Cambridge International AS & A Level

SOCIOLOGY 9699/43
Paper 4 Globalisation, Media, Religion May/June 2021
MARK SCHEME
Maximum Mark: 70

Published

This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the
examination. It shows the basis on which Examiners were instructed to award marks. It does not indicate the
details of the discussions that took place at an Examiners’ meeting before marking began, which would have
considered the acceptability of alternative answers.

Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for
Teachers.

Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes.

Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2021 series for most Cambridge
IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level components and some Cambridge O Level components.

This document consists of 18 printed pages.

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Generic Marking Principles

These general marking principles must be applied by all examiners when marking candidate answers.
They should be applied alongside the specific content of the mark scheme or generic level descriptors
for a question. Each question paper and mark scheme will also comply with these marking principles.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 1:

Marks must be awarded in line with:

• the specific content of the mark scheme or the generic level descriptors for the question
• the specific skills defined in the mark scheme or in the generic level descriptors for the question
• the standard of response required by a candidate as exemplified by the standardisation scripts.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 2:

Marks awarded are always whole marks (not half marks, or other fractions).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 3:

Marks must be awarded positively:

• marks are awarded for correct/valid answers, as defined in the mark scheme. However, credit
is given for valid answers which go beyond the scope of the syllabus and mark scheme,
referring to your Team Leader as appropriate
• marks are awarded when candidates clearly demonstrate what they know and can do
• marks are not deducted for errors
• marks are not deducted for omissions
• answers should only be judged on the quality of spelling, punctuation and grammar when these
features are specifically assessed by the question as indicated by the mark scheme. The
meaning, however, should be unambiguous.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 4:

Rules must be applied consistently, e.g. in situations where candidates have not followed
instructions or in the application of generic level descriptors.

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 5:

Marks should be awarded using the full range of marks defined in the mark scheme for the question
(however; the use of the full mark range may be limited according to the quality of the candidate
responses seen).

GENERIC MARKING PRINCIPLE 6:

Marks awarded are based solely on the requirements as defined in the mark scheme. Marks should
not be awarded with grade thresholds or grade descriptors in mind.

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Social Science-Specific Marking Principles

(for point-based marking)

1 Components using point-based marking:

• Point marking is often used to reward knowledge, understanding and application of skills.
We give credit where the candidate’s answer shows relevant knowledge, understanding
and application of skills in answering the question. We do not give credit where the answer
shows confusion.

From this it follows that we:

a DO credit answers which are worded differently from the mark scheme if they clearly
convey the same meaning (unless the mark scheme requires a specific term)
b DO credit alternative answers/examples which are not written in the mark scheme if they
are correct
c DO credit answers where candidates give more than one correct answer in one
prompt/numbered/scaffolded space where extended writing is required rather than list-type
answers. For example, questions that require n reasons (e.g. State two reasons …).
d DO NOT credit answers simply for using a ‘key term’ unless that is all that is required.
(Check for evidence it is understood and not used wrongly.)
e DO NOT credit answers which are obviously self-contradicting or trying to cover all
possibilities
f DO NOT give further credit for what is effectively repetition of a correct point already
credited unless the language itself is being tested. This applies equally to ‘mirror
statements’ (i.e. polluted/not polluted).
g DO NOT require spellings to be correct, unless this is part of the test. However spellings of
syllabus terms must allow for clear and unambiguous separation from other syllabus terms
with which they may be confused (e.g. Corrasion/Corrosion)

2 Presentation of mark scheme:

• Slashes (/) or the word ‘or’ separate alternative ways of making the same point.
• Semi colons (;) bullet points (•) or figures in brackets (1) separate different points.
• Content in the answer column in brackets is for examiner information/context to clarify the
marking but is not required to earn the mark (except Accounting syllabuses where they
indicate negative numbers).

