| Exam Board | AQA |
| Qualification | A Level |
| Entry
Requirements |
Grade 5 in English Language or Literature |
| Content
(Outline of Course) |
You will study a range of introductory topics in Sociology in Year 12. Integral parts of the course will be addressed, including theories and the design of the research. Core themes (socialisation, culture and identity, social differentiation, power, and stratification) will also be explored. You will focus on the topic of Education to consider the effects of policies, external factors and internal traits on educational performance and opportunities. In studying the Sociology of Health, you will consider the effect of policies, the social construction of health, models of health, inequalities in the provision of, and access to, health care, mental illness, the role of medicine, and the globalised health industry.
In Year 13, you will build upon your knowledge of core themes, key perspectives, and methods through the study of Crime and Deviance and the Media. You will explore social order and social control; the social distribution of crime and deviance by ethnicity, gender, and social class; the media and crime; green crime; human rights and state crimes; crime control; and the role of the criminal justice system and other agencies. You will evaluate the impact of the new media in contemporary society; the relationship between ownership and control of the media; globalisation and popular culture; selection and presentation of news; and the relationship between the media, their content and presentation, and audiences. |
| Assessment | Sociology is assessed through three two-hour papers. These are:
Paper 1 – Education with Theory and Methods, worth 33.3%. This assesses your knowledge of Education through short answers and extended writing, Methods in Context through extended writing, and Theory and Methods through extended writing. Paper 2 – Topics in Sociology, worth 33.3%. This assesses your knowledge of the Sociology of Health and the Sociology of the Media. Paper 3 – Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods, worth 33.3%. This assesses your knowledge of Crime and Deviance through short answers and extended writing, and Theory and Methods through extended writing. |
| Careers Guidance | Sociology develops a range of valuable skills, including critical analysis of theories and research, independent thinking, and the planning of investigations. In developing these skills, Sociology will prepare you for many careers or university courses including Sociology and other social sciences. Due to the transferable skills and topics that are taught, it will also be useful for further studies that lead to careers in the police and probation services; social work and teaching; social and market research; charitable, counselling, and voluntary organisations; public relations; journalism and communications; media and marketing.
Recent graduate information has shown people with an A-Level in Sociology have progressed into employment with roles such as teacher, researcher, and business development executive. |
Key Information
Transition Work
The transition work for Sociology can be found below.
Students should attempt to complete one task weekly over the summer ahead of the start of the course.
Booklet
