AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 – Education | 2026 Exam
AQA A-LEVEL SOCIOLOGY
PAPER 1 – EDUCATION WITH THEORY AND METHODS
Latest Update Exam 2026 | Questions and Verified Answers | Graded A+
Section Description Questions Marks Total
I Multiple Choice 30 2 60
II True / False 12 2 24
III Short Answer (Extended Writing) 5 10 50
IV Matching 10 2 20
— TOTAL 57 — 154
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. This examination consists of four sections totalling 154 marks.
2. Select the BEST answer for each multiple-choice and matching question.
3. For short-answer questions, use sociological terminology, key studies, and provide balanced evaluation.
4. Time Allowed: 2 Hours 30 Minutes | Passing Grade: A (70%)
SECTION I: MULTIPLE CHOICE (60 Marks)
Select the best answer for each question. Each question is worth 2 marks.
1. According to Durkheim, what is the primary function of education in modern society? (2 marks)
A. Reproducing class inequality
B. Creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills
C. Preparing workers for exploitation
D. Challenging patriarchal norms
2. Bowles and Gintis argue that schools operate through which principle? (2 marks)
A. Meritocracy B. Correspondence principle
C. Self-fulfilling prophecy D. Cultural reproduction
3. Which concept did Bourdieu use to explain middle-class educational advantage? (2 marks)
A. Labelling theory B. Cultural capital
1
, AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 – Education | 2026 Exam
C. Self-fulfilling prophecy D. Polarisation
4. What did Rosenthal and Jacobson demonstrate in their Pygmalion in the Classroom study? (2
marks)
A. Pupils are naturally divided by ability
B. Teachers’ expectations can become self-fulfilling prophecies
C. Streaming always improves results
D. Working-class pupils reject education
5. The 1988 Education Reform Act introduced which key marketisation policy? (2 marks)
A. Comprehensive schooling B. League tables and parental choice
C. The 11+ examination D. Free school meals
6. Chubb and Moe advocate for which education reform approach? (2 marks)
A. State-controlled comprehensive schools
B. Marketisation and parental choice through private schools
C. Abolishing all examinations
D. Mandatory private schooling for all
7. Which policy replaced statements of SEN under the Children and Families Act 2014? (2 marks)
A. Education Maintenance Allowance
B. Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans
C. Pupil Premium
D. Free School Meals
8. Academies under the 2010 Conservative reforms differ from earlier academies in that they: (2
marks)
A. Required local authority approval
B. Were primarily converter academies rather than sponsored
C. Could not select pupils
D. Were only for primary schools
9. Bernstein distinguished between which two language codes? (2 marks)
A. Formal and informal B. Restricted and elaborated codes
C. Written and spoken codes D. Upper and lower class codes
10. Sugarman identified which four features of working-class subculture that limit achievement? (2
marks)
A. Ambition, individualism, deferred gratification, future planning
B. Fatalism, collectivism, immediate gratification, present-time orientation
C. Competition, meritocracy, aspiration, hard work
2
, AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 – Education | 2026 Exam
D. Creativity, resilience, community, solidarity
11. What did Gillborn and Youdell mean by the A*–C economy? (2 marks)
A. The cost of private tuition
B. Schools focusing resources on pupils at the C/D borderline
C. The funding formula for academies
D. The wage gap between graduates and non-graduates
12. In Willis’s Learning to Labour study, the ‘lads’ exhibited which behaviour? (2 marks)
A. Conformity to school norms
B. Counter-school culture and resistance to authority
C. Academic excellence and ambition
D. Passive acceptance of streaming
13. Which factor is most commonly cited to explain girls’ improving educational achievement since
the 1980s? (2 marks)
A. Removal of coursework from GCSEs
B. Feminisation of education and changing aspirations
C. Decline in male teachers
D. Introduction of the National Curriculum
14. Which concept describes boys’ anti-school behaviour linked to constructions of masculinity? (2
marks)
A. Self-fulfilling prophecy B. Laddish subcultures
C. Cultural capital deficit D. Ethnocentric curriculum
15. According to liberal feminists, what has been the main driver of improved gender equality in
education? (2 marks)
A. Overthrowing patriarchal structures
B. Equal opportunities policies and legislation
C. Boycotting single-sex schools
D. Abolishing the hidden curriculum
16. Which ethnic group consistently achieves the highest GCSE attainment in England? (2 marks)
A. White British B. Indian
C. Chinese D. Bangladeshi
17. Gillborn applied which theoretical framework to analyse ethnic inequalities in education? (2
marks)
