Course title and type of qualification: Sociology GCSE

What will I learn?

Sociology is the study of society and behaviour (for full list of topics you will study look at the ‘how will I be assessed’ section). You will study many fascinating topics such as:

• ‍Family – asking questions such as, how does family affect a child’s life? Why are some families more common than others?
• Education - why do some students underachieve in school? How does your school affect your chances of doing well?
• Crime – what type of people commit crime? Why did the London riots happen? Why do some ethnicities get stopped and searched more than others?
• Poverty – why does poverty exist and what is the government doing about it?

As part of the course you will be doing a number of investigations into society which will comprise of interviews, questionnaires, etc.

Typically, the successful Sociology student likes serious discussion, at home and in class.

How will I be assessed?

You will sit two exams at the end of Year 11. Each exam will last for one hour forty five minutes. The questions range from short mark answers to longer essays.

Exam 1 will include the following topics; The Family and Education, with Research Methods.

Exam 2 will include the following topics; The Sociology of Crime and Deviance and Social Stratification, with Research Methods.

What could I move onto?

Sociology is a great subject to help you improve a lot of skills to help you in the future. These skills include teamwork, independent learning, research, organisation, analysis and problem solving skills.

These skills can help you if you decide to study A Levels in Sociology, History, Psychology, Geography, Politics and many more subjects.

Some jobs in which Sociology can be very helpful are; teaching, health care, law, police, social work, counselling, local government and politics, journalism, charity, as well as many other areas.

With around 80 – 90% gaining grades A* – C, Sociology produces a lot of young people with skills and knowledge which can help them to move in to a variety of areas in the future.

Examination Board: AQA