CAIE A Level 9699

Sociology 2024 · Oct/Nov · Paper 42

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6 Questions Q&A Available
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This CAIE A Level Sociology Paper 42 focuses on key areas of the syllabus such as globalisation and development, media, and religion, with strong emphasis on evaluating sociological explanations and debates. The questions are essay-based “evaluate this view” prompts, so students can expect extended structured responses rather than multiple-choice or calculation questions, and they will need to build arguments, use sociological evidence, and compare different theories.…

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Questions & Model Answers 6 Qs

Q1
Essay 35 marks
'Globalisation is leading to greater cultural diversity.' Evaluate this view.
Globalisation may increase cultural diversity by increasing the movement of people, ideas, media and consumer goods across borders, creating hybrid cultures and exposing societies to a wider range of lifestyles, beliefs and cultural practices. However, it may also produce cultural homogenisation, with dominant global cultures—especially Western or American—reducing local distinctiveness. A balanced evaluation would consider both the growth of diversity and the persistence of cultural inequality and standardisation.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Q2
Essay 35 marks
'Dependency theory provides the most convincing explanation of global poverty.' Evaluate this view.
Dependency theory explains global poverty by arguing that poor countries are kept underdeveloped through exploitation by wealthy nations, multinational corporations and unequal trade relations. Evaluation should consider alternative explanations such as modernisation theory, internal factors like corruption or weak institutions, and the role of historical colonialism, debt and global capitalism. A strong answer would assess whether dependency theory best explains poverty compared with these alternatives.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Q3
Essay 35 marks
'Governments have no control over the new media.' Evaluate this view.
New media can make government control more difficult because of global communication, user-generated content, encryption and rapid information sharing. However, governments may still regulate, censor, monitor or restrict new media through laws, surveillance, platform regulation and internet shutdowns. Evaluation should consider the extent of state power, differences between authoritarian and democratic states, and the influence of corporations and technology companies.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Q4
Essay 35 marks
'The uses and gratifications model accurately describes how people are influenced by the media.' Evaluate this view.
The uses and gratifications model argues that audiences are active and choose media to satisfy needs such as information, entertainment, identity and social interaction. Evaluation should consider whether this overstates audience freedom and underestimates media influence, including agenda-setting, framing, propaganda, and unconscious effects. A strong answer would assess how far the model accurately explains media influence compared with more passive audience theories.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Q5
Essay 35 marks
'Religion is an agent of social control.' Evaluate this view.
Religion can act as social control by promoting shared norms, moral rules, obedience and acceptance of existing social arrangements, often supporting authority and social order. However, religion can also challenge social control by inspiring protest, social change and resistance, and it may provide meaning and community rather than simply enforcing conformity. Evaluation should consider both conservative and radical roles of religion.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Q6
Essay 35 marks
'The growth of new religious movements shows that religion remains a powerful influence in society.' Evaluate this view.
The growth of new religious movements may suggest that religion remains significant because people continue to seek spiritual meaning, identity and community in modern societies. However, this growth may be limited in scale, and secularisation, individualisation and declining traditional religious authority may still indicate that religion is less powerful than in the past. Evaluation should consider whether NRMs represent a broader religious revival or only a niche response to modern social change.
This is the expected evaluative response for a 35-mark essay question.
Paper Details
Board CAIE
Level A Level
Subject Sociology
Code 9699
Year 2024
Session Oct/Nov
Paper No. Paper 42
Q&A 6 questions
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  • Read each question carefully before answering
  • Allocate time based on marks (≈1 min/mark)
  • Attempt all questions — partial marks count