The Tripartite System and Selective Education

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• identifies a first feature, e.g. the eleven-plus exam.1 mark
• develops it, e.g. pupils sat this exam at age eleven, and the result determined whether they went to a grammar or a secondary modern school.1 mark
• identifies a second feature, e.g. grammar schools.1 mark
• develops it, e.g. grammar schools offered an academic curriculum to pupils who passed the eleven-plus, usually leading towards higher-status qualifications and further study.1 mark

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• identifies a first criticism, e.g. bias linked to cultural capital.1 mark
• develops it, e.g. eleven-plus performance was affected by coaching and home background, so middle-class pupils were more likely to pass regardless of ability.1 mark
• identifies a second criticism, e.g. unequal status between school types.1 mark
• develops it, e.g. secondary modern schools had lower funding, status and expectations than grammar schools, so parity of esteem was not achieved in practice.1 mark
• identifies a third criticism, e.g. early labelling.1 mark
• develops it, e.g. failing the eleven-plus at age eleven could produce a lasting self-fulfilling prophecy of low achievement.1 mark

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• makes one or two undeveloped points, with little or no named detail and no real evaluation.2 marks
• gives a clear, accurate account of either strengths or weaknesses with some named detail, and begins to consider the other side, but development or balance is limited.2 marks
• gives a developed, accurate account of both strengths and weaknesses with named detail, weighs them against each other, and reaches a clear, supported conclusion.2 marks
• introduced free secondary education for all pupils for the first time; intended to allocate pupils to an appropriate school type on the basis of ability, reflecting the functionalist idea of meritocratic role allocation.2 marks
• the eleven-plus was affected by cultural capital and coaching, so it disproportionately selected middle-class pupils rather than testing ability alone; secondary modern schools had lower funding, status and expectations than grammar schools, so parity of esteem was not achieved; being labelled a failure at age eleven could damage a pupil's motivation and achievement for the rest of their schooling.2 marks
• a supported judgement on whether the system's meritocratic aim was outweighed by its practical class bias and unequal school status, for example concluding that the system's selection process reproduced rather than reduced class inequality.2 marks

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