3 Calculation questions:
• The mark scheme will show the steps in the most likely correct method(s), the mark for
each step, the correct answer(s) and the mark for each answer
• If working/explanation is considered essential for full credit, this will be indicated in the
question paper and in the mark scheme. In all other instances, the correct answer to a
calculation should be given full credit, even if no supporting working is shown.
• Where the candidate uses a valid method which is not covered by the mark scheme,
award equivalent marks for reaching equivalent stages.
• Where an answer makes use of a candidate’s own incorrect figure from previous working,
the ‘own figure rule’ applies: full marks will be given if a correct and complete method is
used. Further guidance will be included in the mark scheme where necessary and any
exceptions to this general principle will be noted.

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4 Annotation:
• For point marking, ticks can be used to indicate correct answers and crosses can be used
to indicate wrong answers. There is no direct relationship between ticks and marks. Ticks
have no defined meaning for levels of response marking.
• For levels of response marking, the level awarded should be annotated on the script.
• Other annotations will be used by examiners as agreed during standardisation, and the
meaning will be understood by all examiners who marked that paper.

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Question Answer Marks

1 ‘Globalisation is leading to increased cultural diversity.’ Evaluate this 35

view.

Key focus of the question

The question invites discussion of two contrasting perspectives on the cultural

impact of globalisation: one is the view that globalisation is leading to cultural
convergence (a single global culture) and the other is the idea that
globalisation is producing greater cultural diversity. One version of the cultural
convergence perspective argues that globalisation has brought about a one-
way flow of culture from the West to the less economically developed
countries. A process of Westernisation (or Americanisation) has occurred
whereby local cultures become less valued by people in poorer countries who
come to identify increasingly with the same values and lifestyles that are
found in rich capitalist countries such as the US and Western Europe.
Tranformationalist and postmodernist theories of globalisation argue that the
idea of cultural convergence exaggerates the impact of globalisation and fails
to acknowledge how Western culture is enriched by inputs from other world
cultures and religions. In this view, globalisation is actually producing greater
cultural diversity, both by exposing more people to different cultures and
through glocalisation (a process whereby cultural influences from other
countries are modified and adapted to local culture and needs). Good
answers will set out the arguments for suggesting that globalisation is
producing greater cultural diversity and offer an evaluation that is likely to
contrasts between the cultural divergence and cultural convergence
perspectives.

Indicative content

For:
• Global tourism, travel, migration and trade have all contributed a situation
where people are exposed to a wider variety of cultural influences today.
Elements of different cultures are increasingly combined together (what
Steger refers to as ‘cultural hybridity’).
• Global corporations have seized the opportunity to strengthen the appeal
of their products and services by incorporating attractive elements from
different cultures around the world (aspects of Bollywood incorporated in
Hollywood films, for example).
• Local people modify and adapt elements of global culture to strengthen
and enhance local cultures.
• Globalisation may also have led to a revival or reinvigoration of some
cultural forms. For example, traditional social values have been
reasserted by fundamentalist movements opposed to the influence of
globalisation. A resurgence of nationalism and interest in national cultures
is another response by those who feel threatened by the globalising
forces.

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Question Answer Marks

1 Against:
• Martell argues that global processes are sweeping away significant
territorial boundaries and bringing about the global homogenisation of
cultural tastes.
• Global markets and trading networks have spread Western consumer
culture to most parts of the world and an interest in products, brands, and
materialistic lifestyles is undermining the appeal of local cultures to young
people in particular.
• Leisure habits in many parts of the world are increasingly shaped by a
global popular culture disseminated by global media that specialises in
distributing the same music, television, film, computer games, and video
to a global audience.
• Globalisation has contributed to the dominance of English as the
universal language of international trade and global culture. It is predicted
that at least 50% of languages spoken in the world in 2018 will have
disappeared by the end of the 21st century.

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Question Answer Marks

2 ‘Dependency theory provides the best explanation of global inequality.’ 35

Evaluate this view.

Key focus of the question

The question invites candidates to consider the reasons for the disparity
between in income and wealth between rich countries and poorer countries
today. There are a number of theories that seek to explain global inequality,
one of which is dependency theory. Marxist sociologist Frank rejected the
modernisation theory argument that global inequalities are caused by
‘deficient’ cultures of poorer nation-states. In contrast, Frank argued that
global capitalism has systematically under-developed the economies of
poorer countries in order to benefit the economies of the richer nations. This
capitalist exploitation has left poorer countries in a state of dependency on
Western nation-states. Answers must demonstrate knowledge of dependency
theory and should also evaluate that theory relative to other ways of
explaining global inequality. In good responses, contrasts are likely to be
drawn between dependency theory and modernisation theory. World systems
theory may also feature in well-informed answers.

