Q1.
Briefly explain the top-down approach to offender profiling.
(Total 2 marks)
Q2.
Outline what is meant by geographical profiling in forensic psychology.
(Total 2 marks)
Q3.
One method of offender profiling involves categorising offenders as either organised or disorganised offenders. Briefly explain one limitation of this method of offender profiling.
(Total 2 marks)

Mark schemes
Q1.
[AO1 = 2]
2 marks for a clear, coherent explanation of the top-down approach to offender profiling.
1 mark for a very brief, limited or muddled explanation.
Content:
•        conceptual categories/templates of organised and disorganised offender are pre-existing in the mind of the profiler
•        evidence from the crime scene and other details of the crime/victim/context are then used to fit into either of the pre-existing categories and determine the offender as one type or the other.
Q2.
[AO1 = 2]
1 mark for brief outline
Plus
1 further mark for elaboration
Possible content:
•   The study of spatial behaviour in relation to crime and offenders.
•   Focuses on the location of crime as clues to where offenders live, work and socialise.
•   Relevant data include the crime scene, local crime statistics, local transport, geographical spread of similar crimes etc.
•   Based on the notion of schema theory and mental mapping
The data can be combined into a model, the jeopardy surface, though explicit reference to this is not necessary for 2 marks.
Q3.
[AO3 = 2]
1 mark for a brief explanation of a limitation (must be explained rather than stated).
Plus
1 mark for elaboration.
Possible limitations:
•        based on a restricted sample of 36 serial sex offenders (therefore cannot be generalised to a wide population)
•        based on the self-reports from this sample (which cannot therefore be relied on for validity)
•        distinction is an oversimplification (difficult to categorise some offenders as one type or another so is of questionable validity / usefulness)
•        research (Canter 2004) shows evidence for the organised type only (suggesting that organisation is a characteristic typical of most serial killers).
Credit other valid limitations.

Examiner reports
Q1.
Most students gained one mark for referring to the organised/disorganised distinction. Rather fewer could explain that this categorisation was dependent on analysis of evidence from the crime scene. Some students provided unnecessary background information about the origins of the top-down approach or gave detailed information about the stages of profile generation.