Scheme of assessment
Find past papers and mark schemes, and specimen papers for new courses, on our website at aqa.org.uk/pastpapers
The AS specification is designed to be taken over one or two years with all assessments taken at the end of the course. The A-level specification is designed to be taken over two years with all assessments taken at the end of the course.
Assessments and certification for the AS specification are available for the first time in May/June 2016 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.
Assessments and certification for the A-level specification are available for the first time in May/June 2017 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.
These are linear qualifications. In order to achieve the award, students must complete all exams in May/June in a single year. All assessments must be taken in the same series.
As set out in the Specification at a glance and Subject content sections, students must provide extended responses that draw upon the Integral elements and Core themes as threads throughout all written assessments for Sociology. Students are expected to draw links between these threads and subject content, and also between elements of subject content, in order to demonstrate the skills of application, analysis and evaluation.
All materials are available in English only.
Aims
The study of Sociology must focus on contemporary society and foster the development of critical and reflective thinking with a respect for social diversity. It must provide an awareness of the importance of social structure and social action in explaining social issues. Students must be encouraged to develop their own sociological awareness through active engagement with the contemporary social world.
These specifications have been designed with the clear objective of addressing the requirements above and will encourage students to:
- acquire knowledge and a critical understanding of contemporary social processes and social changes
- appreciate the significance of theoretical and conceptual issues in sociological debate
- understand and evaluate sociological methodology and a range of research methods through active involvement in the research process
- develop skills that enable individuals to focus on their personal identity, roles and responsibilities within society
- develop a lifelong interest in social issues.
Assessment objectives
Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all AS and A-level Sociology specifications and all exam boards.
The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.
Assessment objectives
Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all AS and A-level Sociology specifications and all exam boards.
The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.
- AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- sociological theories, concepts and evidence
- sociological research methods
- AO2: Apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to a range of issues
- AO3: Analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts, evidence and
research methods in order to:
- present arguments
- make judgements
- draw conclusions.
Weighting of assessment objectives for AS Sociology
| Assessment objectives (AOs) | Component weightings (approx %) | Overall weighting (approx %) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | ||
| AO1 | 22 | 24 | 46 |
| AO2 | 18 | 13 | 31 |
| AO3 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Overall weighting of components | 50 | 50 | 100 |
A-level
- AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- sociological theories, concepts and evidence
- sociological research methods
- AO2: Apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to a range of issues
- AO3: Analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts, evidence and
research methods in order to:
- present arguments
- make judgements
- draw conclusions.
Weighting of assessment objectives for A-level Sociology
| Assessment objectives (AOs) | Component weightings (approx %) | Overall weighting (approx %) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | ||
| AO1 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 44 |
| AO2 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 31 |
| AO3 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 25 |
| Overall weighting of components | 33.33 | 33.33 | 33.33 | 100 |
Assessment weightings
The marks awarded on the papers will be scaled to meet the weighting of the components. Students' final marks will be calculated by adding together the scaled marks for each component. Grade boundaries will be set using this total scaled mark. The scaling and total scaled marks are shown in the table below.
AS
| Component | Maximum raw mark | Scaling factor | Maximum scaled mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Education with Methods in Context | 60 | x1 | 60 |
| Paper 2: Research Methods and Topics in Sociology | 60 | x1 | 60 |
| Total scaled mark: | 120 |
A-level
| Component | Maximum raw mark | Scaling factor | Maximum scaled mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods | 80 | x1 | 80 |
| Paper 2: Topics in Sociology | 80 | x1 | 80 |
| Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods | 80 | x1 | 80 |
| Total scaled mark: | 240 |