Indicative content

For:
• The inequalities in the structural relationship between rich countries and
poorer countries identified in dependency theory help to explain why
many poorer countries have found it so difficult to develop their
economies successfully.
• Dependency theory helps to make sense of efforts by Western nation-
states to control poorer countries through policies associated with
colonialism and neo-colonialism.
• The interest that richer countries have in keeping poorer countries less
developed provides a context for understanding why efforts by Western
powers to help poorer countries escape poverty have seemed limited and
ineffective.
• The advantages that transnational corporations gain from access to the
markets, resources, and labour supply of poorer countries are clear to
see and revolve around the ability to make profits relatively easily through
the ease with which these markets and workers can be exploited.

Against:
• Poorer countries can resist dependency and produce positive benefits, as
examples such as Tanzania and Cuba illustrate.
• Dependency theory fails to explain why some less economically
developed countries have greatly improved their economic position (the
so-called Asian Tiger economies, for example) while others remain in
desperate poverty.
• ‘Dependency’ is a difficult concept to operationalise and, therefore, test or
measure empirically.

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Question Answer Marks

2 • It may be exaggerated to think that capitalism has been wholly negative

for poorer countries. There have been some improvements in the
standard of living of the poor in many developing countries and TNCs,
western aid projects, and support from capitalist-leaning transnational
organisations, such as the IMF and World Bank, would seem to have
contributed to this positive development.
• Modernisation theory questions the extent to which developed countries
are responsible for the economic difficulties faced by less developed
countries. Rostow, for example, argues that developing societies need to
adopt practices and values that are conducive to economic growth in
order to overcome problems of poverty and deprivation. The practices
and values, in Rostow’s view, should be based on the Western model of
development.

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Question Answer Marks

3 ‘Media content is controlled primarily by governments.’ Evaluate this 35

view.

Key focus of the question

The focus of the question is who controls the media and, specifically, how
much influence do governments (nationally and/or through supra-national
organisations) have on media organisations. Candidates may distinguish
between different types of political regime: authoritarian versus democratic,
for example. Authoritarian regimes usually exercise greater direct control over
the media than is the case in democratic countries. Different means through
which governments can seek to control the media may be discussed
(censorship, funding, publishing and broadcasting laws, regulation,
parliamentary scrutiny of media activities). Evaluating how effective these
means are in helping governments control the media could form part of a
good analytical response to the question. Evaluation could also be provided
by considering other social actors and agencies who might play a role in
controlling the media, such as media owners, editors and journalists,
audiences, and non-governmental regulatory bodies. Good answers will draw
conclusions about whether control of the media is concentrated in the hands
of one particular group or social agency, or whether control is contested
between different groups. How far can governments influence the process of
control and what, if any, are the limits to government action in relation to the
media.

Indicative content

For:
• Examples suggest that authoritarian regimes are often very successful in
controlling the media.
• Democratic regimes usually show greater respect for media rights and
freedoms and, up to a point, are happy to accept a free market in media
content. Nevertheless, many direct and indirect means are available to
democratic governments to control the media, including censorship,
allocation of state funding, regulatory supervision, and fines for media
organisations that fail to conform to government regulations.
• Even democratic governments have intervened to shut down media
outlets considered undesirable. Ultimately, considerable power is
available to national governments to set the limits within which media
organisations operate; the threat of government censure or closure alone
may be sufficient to ensure that media organisations take care to avoid
displeasing the authorities.
• Governments are an important source of information for the media and
that is another consideration encouraging media organisations to align
themselves with government ideas about how the media should operate.

Against:
• Media conglomerates tend to operate on a global scale today and that
makes it easier for them to avoid detailed control by particular nation-
states, if they so wish.

