Social Issues in the United Kingdom: overview of Section 2 of SQA National 5 Modern Studies
An overview of Section 2 of SQA National 5 Modern Studies, Social Issues in the United Kingdom, covering the two options: social inequality (causes, effects and responses) and crime and the law (causes and effects of crime and the responses of individuals, the police, the courts and the state).
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Social Issues in the United Kingdom is Section 2 of the SQA National 5 Modern Studies question paper, worth 20 marks. It studies a major social problem in the UK, and candidates choose one of two options. This page maps both and shows how they connect.
The two options
Social inequality. The unequal distribution of income, wealth, health and opportunity in the UK. You study why it happens, what it does to individuals and society, and how governments and charities respond, including the welfare state, benefits, the minimum wage and the NHS.
Crime and the law. Why people commit crime, how crime harms victims, communities and society, and how individuals, the police (Police Scotland), the Scottish legal system and courts, and the state (prisons and alternatives) respond, balancing punishment with rehabilitation.
How to study Section 2
- Pick one option and learn it fully. You only need one, so go deep on either inequality or crime.
- Learn causes, effects and responses as a chain. They link together and questions move between them.
- Practise describe and evaluation answers. Describe asks for developed points; "to what extent" asks for both sides and a judgement.
- Use Scottish detail for crime. Police Scotland, the Sheriff and High Courts, and the three verdicts are distinctively Scottish.
For the official course specification
The SQA publishes the full National 5 Modern Studies course specification, specimen paper and past papers with marking instructions at sqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and SQA past papers.