilarious how I came out of this exam in June convinced I got a U and came out with 100%. Sad that unit 3 bummed me over though. I hope whoever marked my exam has an ink spillage all over their important documents.

Hi everyone - I'm sitting this exam in January. It'll be my first A2 Sociology exam.
Can any of you give me some tips for this exam and possibly any information with regards to what came up in June?

Many thanks, Matthew

Ah, tips. Well, get straight to the point in your answers. Time is of essence. If my memory serves me right, you might have two essay questions in the crime section(?)
Focus on your analysis and evaluation because you get the most marks in these two areas. Always refer to the strength or weakness of an argument or theory, and whether it supports or disputes the notion proposed in the question.
I wish I could say more, but it feels like it's been so long since I did this exam, I actually can't remember what tips I shared with people, and the tips I took on myself.

Nevertheless, with theory and methods, you can easily gain most of your marks on this as there tends to be scope for sufficient analysis and evaluation as you can use theories to support each other or against each other, similarly, you can suggest better ideas and back them up with other theories that may seem "irrelevant" to the question. Also, get equipped with very good studies. I remember I used the Tea Room Trade study by Humphreys for a question - it showed that I read outside the textbook, etc. I spent more time reading studies for theory and methods to be honest - I found this section most intriguing! But make sure you're being relevant,,and you're answering the question.

Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly what came up in June, but I know there was a question on Suicide (here, I talked about Atkinson, Douglas, Durkheim(first), and I think Taylor).
There was also a question on the environment and crime (I'm not too sure about this one, so don't take my word for it -- but it was mighty similar).
In theory and methods, the question was on the strength of interpretivism to study/look at society today. This one was a good question, I seemed to have a lot to write about, on both sides of the argument.

I'm sorry if I'm no help at all, I'm surprised I can't remember most of it seeing as this was my best exam, and I achieved an A on it.

Good luck, though.