e of the reasons for ethnic differences in educational achievement. [12 marks]

• Using material from Item A, and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalist sociologists to our understanding of the role of the education system in society. [20 marks]

Research Methods
The research methods section of this paper is one of the more straightforward sections that you will have. It consists of four questions that with the following values:
2 marks
4 marks
4 marks
20 marks
Question 6 (2 marks) will be a basic identify and explain question, usually a methodological concept, e.g. describe and explain what is meant by validity.
Question 7 and 8 will be identify and explain two aspects of something, for example:
Suggest two advantages of using official statistics in sociological research.
The best examples of which can be seen in the January, 2011, exam paper where the candidate has, very briefly, stated the advantages and offered a brief explanation and moved on.
Question 9 is the essay question within research methods and is worth 20 marks. It is typically an examine question which will require you to look closely at the strengths and limitations of using that method. For example, what type of data will that specific method produce? Why is that type of data preferable? Why is it not preferable? Who would use that type of data? Who would not want that type of data?

This is also the point where using the P E R V E R T anagram becomes useful:

P – Practical issues
E – Ethical considerations
R – Reliability issues
V – Validity issues
E – Ethnomethodological/Ethnicity
R – Representativeness