Question 1
Evaluate the contemporary study by Bradbury and Williams (2013).
AO1 (4 marks), AO3 (4 marks)
AO1
- The researchers used secondary data from court trials that
had taken place in 2000 and 2001.
- The data gathered was taken from an actual jury trial rather
than a mock jury.
- All the defendants in the trials were black and the jurors were
multi-ethnic.
- They found that juries with a high percentage of white jurors
were more likely to convict black defendants.
AO3
- The data used was outdated as there is 12 years between the
data and the study, therefore it may no longer represent the
outcomes of jury trials.
- There is high ecological validity from the data as the study
was of real life trials and therefore is more likely to apply to
other real life jury decisions.
- There is low generalisability to all trials due to the biased
nature of the sample.
- There is strong practical application for the criminal justice
system in America to change policies for jury composition.
Look for other reasonable marking points.
(8)
\begin{tabular}[t]{|l|l|l|}
\hline Level
Mark
Descriptor
\begin{tabular[t]{l}
AO1 (4 marks), AO3 (4 marks)
Candidates must demonstrate an equal emphasis between knowledge and understanding vs evaluation/ conclusion in their answer.
\end{tabular}}
0
No rewardable material.
Level 1
1-2
Marks
\begin{tabular}[t]{l}
Demonstrates isolated elements of knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Generic assertions may be presented. Limited attempt to address the question. (AO3)
\end{tabular}
Level 2
3-4
Marks
\begin{tabular}[t]{l}
Demonstrates mostly accurate knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Candidates will produce statements with some development in the form of mostly accurate and relevant factual material, leading to a generic or superficial assessment being presented. (AO3)
\end{tabular}
Level 3
5-6
Marks
\begin{tabular}[t]{l}
Demonstrates accurate knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Arguments developed using mostly coherent chains of reasoning leading to an assessment being presented which considers a range of factors. Candidates will demonstrate understanding of competing arguments/factors but unlikely to grasp their significance. The assessment leads to a judgement but this may be imbalanced. (AO3)
\end{tabular}
Level 4
7-8
Marks
\begin{tabular}[t]{l}
Demonstrates accurate and thorough knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Displays a well-developed and logical assessment, containing logical chains of reasoning throughout. Demonstrates an awareness of the significance of competing arguments/factors leading to a balanced judgement being presented. (AO3)
\end{tabular}