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AQA A2 Sociology Unit 4 20th June

Hi

I thought I'd start a thread for this upcoming exam - I'm starting to step up the revision already!
How are you finding it so far??

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Reply 1
Original post by TallulahStaple
Hi

I thought I'd start a thread for this upcoming exam - I'm starting to step up the revision already!
How are you finding it so far??


Oh Lord, I'm dreading this one. I hate Sociology especially the crime and deviance paper :frown:

Any tips for revising this unit?
Reply 2
Not really!! I have to write things out about a million times and end up with a hand like the claw!
I did the As exams in Jan and made some prompt cards for all the sociologists then which really helped though?
Reply 3
I haven't started revision for it yet. I'm starting it next week after I'm done with my law retake.
Does anyone know what topics came up in Jan??

Thanks
Reply 5
I took Crime and Deviance in January, i quite enjoyed it as the course interested me.

Aside from the Theories (Functionalism, Marxism, feminism etc) and social groups (Gender/Age/Ethnicity/class etc). Revise Globalisation of crime along with Crime in the Media and the arguments to do with state crime and green crime. (theyre in the textbook and not very long chapters)
Finially, learn research methods (remember them from education?) and learn how to apply them to a topic, and the + and - of using them in certain situations.

Theres is a lot to remember for this paper, being it 50% of your overall grade, however the majority links together, meaning that it isnt revising completely different points.
(edited 12 years ago)
I'm dead for this, I've spent an entire week revising Functionalist, Strain and Subculture Theories. I find that I can never retain the information properly, I always forget it :frown:

I'm terrified of this module as I sat it in January and I got a U!! So, I have to retake this module along with the new module (Mass Media) Oh dear... :/ I've basically only got 3 more weeks till Mass Media (which I haven't revised for yet) and then 4 weeks for Crime and Deviance.

I've never understood how people gain like 100%, or near enough that in the exams. I've bought the AQA Student Unit Guide for Crime and Deviance, it is very concise, it doesn't state what theorist says what; it just gives a list of 'key thinkers' at the end of the topic. It's also very hard to understand, it is quite complex, so I'm raging I bought it tbh.
Reply 7
Original post by Irishmonkey1992
I'm dead for this, I've spent an entire week revising Functionalist, Strain and Subculture Theories. I find that I can never retain the information properly, I always forget it :frown:

I'm terrified of this module as I sat it in January and I got a U!! So, I have to retake this module along with the new module (Mass Media) Oh dear... :/ I've basically only got 3 more weeks till Mass Media (which I haven't revised for yet) and then 4 weeks for Crime and Deviance.

I've never understood how people gain like 100%, or near enough that in the exams. I've bought the AQA Student Unit Guide for Crime and Deviance, it is very concise, it doesn't state what theorist says what; it just gives a list of 'key thinkers' at the end of the topic. It's also very hard to understand, it is quite complex, so I'm raging I bought it tbh.


Oh no, I hope you get a better mark this time around!

What is the title of the book you bought?

If it helps, I got 100% in the exams I sat in January and I don't think I mentioned one sociologist by name, I just referred to studies. I'm so bad with names that I ended up giving up trying to learn them!

Good luck revising
Reply 8
Im dreading the exam - feel like I know nothing. Any predictions about what will come up?
Reply 9
Original post by TallulahStaple

If it helps, I got 100% in the exams I sat in January and I don't think I mentioned one sociologist by name, I just referred to studies. I'm so bad with names that I ended up giving up trying to learn them!



I'm learning this topic independently and so there's 1 thing I'm unsure of:
- Do we have to remember names of individual Sociologists or like which category they're ideas come from like Marxist/Feminist etc?

Also, any tips on exam technique for this paper?

Thanks
Original post by TallulahStaple
Oh no, I hope you get a better mark this time around!

What is the title of the book you bought?

If it helps, I got 100% in the exams I sat in January and I don't think I mentioned one sociologist by name, I just referred to studies. I'm so bad with names that I ended up giving up trying to learn them!

