Formal and Informal Social Control

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• identifies a first difference, e.g. formal control is enforced by official agencies1 mark
• develops this, e.g. such as the police and courts, which have the legal power to impose sanctions like fines or imprisonment1 mark
• identifies a second difference, e.g. informal control is enforced by unofficial agents1 mark
• develops this, e.g. such as family and friends, who use social sanctions like disapproval rather than legal punishment1 mark

Nothing ticked yet - 4 available

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• Award up to 8 marks for a response that identifies and explains relevant points, supported by sociological evidence.2 marks
• 1-2 marks: identifies that informal control operates through everyday relationships, e.g. family and peer group approval or disapproval.2 marks
• 1-2 marks: explains that this works because most people want to be accepted and avoid social sanctions such as exclusion or ridicule.1 mark
• 1-2 marks: uses sociological evidence, e.g. Durkheim's concept of the collective conscience, to explain that shared values need constant, everyday reinforcement.1 mark
• 1-2 marks: explains that formal control alone would be insufficient because official agencies cannot monitor most everyday behaviour, so informal control does most of the work of maintaining conformity.1 mark
• Full marks require clear explanation linked to evidence rather than a list of unexplained points.1 mark

Nothing ticked yet - 8 available

Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.

• Detailed and accurate understanding of both formal and informal social control. Constructs a well-developed argument with named evidence on both sides and reaches a clear, substantiated conclusion that directly answers the question.2 marks
• Accurate knowledge of formal and informal control and applies at least one named perspective. Some analysis and an attempt at a balanced argument, but development or evaluation may be uneven.2 marks
• Some appropriate knowledge of social control but the answer is one-sided or lacks named sociological evidence. Points are identified but not fully developed.2 marks
• Basic, undeveloped knowledge of social control with little or no reference to formal versus informal control specifically.2 marks
• No creditable response.1 mark
• informal control operates constantly through everyday relationships, so it prevents most deviance before it happens; functionalists such as Durkheim argue that internalised shared norms from primary socialisation are the main basis of conformity; informal sanctions like peer disapproval can feel more immediate and personal than a distant legal penalty.1 mark
• informal control can fail or even encourage deviance, e.g. a delinquent peer group rewards rule-breaking rather than punishing it; formal control is needed for serious offences where informal sanctions would be too weak, e.g. violent crime requires police and court intervention; Marxists argue formal law exists mainly to protect ruling-class interests, so its effectiveness depends on whose behaviour is being controlled.1 mark
• a strong answer concludes that informal control is usually more effective for maintaining everyday, low-level conformity because it is constant and immediate, but formal control remains necessary as a backup for serious deviance, so the two work together rather than one simply being more effective than the other.1 mark

Nothing ticked yet - 12 available