Media — AS & A Level Sociology (9699) questions by topic

Ownership, agenda setting, gatekeeping and audience power over new and traditional media anchor this topic, drawn from 32 real questions across four 35-mark evaluate essays set in 2023 to 2025 papers.

Because evaluate is the only command word tested, high marks come from directly contrasting Marxist or feminist theory with pluralist theory rather than describing media influence in isolation. This page benefits from drafting full essays and getting them marked immediately, since the reports repeatedly reward a helpful distinction between traditional and new media that many answers omit.

What examiners look for

May–June 2025, Paper 41

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Owners of the media have little control over media content.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Media representations of women no longer reflect gender stereotypes.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2025, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'There is little evidence that the media influences the way people think and behave.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media is controlled by large media corporations.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2025, Paper 43

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The media is an instrument of ideological control.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media has given citizens more power to influence politics.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2024, Paper 41

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The media does not have a direct impact on human behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Media content reflects the interests of the rich and powerful.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2024, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Postmodernists have exaggerated the influence of the media in people's lives today.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Governments have no control over media content.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2024, Paper 43

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Media content is controlled by editors and journalists.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Evidence clearly shows that media content has a direct impact on human behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2024, Paper 41

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The hypodermic syringe model provides the best explanation of how the media influences behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media has created more opportunities for individuals to challenge existing power structures.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2024, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Governments have no control over the new media.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The uses and gratifications model accurately describes how people are influenced by the media.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2024, Paper 43

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The hypodermic syringe model provides the best explanation of how the media influences behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media has created more opportunities for individuals to challenge existing power structures.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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February–March 2023, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'There is no clear evidence that the media influences social behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35] (Answer two questions in total, each from a different section. Section B: answer…

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Media representations of women reflect gender stereotypes.' Evaluate this view. [35] (Answer two questions in total, each from a different section. Section B: answer either…

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May–June 2023, Paper 41

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The cultural effects model provides the best explanation of how the media influences behaviour.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The media is an agent of ideological control.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2023, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Media content is shaped by the interests of the ruling class.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The two-step flow model provides the best explanation of media influence.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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May–June 2023, Paper 43

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Audiences have no influence on the content of the media.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'Representations of women in the media reflect patriarchal values.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2023, Paper 41

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The media is able to shape the way people think and behave.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media is controlled by the rich and powerful.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2023, Paper 42

Question 3 · 35 marks

'Media content is controlled by the owners of the media.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media is a powerful tool through which people are able to challenge government authority.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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October–November 2023, Paper 43

Question 3 · 35 marks

'The media is able to shape the way people think and behave.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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Question 4 · 35 marks

'The new media is controlled by the rich and powerful.' Evaluate this view. [35]

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