Exam and examiner
The questions that come up, what the examiner rewards, and model agreement and disagreement you can lift ideas from.
Past questions
- 2025 To what extent is socialism united in its views of human nature? (24 marks)
- 2023 To what extent does the Third Way effectively abandon socialist principles?
- 2023 mock To what extent is there more agreement than disagreement in socialism in its views on society?
- 2022 To what extent is socialism more disunited than united?
- 2020 To what extent does socialism depend on a view of society based only on class?
- 2019 To what extent do socialists have conflicting views over how the economy should operate?
- Sample To what extent are different socialists committed to equality of outcome?
What the examiner rewards
- Decide how much. "To what extent" is not yes or no. Land on a large, limited or some extent and hold that line.
- Use the named thinkers. At least two of the five, used to support a divide between strands, not just dropped in as a label.
- Compare, do not list. AO2 comparison is where marks are won. Weigh strands against each other.
- Structure by theme. Each paragraph takes a theme, then agreement and disagreement within it.
The 2025 examiner report, in plain English
What went well and what did not›
Most students saw that socialists have a broadly positive, collectivist view of human nature, and many noticed that the Third Way is less collective. Fewer mentioned rationality, or named the Third Way's view as communitarian rather than common humanity.
The weaker answers drew the divisions too sharply, treating a strand as wholly positive or wholly negative, or describing each branch in turn instead of comparing them. Some tried to shoehorn in a general "evolution versus revolution" essay that did not fit the question.
Four things to do›
- Answer the question asked, not the one you revised for.
- Cover both sides: agreement (unity) and disagreement (division).
- Group by theme, then by agreement and disagreement; avoid a chronological story of the strands.
- Practise to time. This is the last question on the paper and is often rushed.
Model agreement and disagreement
Condensed model points for four questions. Use them to plan, not to memorise word for word.
2025 - united on human nature?›
Agreement (united)
- Optimistic view; society shapes a co-operative human nature (Marx and Engels).
- Co-operation is more productive than competition (Webb).
- Community and collectivism are at the root: no man is an island.
Disagreement (divided)
- The Third Way is less optimistic than the other strands.
- Revolutionary socialists and social democrats split over capitalism's impact: abolish versus manage.
- The Third Way favours communitarianism over common humanity (Giddens).
2023 - does the Third Way abandon socialist principles?›
Yes, it abandons them
- It embraces free markets, which other strands reject (Marx and Engels).
- It wants equality of opportunity and inclusion (Giddens), not outcome (Crosland) or absolute equality (Marx).
- It rejects class analysis of society.
No, it keeps them
- It still backs a positive role for the state and an evolutionary route (Webb).
- It still values community (Luxemburg).
- It is still committed to a fairer society and protecting the vulnerable (Crosland, Giddens).
2023 mock - more agreement than disagreement on society?›
Agreement
- All want a fairer society; equality is central.
- Society is viewed on a collective or group basis, not individualism.
- The position of class and the most vulnerable matters (Marx and Engels, Crosland).
Disagreement
- What equality looks like: outcome (Crosland) versus opportunity (Giddens).
- How collective: common ownership (Luxemburg) versus welfare versus individualism.
- How important class is: fundamental for revolutionaries, secondary for the Third Way.
Sample - committed to equality of outcome?›
Committed
- Most socialists prefer equality of outcome to mere opportunity.
- Inequality is seen to cause conflict and instability.
- Equality of outcome is thought to promote co-operation and rationality.
Different levels of commitment
- Marxists want absolute equality, only via revolution (Marx and Engels).
- Social democrats want relative equality via welfare and the ballot box (Crosland).
- The Third Way commits to opportunity, not outcome (Giddens), raising whether it is socialist at all.