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Question Answer Marks

3 • Democratic governments are not involved in the day-to-day running of

media organisations and so have little influence over decisions taken by
editors and journalists at that level. Overall, it would be unrealistic for
democratic governments to seek to control the detailed production of
media content.
• Democratic governments are accountable to the electorate and measures
such as censorship have not always proven popular with the wider
population in countries where there is a high degree of support for media
freedom.
• Regulating the new media has so far proved challenging for national
governments, partly because global networks (such as the internet) take
control of the new media beyond national frontiers. To-date, it looks like
democratic government have less control over the new media than they
do over the traditional media. This may be changing as governments
come under pressure to ensure tighter regulation of social networking
sites to prevent unwelcome content from, for example, terrorist groups
and political extremists.

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Question Answer Marks

4 ‘The hypodermic syringe model accurately describes how people are 35

influenced by the media.’ Evaluate this view.

Key focus of the question

Sociological attempts to explain media effects provide the underpinnings for

this question. The hypodermic syringe model was an early attempt to describe
how the media influences audiences. Media content acts like a drug injected
directly into a vein using a syringe, having a direct and powerful effect. Later
theorists have generally accepted that the media isn’t quite so overwhelming
in its influence as the simple syringe analogy suggests. However, if taken less
literally, the hypodermic syringe model is a useful reference point for
sociologists who want to argue that the media have a powerful influence on
the way people think and behave. Other models of media effects stress that
audiences are not passive consumers of the media and, where the media is
an influence on thoughts and behaviour, the processes involved are quite
subtle and possibly indirect. Good answers are likely to evaluate the
hypodermic syringe model by drawing contrasts with other models such as
uses and gratifications, reception analysis, and cultural effects.

Indicative content

For:
• In the context of mass society where the media are the main source of
information for many people, it is plausible to think that the media has a
powerful influence on the way people think and behave, even if the
influence is not quite as direct and overwhelming as the syringe model
implies.
• Confusing media representations with reality has provoked mass panic at
times (Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio dramatization, for example).
Likewise, the role of the media in creating moral panics that have
measurable short-term effects on the way some people think and behave
has also been well documented.
• It is not easy to prove or disprove whether the media have a powerful,
direct influence on behaviour because of the difficulty of separating
relevant variables and measuring the precise effects of media exposure.
However, there is a large body of anecdotal evidence of some people
claiming they have personally experienced, or witnessed in others, a
dramatic change of behaviour associated with exposure to certain media
content.
• Belief that the media can have a powerful and relatively immediate effect
in influencing thoughts and behaviour has encouraged companies to
spend huge sums on advertising. Likewise, government regulations to
restrict access to certain media content, particularly in the case of
children, also implies a belief that the media can be an invasive influence.

Against:
• The syringe model wrongly assumes that audiences are passive and that
audience members are all affected in the same way.
• The syringe model also assumes the audience is an ‘atomised mass’
whose response to media messages is unaffected by their social relations
with others.

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Question Answer Marks

4 • The reception analysis model question how much influence the media
have on audiences, because the latter interpret what they see, hear or
read according to their pre-existing views, attitudes and opinions.
• By contrast with the reception analysis view, the cultural effects model is
closer to the hypodermic syringe model in arguing that the media can
have significant effects on attitudes and behaviour. But sociologists who
support the cultural effects model say that media effects come about
indirectly and through long-term exposure to media content; the short-term
impact of consuming media content is very limited.

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Question Answer Marks

5 ‘Rather than promoting social order, religion is a source of conflict in 35

society.’ Evaluate this view.

Key focus of the question

Both functionalist and Marxist theories, in ways that differ to some extent,
claim that religion plays a key role in maintaining social order. Other
sociologists have argued that this view overlooks the many historical and
current examples of where religion appears closely associated with wars and
other conflicts around the world. The question invites candidates to consider
issues arising from this contrast between functionalist/Marxist theories of
religion and evidence about the part religion has at times played in dividing
communities and setting countries and peoples against each other. In
particular, debate should focus on how far evidence of disharmony linked to
religious conflicts is sufficient to undermine the credibility of
Sociological theories that view religion as a factor that promotes social order.