A. Functionalism B. Critical Race Theory (CRT)
C. Postmodernism D. Interactionism
3
AQA A-LEVEL SOCIOLOGY
PAPER 1 – EDUCATION WITH THEORY AND METHODS
Latest Update Exam 2026 | Questions and Verified Answers | Graded A+
Section Description Questions Marks Total
I Multiple Choice 30 2 60
II True / False 12 2 24
III Short Answer (Extended Writing) 5 10 50
IV Matching 10 2 20
— TOTAL 57 — 154
EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
1. This examination consists of four sections totalling 154 marks.
2. Select the BEST answer for each multiple-choice and matching question.
3. For short-answer questions, use sociological terminology, key studies, and provide balanced evaluation.
4. Time Allowed: 2 Hours 30 Minutes | Passing Grade: A (70%)
SECTION I: MULTIPLE CHOICE (60 Marks)
Select the best answer for each question. Each question is worth 2 marks.
1. According to Durkheim, what is the primary function of education in modern society? (2 marks)
A. Reproducing class inequality
B. Creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills
C. Preparing workers for exploitation
D. Challenging patriarchal norms
2. Bowles and Gintis argue that schools operate through which principle? (2 marks)
A. Meritocracy B. Correspondence principle
C. Self-fulfilling prophecy D. Cultural reproduction
3. Which concept did Bourdieu use to explain middle-class educational advantage? (2 marks)
A. Labelling theory B. Cultural capital
1
, AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 – Education | 2026 Exam
C. Self-fulfilling prophecy D. Polarisation
4. What did Rosenthal and Jacobson demonstrate in their Pygmalion in the Classroom study? (2
marks)
A. Pupils are naturally divided by ability
B. Teachers’ expectations can become self-fulfilling prophecies
C. Streaming always improves results
D. Working-class pupils reject education
5. The 1988 Education Reform Act introduced which key marketisation policy? (2 marks)
A. Comprehensive schooling B. League tables and parental choice
C. The 11+ examination D. Free school meals
6. Chubb and Moe advocate for which education reform approach? (2 marks)
A. State-controlled comprehensive schools
B. Marketisation and parental choice through private schools
C. Abolishing all examinations
D. Mandatory private schooling for all
7. Which policy replaced statements of SEN under the Children and Families Act 2014? (2 marks)
A. Education Maintenance Allowance
B. Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans
C. Pupil Premium
D. Free School Meals
8. Academies under the 2010 Conservative reforms differ from earlier academies in that they: (2
marks)
A. Required local authority approval
B. Were primarily converter academies rather than sponsored
C. Could not select pupils
D. Were only for primary schools
9. Bernstein distinguished between which two language codes? (2 marks)
A. Formal and informal B. Restricted and elaborated codes
C. Written and spoken codes D. Upper and lower class codes
10. Sugarman identified which four features of working-class subculture that limit achievement? (2
marks)
A. Ambition, individualism, deferred gratification, future planning
B. Fatalism, collectivism, immediate gratification, present-time orientation
C. Competition, meritocracy, aspiration, hard work
2
, AQA A-Level Sociology | Paper 1 – Education | 2026 Exam
D. Creativity, resilience, community, solidarity
11. What did Gillborn and Youdell mean by the A*–C economy? (2 marks)
A. The cost of private tuition
B. Schools focusing resources on pupils at the C/D borderline
C. The funding formula for academies
D. The wage gap between graduates and non-graduates
12. In Willis’s Learning to Labour study, the ‘lads’ exhibited which behaviour? (2 marks)
A. Conformity to school norms
B. Counter-school culture and resistance to authority
C. Academic excellence and ambition
D. Passive acceptance of streaming
13. Which factor is most commonly cited to explain girls’ improving educational achievement since
the 1980s? (2 marks)
A. Removal of coursework from GCSEs
B. Feminisation of education and changing aspirations
C. Decline in male teachers
D. Introduction of the National Curriculum
14. Which concept describes boys’ anti-school behaviour linked to constructions of masculinity? (2
marks)
A. Self-fulfilling prophecy B. Laddish subcultures
C. Cultural capital deficit D. Ethnocentric curriculum
15. According to liberal feminists, what has been the main driver of improved gender equality in
education? (2 marks)
A. Overthrowing patriarchal structures
B. Equal opportunities policies and legislation
C. Boycotting single-sex schools
D. Abolishing the hidden curriculum
16. Which ethnic group consistently achieves the highest GCSE attainment in England? (2 marks)
A. White British B. Indian
C. Chinese D. Bangladeshi
17. Gillborn applied which theoretical framework to analyse ethnic inequalities in education? (2
marks)
A. Functionalism B. Critical Race Theory (CRT)
C. Postmodernism D. Interactionism
3
