OCR GCSE Humanities Get Ahead - improving delivery and assessment of Unit 3

1. OCR GCSE Humanities Get Ahead -improving delivery and assessment of Unit 3 Unit B033 Controlled Assessment Approaches to Preparing Candidates for the internally marked unit

2. Assessment Objectives and Weighting Unit B033 is designed to assess: Objective 2 “Analysis, Evaluation and Application” Apply their knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar contexts Objective 3 “Communication and presentation” Analyse and evaluate information, sources and unfamiliar contexts The weighting is: Objective 2 - 5% of final grade Objective 3 - 20% of final grade

3. AssessmentObjectives:key issues The objective focus is on the candidates using sociologically based enquiry methods to investigate a particular open ended issue. It is overwhelmingly the case that it is the how more than the what. The new controlled assessment structure, means it is very difficult to teach how to investigate at the same time as carrying out the final controlled assessment. Using the enquiry method to teach aspects of the course prior to the actual controlled assessment is advised.

4. Setting up an enquiry: key issues • In your controlled assessment set up, the following questions will need to be addressed.  • Who do you want to sample? Which group of people are you trying to find out about? Is it all types of people or a specific group? • What exactly do you want to find out about? (This will be narrowed down and specified in your hypothesis). • Which research methods are appropriate and which will you use? Have between two and four. Use your own primary research, but also make use of other sources of secondary data.

5. Setting up an enquiry: key issues • As for primary data, you should look for quantitative and qualitative data and display it in various forms in your finished enquiry. • What kind of primary quantitative data will you research (structured questionnaires/non-participant observation)? • What kind of primary qualitative data will you research (in-depth interviews – for example with local people, a council official, a local pressure group)?

6. How your controlled assessment should be written Have a clear research strategy AO1 (a) • Anyone reading enquiry should be able to learn a lot about the subject of your research strategy. You use correct terms clearly in explaining what you found out and how you did it. Choose a suitable subject for your research. Find useful evidence and organise it properly. AO1 (b) • You should explain your choice of enquiry and what exactly you are doing. Find suitable information and choose the most useful pieces. Say why you have chosen them and explain where you obtained your information.

7. How your controlled assessment should be written Record and present your findings AO1 (c) • Present your findings clearly. Help people to understand your findings by using diagrams, tables, graphs or pictures. Anyone reading your enquiry should able to follow your argument clearly and understand what you are saying. Explain how you could have improved your research AO2 (a) • Describe what was good about your research and also what went wrong. Explain how it could have been improved. Interpret and evaluate your findings AO2 (b) • Show clearly what your evidence means. Say how reliable it is. Discuss whether any of it is subject to bias and compare different pieces of evidence. It is vital you use evidence well to back up your conclusions. Your evidence should try to convince anyone reading your enquiry.

8. Writing up an evaluation • Evaluation • Your evaluation is where you decide how successful your research has been. • Consider: • What went well? How successful were the methods you used? • What went wrong if anything? Were there any unforeseen problems? • Which methods were most reliable? • Were your methods valid? • Suggest any ways in which you could have improved your research.

9. Fundamental Issue The point below cannot be emphasised enough. More marks and adjustments are made for failure to adhere to this point than any other area. • Remember your conclusions should be justified at all times by using evidence you have researched (primary or secondary).

10. Issues to avoid This is what is called the: “Cudda wudda shudda” problem. Issues which are really a critique of the methods applied cannot gain many marks i.e. Only did 5 questionnaires shudda done more. Cudda used more than 1 enquiry method. These are level 2 maximum.

11. Bibliography Bibliography • List any articles, books, programmes, websites that you have used to get secondary information. Include title, author, date, type and appendix. Method of organisation to be considered when writing the bibliography • Title Author Date of publication Type (e.g. book or website)

12. Methodology table • This can be used with students to work through the methods they have used and evaluate them • It can be included as part of the completed enquiry • As it is a table it does not count within the word limit • An example of a worked table is in the document titled “methodology table” • This can be adapted to your students as required