Sociology

There are two exams for GCSE Sociology, both worth 50%, the duration is 1 hour & 45 minutes and 100 marks each.

There are a range of different questions from short answers for knowledge & understanding to extended writing for evaluation & judgements and all the questions are compulsory.

Component 1 – Understanding Social Processes

Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes. 50% of qualification (Year 10)

This component covers the following topic areas:

• Key concepts and processes of cultural transmission
• Families
• Education
• Sociological research methods

Component 2 –  Understanding Social Structures

Written examination: 1 hour 45 minutes. 50% of qualification (Year 11)

This component covers the following topic areas

• Social differentiation and stratification
• Crime and deviance
• Applied methods of sociological enquiry

For both components a written assessment with a mix of short answer, structured questions and extended response questions, all compulsory.

The extended response questions will require candidates to draw together different areas of knowledge, skills and/or understanding from across the relevant specification content.