AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies Paper 2, June 2025: Question 7

✅ Correct Answer

D – Neighbourhood Watch

💡 Key Knowledge

• Neighbourhood Watch: A voluntary community scheme where local residents partner with the police to increase home security, report suspicious behaviour, and deter local crime.
• Other options are distractors: Neighbourhood Planning relates to housing/land use, not policing or crime reduction.

✅ Acceptable Model Answers (Choose One)

• Protection / Incapacitation: To protect society [1 mark] by physically removing dangerous offenders who have committed serious crimes from the streets [1 mark] .
• Retribution / Punishment: To punish the offender [1 mark] proportionally for the harm and distress caused to victims [1 mark] .
• Deterrence: To deter future crime [1 mark] by discouraging both the individual and members of the public through fear of losing their freedom [1 mark] .
• Rehabilitation / Reform: To reform the offender [1 mark] by providing education, vocational training, or therapy to change their criminal behaviour [1 mark] .

🧠 Exam Technique: Point + Expand

Questions asking you to "Explain one purpose..." for 2 marks require a two-part structure:

1. State the purpose clearly (e.g., deterrence, rehabilitation, protection, retribution).
2. Explain how imprisonment achieves this (e.g., "...by locking offenders away so they are physically unable to harm the public.").

❌ Common Misconceptions & Errors

• Giving a one-word answer: Writing just "Punishment" or "To stop crime" scores only 1 mark out of 2 because there is no developed explanation.
• Listing multiple purposes: Writing "To punish them and also rehabilitate them" wastes time and still only earns 1 mark because neither purpose is explained in depth.

✅ Model Answers (Any 2 Developed Factors)

• Factor 1 (Economic decline / Poverty): Source E mentions a decline following the 2008 economic recession [1 mark] . Discussion: High unemployment and poverty can force people into petty crime or theft as a means of survival, increasing overall crime rates [1 mark] .
• Factor 2 (Lack of youth services): Source E notes that "local services such as youth clubs closed" [1 mark] . Discussion: Without structured recreational activities or support, young people often experience boredom or drift into anti-social behaviour and gang-related crimes [1 mark] .
• Factor 3 (Police staffing levels / Budget cuts): The source states Cleveland Police lost 500 officers due to budget cuts [1 mark] . Discussion: Fewer police patrols reduce the visible deterrent on streets, making criminals feel they are less likely to be caught [1 mark] .
• Factor 4 (Target hardening / Private security): Residents have installed cameras and hired private security patrols [1 mark] . Discussion: Target hardening makes committing a crime riskier and more difficult, which deters offenders and helps lower local crime rates [1 mark] .

🧠 Exam Technique: Source-Linked Development

• Quote or reference the source explicitly: Always lift a concrete fact from Source E (e.g. closure of youth clubs or cut of 500 police officers).
• Explain the mechanism: Follow up with "This affects crime rates because..." to explain why that factor causes crime to either rise or fall.
• Keep the two points clearly separated under headings 1 and 2 as set out on the exam paper.

❌ Examiner Pitfalls to Avoid

• Failing to use Source E: Discussing general factors (e.g., bad parenting, drugs) without any reference to the provided text will cap your marks.
• Copying the source without explanation: Writing "Cleveland Police cut 500 officers" gives only 1 mark. You must explain how having fewer officers affects crime rates.

📐 Mark Breakdown (2 + 2 Marks)