INTRODUCTIONS – BASIC STRUCTURE

‘Content’ and ‘Process’

There is no precise formula for a strong introduction, but they will

typically involve the following elements:

Some engagement with / reflection on question CONTENT:

1. A level of ‘re-working’ (explanation of / expansion on) the question to

indicate that it is understood (and how it is understood i.e. YOUR own
understanding of the question)
2. Brief reference by way of explanation (where necessary) to any key
terms or potentially problematic terms

Some discussion / reflection on PROCESS:

3. An indication as to how you, as author, intend to go about answering

the question (the intended structure of your response)
4. A broad indication (perhaps) of the conclusion/s you intend to reach

Just like essay questions themselves then, introductions engage with both
content and process, and it should be possible to clearly distinguish between
sentences that do one or the other, or both.

In the examples given below, content and process are indicated as follows:

Underlined bold CONTENT1: statement introducing core subject

Underlined CONTENT2: expansion on subject (i.e. the particular aspect/s of
the core subject that the question addresses)
Italicised PROCESS: explanation of how you intend to answer the question

Key content words

Key process words

Discuss the underlying assumptions and methodologies of some of the key

attempts to measure poverty.

Poverty is a key indicator of need and hence, of the success or failure of

social policies. The academic debate about poverty has been largely about
definitions. There are a number of competing definitions of poverty. Definitions range
from the limited view which sees poverty in terms of survival to wider views, which
relate poverty to the average standard of living and quality of life in society. The main
debate surrounds whether poverty should be measured in absolute or relative terms.
In Britain, the concern created by poverty was most clearly expressed in the
establishment of the Elizabeth Poor Laws, the influence of which has lasted until
modern times. However, it was not until near the end of the nineteenth century, that
a major contribution to the definition and measurement was made by Charles Booth.
Since this time, a number of researchers have developed different methods in their
attempts to measure poverty. In the course of my essay, I will describe the
underlying assumptions and methodologies of some of the key attempts to measure
poverty.. I will progress from the Elizabethan poor laws to studies conducted by
Booth, Rowntree, Townsend, Mack and Lansley and Bradshaw and to conclude, I aim
to examine the present situation. This will hopefully enable me to gain an insight
into the diversity of methods so that I will be able to consider the extent to which the
underlying assumptions have changed.

What does Durkheim mean by “morality”? Do you agree with his assessment
of its significance in understanding society?

Central to Durkheim’s work is a concern over the issue of the individual in

modern society and the sources and nature of morality and moral authority.
Durkheim’s ideas on morality can be seen as progressive, he developed a gradually
deepened view of morality as a social phenomenon, we can see a move in his work
from a concentration on moral rules and obligation to more complex ideas about
desires and moral education. This essay examines the nature of “morality” for
Durkheim, its relationship to society and the individual, religion, authority and
education. It will also be shown that this account of morality was of great
significance to an understanding of Durkheim’s specific contemporary society but is
still relevant to our understanding of society in general today.

How can we account for the changing pattern of gender differences in

educational attainment in post-war Britain?

Discussions of inequalities in education have historically focused on social

class. However, in post-war Britain gender differences in educational
attainment have attracted increasing interest . Initially, sociological research was
focused on attempting to explain why boys educational performance was much better
than girls. However, since the early 90’s the pattern has changed and female pupils
have moved from underachieving in comparison to males to outperforming them. For
example in 1975/76 males were more likely than females to gain at least one A level
but females have caught up with and passed males and in 1994/95 25% of females
gained at least one A level compared to 22% of males. This essay examines firstly
the explanations given for girls’ underachievement, then looks at why and how the
pattern has changed and finally discusses how boys comparatively poor performance
is now considered a social problem. Practices and attitudes within schools, subject
choices, attainment at different stages of education, state educational policy and
external culture are among the factors which will be examined.