Indicative content

For:
• Social order implies harmony between people, or at least the existence of
controls that prevent significant conflict and unrest breaking out in
society. Yet there are numerous examples of bloody conflicts and
extreme persecution and unrest in which religion appears to have played
a part. Conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland
and between Hindus and Muslims in India, are just two examples of this.
• Functionalist and Marxist theories that emphasise the supposed role of
religion in promoting social order appear to downplay the potential for
divisions between religious groups to act as a source of conflict. This
seems to be a major lacuna and one which perhaps undermines the
credibility of claims that religion makes a significant contribution to social
order.
• Conflicts based around religious divisions are rarely short-lived; they
often run on in a society for decades and, in some cases, centuries.
Hence, it is not as if religious conflicts can be written off as a minor
exception to what functionalists and Marxists see as the normal role of
religion in helping to maintain social order.
• Whilst it is true that the values of peace and harmony are central to most
religious teachings, it is not always the case that organised religions set
out determinedly to avoid conflict or to help maintain the status quo.
Liberation Theology, for example, is a concerted effort by a committed
group of priests in Latin America to challenge oppressive political regimes
and press for social changes that would help alleviate poverty and
exploitation.

Against:
• In most conflict situations, including those where religious divisions are
fuelling the unrest, organised religions are also usually seeking to be part
of the solution, seeking out ways of resolving differences and making
overtures of reconciliation.

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Question Answer Marks

5 • The success of religion in helping promote social order can sometimes be

seen as contributing to conditions that later result in bloody conflicts
breaking out. For example, long periods of order in a society may allow
privileged groups to become more powerful at the expense of other
groups who they exploit and take for granted. In this situation, support for
other religions may build up among marginalised groups, challenging the
power of the dominant religion and interests of privileged groups that it
supports. In other words, there may be a dialectical relationship between
the role of religion in promoting social order and involvement of religions
in triggering conflict; these two features of religion are not necessarily
inconsistent.
• Successful capitalist economies (US, UK, Germany, Japan) have often
enjoyed long periods of relative stability within their own borders where
divisions such as those between employers and workers and managed
harmoniously for the most part. Marxist sociologists may be right in
arguing that religion has made a significant contribution to achieving this
level of integration and stability. This suggests that just as there is
evidence to show that religion may sometimes help trigger social conflict,
there is also a significant weight of evidence to support claims that
religion promotes social order/social integration.
• Max Weber rightly warned against making sweeping generalisations
about the contribution that religion makes to society. He recognised that
the role of religion can vary across time and between societies, and that
not all religions have the same impact on people’s thoughts and
behaviour. In some situations, Weber said religion could be a source of
social change, in others it may act as a conservative force or a catalyst
for division and confrontation. This is a more nuanced way of thinking
about the role of religion than the one presented in traditional functionalist
and Marxist theories of religion.

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Question Answer Marks

6 ‘There is little evidence to support the secularisation thesis.’ Evaluate 35

this view.

Key focus of the question

Although the question invites discussion of the secularisation thesis in

general, good answers will pay particular attention to examining the evidential
(empirical) basis for claiming secularisation has occurred. Evidence used to
support the secularisation thesis includes church attendance records,
statistics about levels of participation in religious ceremonies, attitude surveys
to measure religiosity, and historical records that shed light on the role of
religious organisations in the community in former times. The empirical
support for the secularisation thesis can be scrutinised both in terms of its
reliability and methodological soundness and, more broadly, in relation to
whether the evidence presented in itself is sufficient to make a plausible case
for claiming that secularisation has occurred. Good answers might include a
discussion of different ways of defining secularisation and how this may affect
conclusions drawn about whether the secularisation thesis has been proven
empirically. Similarly, candidates might note that more recent evidence about
religious belief and practice is, arguably, less supportive of the secularisation
thesis than the evidence presented in the 1960s and 1970s when sociologists
first advanced the thesis.

