Mark Hollingsworth

A-Level Sociology Teacher, Bristol (former AQA Examiner)

Mark Hollingsworth has taught A-Level Sociology at a Bristol comprehensive school for sixteen years, building a reputation as a teacher who makes abstract sociological theory accessible without sacrificing the analytical rigour that the AQA mark scheme demands. Holding a BA in Sociology from the University of Bristol, he served as an AQA Sociology examiner for five years, gaining a detailed understanding of the specific vocabulary, evaluation moves and structuring decisions that differentiate Grade A scripts from Grade C scripts on the same question. Mark's teaching specialism is the Year 13 revision sprint — the period from late February through the May papers — where he argues that most students make the critical mistake of reviewing everything broadly rather than targeting the topic-and-evaluation combinations most likely to appear. His approach involves a systematic analysis of past paper frequency data to identify which theories (Marxism, Feminism, Functionalism, Interactionism) have appeared alongside which themes (Education, Crime, Family, Media) in the most recent five years of AQA papers, and then designing a targeted revision sequence accordingly. He also writes extensively about study leave psychology: the period between study leave starting and the first exam is, in his experience, the most academically dangerous for high-ability students who overestimate how productively they will use unstructured time. He provides structured day-by-day study leave plans and has developed a set of 'evaluation card' flashcards — tying specific evaluative arguments to specific sociological debates — that students report using extensively in the final week before papers. He writes about A-Level Sociology revision, AQA exam strategy and how to sustain motivation through the Year 13 final stretch.