Homeschool Guide: These lesson plans are a guide for parents. Content may contain errors — always cross-reference with official exam board specifications.

social stratification & class

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4 detailed 50-minute lessons with teaching scripts, worked examples, parent guides, and assessment criteria.

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Lesson Overview

Total Lessons: 4
Tier: Foundation and Higher
Duration: 50 minutes per lesson (200 minutes total)
Exam Boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA

Learning Objectives

Prerequisites

Materials & Equipment

Lesson 1: Introduction: social stratification & class

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Write down everything you already know about social stratification & class. Then check against the key terms: Sociology Exam Tips, UK Context, UK Context. Use a mini-whiteboard or paper.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide:
Before lesson: Read the script below. Pre-teach key vocab: Sociology Exam Tips, UK Context, UK Context.
If stuck: Re-read the revision notes (link above), then break the content into smaller steps.
Extension: See the Stretch & Challenge ideas in Lesson 4.
Teaching Script (35 mins):
Mins 0-5 - Hook: "Today: social stratification & class. By the end you will be able to answer exam questions on it unaided. It connects to the rest of Sociology because the ideas here recur across the spec."
Mins 5-20 - Direct Instruction: Work through the core ideas below one at a time; after each, ask your student to explain it back in their own words.
Mins 20-30 - Guided Practice: Model the worked example together, then let your student attempt the first practice question with guidance.
Mins 30-35 - Independent Practice: 2-3 practice questions from Lesson 3 below, with immediate feedback.
First Look

Start with the revision notes summary, then attempt: Explain what social stratification is and how social class affects life chances.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Check Out

Your student states one thing they learned and one question they still have about social stratification & class.

Lesson 2: Core Concepts: social stratification & class

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Review Previous Lesson

Quick recap: write 3 key points from Lesson 1 on social stratification & class. Check them against the notes below.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Key Fact: Social stratification: the hierarchical arrangement of people into social strata based on wealth, income, status and power. In the UK, social class is the primary form of stratification.
Key Fact: Social class systems: the NS-SEC (8 classes from higher managerial to never worked) replaced the Registrar General's scale. Weber: class is based on market situation. Marx: class is based on relationship to means of production.
Key Fact: Life chances: class strongly affects health (working-class die 7-9 years earlier), education (middle-class children achieve higher), income (top 10% earn 12x more than bottom 10%), and housing (overcrowding 5x higher in lowest quintile).
Key Fact: The wealth gap: richest 10% hold 44% of total wealth; poorest 50% hold 9%. This gap has widened since the 1980s. Wilkinson and Pickett: more unequal societies have worse outcomes for everyone.
Key Fact: Poverty: relative poverty (below 60% of median) affects about 22% of the UK population. The poverty trap: people on benefits who work may be little better off due to lost benefits.
Sociology Exam Tips: When discussing stratification, always: define the concept, use specific statistics on inequality, and evaluate whether class is still the most important form of stratification.

Practice (10 minutes)

Q: Explain what social stratification is and how social class affects life chances.

Answer: Stratification divides society into layers based on wealth, power and status. Class dramatically affects life chances: health, education, income, housing. These inequalities persist across generations.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Explain Back

Your student teaches the key points back to you without looking. Fill any gaps immediately.

Lesson 3: Application: social stratification & class

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Quick Recall

Recall the key terms: Sociology Exam Tips, UK Context, UK Context. Define each in one sentence.

Main Content (35 minutes)

Parent/Teacher Guide: Let your student attempt each question alone first, then compare with the model answer. Award method marks for correct working even if the final answer is wrong.

Q1: Explain what social stratification is and how social class affects life chances.

Answer: Stratification divides society into layers based on wealth, power and status. Class dramatically affects life chances: health, education, income, housing. These inequalities persist across generations.

Q2: Describe the extent of wealth inequality in the UK and evaluate explanations for it.

Answer: Top 10% own 44% of wealth; bottom 50% own 9%. Marxist: capitalism concentrates wealth. Wilkinson and Pickett: inequality harms everyone. Some inequality may incentivise effort, but extreme inequality is harmful.

Q3: Evaluate whether social class is still relevant in modern society.

Answer: Class still affects health, education, income, housing. Counter: class identities are weakening; social mobility exists. Conclusion: class is less culturally significant but its material impact remains powerful.

Plenary (5 minutes)

Error Review

Review any questions answered incorrectly. Identify whether the error was knowledge, method, or reading the question.

Lesson 4: Exam Practice: social stratification & class

Duration: 50 minutes

Starter Activity (5 minutes)

Command Words

Review what these command words require: state (one point), describe (say what happens), explain (say why), compare (both sides), evaluate (judgement).

Main Content (35 minutes)

Extended Answer

Extended question: Full-Mark Response Evaluate the view that social class is the most significant factor affecting life chances in modern Britain. <div class="

A grade 9 response will: define social class and life chances; present evidence that class affects health, education, income; compare with gender and ethnicity; consider intersectionality; conclude: social class is the most significant single factor but gender and ethnicity interact with class to compound disadvantage.

Exam Tips: Stratification = structured INEQUALITY. Life chances vary dramatically by class. | Wealth gap: top 10% = 44%. Bottom 50% = 9%. WIDENING. Wilkinson & Pickett: inequality harms ALL. | Class STILL matters for life chances even if class identity is weakening.
Common Errors: Watch Out! Students often make mistakes here. Wrong: Social class no longer matters because anyone can succeed through talent and hard work. Correct: While social mobility exists, evidence shows class powerfully affects life chances: working-class people die 7-9 years earlier, achieve lower qualifications, earn less. Only 21% of children from the poorest fifth reach the top income quintile as adults. Talent and effort matter, but they operate within a stratified system that is far from level.
Stretch & Challenge (Grade 8-9):
  • Synoptic links: explain how social stratification & class connects to another Sociology topic you have studied
  • Real-world: research one real-world use or example of social stratification & class
  • Critical: "What are the limitations of the models used in social stratification & class?"

Plenary (5 minutes)

Assessment Criteria
  • Got it: Confident explanation + correct worked examples
  • Getting there: Main points OK, needs support with detail
  • Not yet: Confused on key concepts - re-run Lesson 2

Homework & Consolidation

Recommended Resources

🎓 Smart Lesson (Guided)