Good luck revising


It's called 'AQA A2 Sociology: Unit 4: Crime and Deviance (Student Unit Guide)' - Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0340972424/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

:O 100%!? In one? or more!? Could you go into further detail on how you revised for them? What exactly did you write if you didn't mention any theorists? Did you have a structure of any sort? Just anything that would help me abit would be lovely, these two sociology exams are what is going to get me into University :frown: so I'm bloody terrified like.

Yeah I'm going to start hardcore revision tomorrow, hopefully my second attempt will be much more successful!
Original post by Daniel123
Im dreading the exam - feel like I know nothing. Any predictions about what will come up?


Me too! and my Mass Media module for Sociology too! I know exactly how you feel at the moment.
Reply 12
Original post by romy999
I'm learning this topic independently and so there's 1 thing I'm unsure of:
- Do we have to remember names of individual Sociologists or like which category they're ideas come from like Marxist/Feminist etc?

Also, any tips on exam technique for this paper?

Thanks


Yep, remembering the theory is very important!! If you want to get a high mark Sociologists and their theoretical perspectives are a must!

Good luck :smile:
Reply 13
Original post by Irishmonkey1992
Me too! and my Mass Media module for Sociology too! I know exactly how you feel at the moment.


I did the Mass Media in January. Aar was awful! Not a fan of that topic.
Reply 14
Which format is it the best to remember them in:
Surname (Year) or just by Surname?
Reply 15
Feeling ill even thinking about this exam, i have philosophy in the afternoon after this one... have already started revising near enough a month, yet have so much to do! really dreading the methods in context aspect of the question, any tips?
Reply 16
Original post by romy999
Which format is it the best to remember them in:
Surname (Year) or just by Surname?


When I sat the exam it was just the name

e.g. Cohen suggests crime is as a result of subcultures.

But I guess if you can remember the year as well, it can't hurt.

Best of luck!
Reply 17
Original post by JaiP
Feeling ill even thinking about this exam, i have philosophy in the afternoon after this one... have already started revising near enough a month, yet have so much to do! really dreading the methods in context aspect of the question, any tips?


I'm sure you have been told this but, if you can't apply the method to the context you can just write about the method and still get a good few marks!

Just use your common sense as well, I'm sure you'll be fine!
Original post by Irishmonkey1992
It's called 'AQA A2 Sociology: Unit 4: Crime and Deviance (Student Unit Guide)' - Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0340972424/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

:O 100%!? In one? or more!? Could you go into further detail on how you revised for them? What exactly did you write if you didn't mention any theorists? Did you have a structure of any sort? Just anything that would help me abit would be lovely, these two sociology exams are what is going to get me into University :frown: so I'm bloody terrified like.

Yeah I'm going to start hardcore revision tomorrow, hopefully my second attempt will be much more successful!


I got 100% in both papers - believe me I was really surprised.

I just wasn't mentioning names so for example I'd say 'a study conducted suggested that blah blah blah' 'another study showing x y z contradicted this'

I took each point as it came and argued as I went along, rather than saying here is all that agrees, and here is all that disagrees - this covers your back if you run out of time, you won't have left one side of things uncovered.

Do you know your learning style? I have to write things down over and over, so all my notes are hand written. I made cards with the study title on one side and the content on the other and I'd look at the title and try to remember what the content was. But you might find reading them out loud helps, or recording it and listening back to it - it really depends how you feel you take information in best.

Best of luck to you!!
Original post by romy999
I'm learning this topic independently and so there's 1 thing I'm unsure of:
- Do we have to remember names of individual Sociologists or like which category they're ideas come from like Marxist/Feminist etc?

Also, any tips on exam technique for this paper?

Thanks


I'm learning this independently too - teaching myself from books. My advice would be to forget the individual sociologists but you need to know their category (marxist etc) That's how I linked it in the other papers I did. I mean it's great if you can remember names, but there are just so many that I can't get them in my head!! The content is so much more important.

How are you teaching yourself? I'm literally sat there with some books on my tod!

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