This scenario-based activity is designed for AQA A Level Sociology and focuses on the Health option, specifically the unequal distribution of health chances by social class. In the AQA specification, students are expected to study the unequal social distribution of health chances in the United Kingdom by social class, gender, ethnicity and region, so this task is directly linked to the core content for the Health topic in Paper 2: Topics in Sociology.
The activity uses a realistic case-study and follow-up multiple choice questions to help students apply key explanations such as the behavioural model, materialist model, psychosocial model, life-course model and artifact explanations. It also encourages students to bring in evidence from major reports and studies often used in AQA answers, including the Black Report, Acheson Report, Marmot Review, the Whitehall II Study, and official statistics from the Office for National Statistics, while also linking those explanations to wider sociological perspectives on inequality and health. AQA’s own teaching resources for the Health topic list contemporary sources on the unequal social distribution of health chances, including work by Hilary Graham, which fits well with this kind of application.
Social Class and Health Chances: Scenario Activity + Follow-up MCQ
Read the case-study, sort the evidence into the strongest explanation, then complete the follow-up MCQ to test your understanding.
Scenario: Daniel is 45 and works nights in a warehouse on a temporary contract. He often skips meals or buys cheap fast food on shift. He smokes with workmates during breaks and says that healthy choices are difficult when money is tight and he is exhausted. He has little control over his shifts, worries constantly about bills, and lives in cold rented housing with damp. He grew up in a household where unemployment and debt were common, left school with few qualifications, and has moved through insecure jobs since his late teens. He rarely takes time off because losing pay would hit the family budget badly.
Your task: decide which explanation best fits each piece of evidence, then test yourself with a short follow-up MCQ.
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