Explanations of and Solutions to Poverty - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

11 original exam-style questions - 3 pages of questions with a full mark scheme - free printable PDF.

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This topic is chapter 9 of GCSE Sociology: Social stratification Practice Book.

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6.9 Explanations of and Solutions to Poverty

AQA 8192 · about 50 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. In extended questions write full sentences. Spend about 60 minutes on this pack.

Identify one policy or approach that represents redistribution to reduce poverty and state briefly how it redistributes resources.

(Total for Question 1 is 2 marks)

Item B: A local council report shows that in District X 40 percent of working-age adults are in low-paid, insecure jobs, while 18 percent are long-term unemployed. The council is deciding whether to expand local training and childcare subsidies, or to campaign for higher national minimum wages. Using Item B and your own knowledge, explain two ways these kinds of structural measures could reduce poverty in District X.

(Total for Question 2 is 4 marks)

Describe one problem that critics say is caused by means-tested benefits in the UK when trying to reduce poverty.

(Total for Question 3 is 3 marks)

State one way that high local unemployment rates can directly contribute to higher levels of poverty in a UK neighbourhood.

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

Explain two ways Marxist sociologists argue redistribution and stronger public services could reduce poverty more effectively than policies focused on changing poor people's attitudes.

(Total for Question 5 is 4 marks)

Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the welfare state solves poverty in the UK. In your answer, outline at least two different sociological perspectives, offer supporting points and counter-arguments, and reach a supported conclusion.

Discuss how far sociologists would agree that the welfare state solves poverty in the UK.

(Total for Question 6 is 12 marks)

Define the 'culture of poverty' thesis as used by sociologists studying why poverty persists in society.

(Total for Question 7 is 2 marks)

Explain one part of Sir Keith Joseph's cycle of deprivation idea about how poverty and related attitudes are passed between generations in poor communities.

(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)

State one example of a means-tested benefit in the UK, name it, and explain its defining feature in relation to income.

(Total for Question 9 is 2 marks)

State one criticism that sociologists make of the cultural explanation of poverty, focusing on UK evidence.

(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)

Explain the main idea of the structural explanation of poverty, describing how economic and social structures maintain poverty in modern economies.

(Total for Question 11 is 4 marks)

Mark scheme · 6.9 Explanations of and Solutions to Poverty

Question 1

B1 identifies a redistribution policy, e.g. progressive taxation and increased spending on welfare services
B1 brief development, e.g. progressive taxes take a higher proportion from the better off and finance benefits or services for the less well off
Answer: Progressive taxation combined with increased spending on welfare and public services is redistribution, since higher earners pay proportionally more tax which is then used to fund benefits and services for lower income groups.

Question 2

B1 identifies one way, e.g. local training could improve skills and help people move into higher paid work
B1 explains how this reduces poverty, e.g. higher skills increase employability and wages, reducing reliance on benefits
B1 identifies a second way, e.g. higher national minimum wages would raise incomes for low-paid workers
B1 explains how this reduces poverty, e.g. increasing take-home pay reduces in-work poverty and may reduce long-term dependence on benefits
Answer: Local training could improve residents skills and employability so they move into better-paid jobs, reducing reliance on benefits; higher national minimum wages would raise incomes for currently low-paid, insecure workers, reducing in-work poverty and pressure on local services.

Question 3

B1 identifies a problem, e.g. means-testing can create a poverty trap where people lose more in benefits than they gain from low-paid work
B1 development, e.g. benefit withdrawal rates can make moving into paid work financially unattractive
B1 further development, e.g. means-testing can stigmatise recipients and create administrative complexity that excludes some in need
Answer: One problem is the poverty trap, where means-tested benefit withdrawal rates mean people can lose more in benefits than they gain from low-paid work, making employment financially unattractive; means-testing can also stigmatise recipients and create administrative barriers.

Question 4

B1 identifies a direct way, e.g. unemployment reduces household income
B1 brief development, e.g. sustained unemployment increases reliance on benefits and reduces ability to afford basics
Answer: High unemployment reduces household incomes, and sustained joblessness increases reliance on benefits and reduces households ability to afford basic needs, raising local poverty levels.

