In the OCR A Level Sociology exam, you will often see 6-mark questions that ask you to explain a concept using examples. These questions are testing two things:

• AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding – 2 marks): Can you accurately define or explain the key concept?
• AO2 (Application – 4 marks): Can you apply the concept to relevant sociological examples and explain them clearly?

To succeed, you need:

1. A clear definition of the concept (worth up to 2 marks).
2. Two examples, each explained (worth up to 4 marks).

Think of it like a simple formula for success:

Definition (AO1) + Example 1 + Explanation (AO2) + Example 2 + Explanation (AO2) = Full marks (6/6).

Common mistakes include:

• Listing examples without explanation (stuck at Level 2).
• Explaining only one example (Level 3).
• Missing a definition (lose AO1 marks).

This activity will help you practise this structure with the question:

“Explain, using examples, the concept of global culture.”

By the end, you should feel confident about:

• Writing a clear definition of global culture.
• Choosing strong examples and explaining how they show global culture.
• Reaching Level 4 application on the mark scheme.

Below is a sample activity that addresses the question, taking students through a range of steps to get a complete answer.

A model responses to this answer would be similar to the following:

Global culture refers to the way societies across the world are becoming more interconnected, sharing similar lifestyles and cultural products. (2 AO1 marks) For example, Ritzer’s idea of McDonaldisation shows how fast food chains like McDonald’s standardise food culture worldwide. This demonstrates homogenisation, where different societies consume the same products (1 example and 1 explanation). Another example is the spread of K-pop into Western markets, which shows cultural hybridity – mixing South Korean traditions with Western pop influences (1 example and 1 explanation) . Both examples illustrate how globalisation shapes a shared global culture.