Providing an in-depth analysis and exam style response for Paper 1 2022, Question 4: Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that marketisation
policies have increased diversity and choice in the education system.
[30 marks]
I got awarded 27 marks out of 30
Read Item B below and answer the question that follows.
Item B
Since the introduction of marketisation policies to education, over 30 years ago, competition
has grown between increasingly diverse types of schools. New Right theorists argue that
every parent is free to choose the best school for their child. They also claim that this
efficiently drives up standards and ensures that schools are responsive to the needs of
parents and pupils.
However, some sociologists argue that there are limits to these choices. They also argue that
marketisation policies may reinforce existing inequalities in educational achievement.
Applying material from Item B and your knowledge, evaluate the view that marketisation
policies have increased diversity and choice in the education system.
[30 marks]
Marketisation refers to the process of introducing market forces of consumer choice and
competition between suppliers into areas run by the state, such as education. On one hand,
“New Right theorists argue that every parent is free to choose the best school for their child.
They also claim that this efficiently drives up standards and ensures that schools are responsive
to the needs of parents and pupils. However, some sociologists argue that there are limits to
these choices. They also argue that marketisation policies may reinforce existing inequalities in
educational achievement”, as Item B states.
New Right theorists argue that marketisation means that schools have to attract customers
(parents) by competing with each other in the market. Schools that provide customers with what
they want-such as success in exams- will thrive, and those that don't will ‘go out of business’.
One Policy that was introduced to promote marketisation is the Publication of league tables and
Ofsted inspection reports that rank each school according to its exam performance. Sociologists
David describes marketised education as a “parentocracy”. Supporters of marketisation argue
that in an education market, power shifts away from the producers (teachers and schools) to the
consumers (parents). They claim this encourages diversity among schools, gives parents more
choice and “drives up the standard”, as Item B highlights. However, despite the claimed benefits
of marketisation , its critics argue that it has increased inequalities. For example, Ball and Whitty
note how marketisation policies such as exam league tables and the funding formula reproduce
class inequalities by creating inequalities between schools.
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