Question 5

B1 identifies the first way, e.g. redistribution can reduce inequalities in income and wealth
B1 develops the first way, e.g. reducing income inequality raises living standards for the poorest and tackles material causes of poverty
B1 identifies the second way, e.g. stronger public services such as housing, health and education improve life chances
B1 develops the second way, e.g. better services reduce the barriers that stop people escaping poverty, rather than blaming cultural attitudes
Answer: Marxists argue redistribution reduces income and wealth inequalities so the poorest gain higher living standards, and stronger public services in housing, health and education improve life chances and remove barriers to escaping poverty, addressing structural causes rather than blaming attitudes.

Question 6

Level 1 (1-3): Basic statements about the welfare state with little sociological detail or undeveloped assertions about whether it solves poverty, limited use of perspectives and no clear conclusion.
Level 2 (4-6): Some correct sociological points about how the welfare state helps reduce poverty, with reference to one or two perspectives and some supporting evidence, but limited evaluation or an unbalanced conclusion.
Level 3 (7-9): Clear explanation of ways the welfare state can reduce poverty and why it may fail, with at least two perspectives used to support analysis and some evaluation, producing a sustained judgement.
Level 4 (10-12): A well-developed, balanced discussion drawing on several sociological perspectives, including competing arguments and evidence, critically evaluating the welfare state's effectiveness and reaching a supported, clear conclusion.
Indicative content:
- Functionalist or social democratic views that the welfare state provides essential support, reduces absolute poverty through benefits and services and helps social cohesion
- New Right view that generous benefits can create dependency culture and reduce work incentives, limiting poverty reduction
- Marxist critique that the welfare state cushions but does not remove inequalities produced by capitalism, and that redistribution is limited by ruling class interests
- Feminist points about who benefits, for example how welfare and childcare provision affect mothers and gendered poverty
- Discussion of means-tested versus universal benefits: means-tested target resources but can stigmatise and create poverty traps, universal benefits reduce stigma and have higher take-up
- Practical limits: benefit levels, conditionality, administrative delays and insufficiently funded public services can mean the welfare state does not eliminate poverty
- Evidence that welfare reduces absolute poverty for some but relative poverty and in-work poverty persist due to low wages, insecure work and rising living costs
- A supported conclusion that while the welfare state reduces some forms of poverty, sociologists disagree about whether it can solve poverty entirely without wider structural economic changes

Question 7

B1 identifies that the culture of poverty thesis argues poverty generates distinctive attitudes and behaviours that help people survive but can perpetuate poverty (oe)
B1 development, e.g. these attitudes and behaviours can be passed between generations, creating a cycle of deprivation
Answer: The culture of poverty thesis argues poverty produces attitudes and behaviours that help people cope but can also perpetuate poverty, and these patterns can be passed between generations, creating a cycle of deprivation.

Question 8

B1 identifies a relevant element, e.g. parents with limited resources model coping behaviours to their children
B1 development, e.g. children learn attitudes such as fatalism or short-term planning
B1 further development, e.g. these attitudes reduce chances of educational or occupational mobility
B1 links this chain to the idea that poverty continues across generations
Answer: Joseph argued that parents in poverty model coping behaviours to their children, who then adopt attitudes such as fatalism or short-term planning; these attitudes limit educational and occupational mobility, helping to reproduce poverty across generations.

Question 9

B1 identifies a means-tested benefit, e.g. Universal Credit
B1 development, e.g. it is paid only to people whose income and savings fall below set thresholds
Answer: An example is Universal Credit, which is means-tested and paid only to people whose income and savings fall below set thresholds.

Question 10

B1 identifies a recognised criticism, e.g. it blames the victims and ignores structural causes like low pay or unemployment
B1 brief development, e.g. critics point to evidence that many people in poverty work but still have low incomes due to labour market conditions
Answer: A common criticism is that the cultural explanation blames the victims and ignores structural causes such as low pay and unemployment; critics note many people work yet remain in poverty because of labour market conditions.

Question 11

B1 identifies a core idea, e.g. poverty results from structural factors such as unemployment, low wages and insecure work
B1 development, e.g. unequal distribution of resources and power in the economy limits life chances for some groups
B1 further development, e.g. welfare provision, labour market policies and employer power can all contribute to persistent poverty
B1 links these structural features to how poverty can persist over time despite individual effort
Answer: Structural explanations see poverty as the result of unemployment, low wages, insecure work and unequal distribution of resources; economic and social structures, including labour market and employer power, limit life chances and so help poverty persist despite individual effort.

Explanations of and Solutions to Poverty - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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6.9 Explanations of and Solutions to Poverty

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