Indicative content

For:
• Availability of evidence about the role of religion in earlier times is limited
to some extent and, more importantly, the reliability of that evidence can
be questioned on numerous points.
• Evidence about church attendance records, participation in religious
ceremonies, and membership of religions groups tell us little about the
extent to which the people involved were religious. For example, some
may feel social pressure to attend religious ceremonies rather than
holding strong spiritual beliefs.
• Some of the available evidence is ambiguous; for example, evidence of
declining church membership in the UK is somewhat at odds with the fact
that the number of people identifying as Christian when completing the
census form has remained relatively stable for more than a century.
• What evidence there is to support the secularisation thesis is being
undermined by more recent evidence suggesting a religious revival in
many countries. For example, there has been a sharp rise in membership
of new religious groups in many western societies, and recent studies
also indicate the numbers engaging in privatised worship are increasing.

Against:
• Sociological research supporting the secularisation thesis collected large
amounts of data from many different sources and from a range of
countries. Follow up studies also developed new ways of measuring the
claims about secularisation and came up with findings that many
sociologists found convincing as further supporting evidence for the
secularisation thesis.

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Question Answer Marks

6 • Some evidence about the role of religion in the past is almost

unquestionably reliable; for example, evidence about the role of the
church in civic ceremonies and in organising community activities such as
providing welfare support and running schools. This evidence supports
claims that there has been a decline in the social significance of religion
in many societies.
• Some supporters of the secularisation thesis argue that the debate
centres on whether religion has lost its relevance at the social, cultural
and political levels; not whether at the personal level people have
become less (or more) religious, which is known as religiosity. Whilst
evidence about changes in religiosity may be highly subjective, that
doesn’t detract from the secularisation thesis if it is accepted that
secularisation refers to changes in the social significance of religion
rather than changes in people’s personal beliefs.
• A lot of recent evidence put forward to challenge the secularisation thesis
concerns personal beliefs and private forms of religious practice. That
evidence therefore tells us nothing about the social significance of religion
today – the role religion plays in shaping social structures and practices
and its influence in relation to major cultural and political events.

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Generic levels of response

Level AO1: Knowledge and Understanding Marks

3 • Good knowledge and understanding of the view on which the question is 7–9
based.
• The response contains a range of detailed points with good use of concepts
and theory/research evidence.

2 • Reasonable knowledge and understanding of the view on which the question 4–6
is based.
• The response contains either a narrow range of detailed points or a wider
range of underdeveloped points, with some use of concepts and references
to theory or research evidence

1 • Basic knowledge and understanding of the view on which the question is 1–3
based.
• The response contains a narrow range of underdeveloped points with some
references to concepts or theory or research evidence.

0 • No knowledge and understanding worthy of credit. 0

Level AO2: Interpretation and Application Marks

4 • Very good interpretation and application of relevant sociological material. 10–11

• The material selected will be accurately interpreted and consistently applied
to the question in a logical and well-informed way.

3 • Good interpretation and application of sociological material. 7–9

• The material selected will be accurate and relevant but not always
consistently applied to the question in a way that is logical and clear

2 • Reasonable interpretation and application of sociological material. 4–6

• The material selected will be mainly accurate but its relevance to the question
may be confused or unclear at times.

1 • Limited interpretation and application of sociological material. 1–3

• The material selected is relevant to the topic but lacks focus on or relevance
to the specific question.

0 • No interpretation and application worthy of credit. 0

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Level AO3: Analysis and Evaluation Marks

4 • Very good analysis and evaluation. 12–15

• Clear and sustained analysis of the view on which the question is based, with
detailed and explicit evaluation.
• There is also likely to be a range of contrasting views and/or evidence
discussed, demonstrating good understanding of the complexity of the issues
raised by the question.

3 • Good analysis and evaluation. 8–11

• The evaluation may be explicit and direct but not sustained, or it will rely on a
good outline of contrasting views and/or evidence, clearly focussed on
evaluating the view in the question.
• The response demonstrates some understanding of the complexity of the
issues raised by the question.

2 • Reasonable analysis and evaluation. 4–7

• There is a description of some relevant contrasting views and/or evidence but
these are only implicitly focussed on evaluating the view in the question.
• The response demonstrates some awareness of the complexity of the issues
raised by the question.

1 • Limited analysis and evaluation. 1–3

• There are a few simple points of implicit or tangential evaluation.
• The response demonstrates little awareness of the complexity of the issues
raised by the question.

0 • No analysis and evaluation worthy of credit. 0

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