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Welcome to your ‘A’ level Sociology course. This Introduction should provide you with all the information you need to make a successful start to your studies.

This course has been designed to give you a full and thorough preparation for the AS level or A level Sociology specification, set by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA). The specification gives you two options at A2: with or without coursework. This course pack is designed for students who are not doing coursework.

The Subject Code for entry to the AS only award is 5191.

The Subject Code for entry to the A level award is 6191.

The AQA specification is open to private candidates. Private candidates should contact AQA for a copy of ‘Information for Private Candidates’.

 

1. Sociological Perspectives

2. Gender

Tutor-marked Assignment A

3. Age

4. Ethnicity and Race

Tutor-marked Assignment B

 

9. Education

10. Wealth and Poverty

11. Welfare

12. Work and Leisure

Tutor-marked Assignment D

15. Power and Politics

16. Religion

Tutor-marked Assignment G

17. World Sociology (1)

18. World Sociology (2)

Tutor-marked Assignment H

 

19. Further Sociological Theories

20. Evaluating Methods

Tutor-marked Assignment I

In recent years there has been a vast increase both in textbooks and in the range of published works that are relevant to ‘A’ level Sociology. Some are comprehensive textbooks, some are detailed studies of particular social activities, institutions and phenomena, while others attempt to summarise the research that has been undertaken in particular areas of investigation.

The AQA recommend a number of texts for general reference purposes, a list of which will be provided at the end of this introduction. One easy way of acquiring accompanying textbooks is through this website. All students will need to buy the following textbook:

Michael Haralambos and Martin Holborn, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives (Collins Educational, Fifth Edition) ISBN: 0-00-327507-8

This book will be invaluable in enabling you to extend your sociological knowledge. At the beginning of most lessons, we will give reading references to this book, with suggestions of where to find further information on a particular subject.

At the end of each lesson we will give you a list of the AQA’s recommended reading on the topic covered in that lesson. Below are the board’s suggestions for general reference and study skills books.

At the end of most lessons, you will see a box like the one above and a list of texts which may help to broaden your perspective on the topic covered by the lesson. Below is a general list of texts which will support your studies as a whole. It is not necessary to read every text on this list but the more views you consider the better!

Study Skills

On the first page of each lesson, you will find the aims and the context of the lesson, as well as reading references to Haralambos and Holborn. The aims of the lesson are the skills which you should have mastered by the time you have completed your study of the lesson (as well as the additional reading) and the test materials. Most of these objectives are taken from the AQA syllabus. Sometimes the objectives do not relate directly to sections of the lesson: this is because that particular aim is well provided for in the supporting reading.

The context section explains where this particular lesson fits into your studies as a whole and relates it to the AQA syllabus and examination structure.

Lessons contain brief quizzes which test your factual recall of certain points in the lesson. These also provide a quick means of revision when you have completed the course. You will also find a number of activities in the lessons, which are intended to get you actively thinking about a topic before undertaking a more formal test.

At the end of each lesson you will find a practice test. This usually consists of a single essay topic which has been commonly set in AQA examinations. You should attempt to answer these questions once you have understood and revised the subject matter of the lesson. Assuming you are working with a tutor, your answers to these tests should not be forwarded to him or her, but should be compared with the answers provided in a special section at the end of each module.

To complete the assessment process there are twelve lettered tests (Tutor-marked Assignments A–L) strategically placed throughout the course. You should send your answers to these tests to your tutor. Suggested answers will be sent to you with your marked work.

Tests F and L are mock examination papers which you should attempt under as near examination conditions as possible (try to complete the paper within the time specified and work without reference to notes, books, etc.). As in the case of the practice tests you should precede each lettered test with a process of revision and only attempt the test when you feel you have mastered the lessons to which it relates. This process of continuous revision is a vital part of the learning process and will help your cumulative build-up of knowledge.

At the end of each lesson we have incorporated a section which looks at examination questions in the light of recent literature on the topic of the lesson. This will provide extra information to help you answer both the practice tests and tutor-marked assignments, and to further your understanding of the material contained in the lesson. These sections will consist of further details about some of the most important material in the relevant areas of Sociology, together with comments on their value and uses in examination questions.

The value of this cannot be over-stressed. Increasingly the AQA and the other examination boards are requiring details and references that go beyond those provided in the basic textbooks before marks equivalent to the top grades are awarded. These sections contain many references not normally available to A-level students and therefore provide you, in a simple and concise form, with the means to impress the examiner. You should, therefore, spend as much time as possible reading through and understanding the basic points being made, so that you can refer to the views of the particular author(s) when answering an examination question.

 

Students should be aware that the ‘A’ level system in the UK was changed in 2000. As a result, all the awarding bodies, including AQA (which brought together the old AEB and NEAB exam groups) introduced new Advanced Subsidiary (AS) as well as revised Advanced (‘A’) level specifications and examinations across the full subject range.

Advanced Subsidiary (AS) courses may be used in one of two ways:

• As a final qualification, allowing candidates to broaden their studies and to defer questions about specialism;
• As the first half (50%) of an Advanced Level qualification, which must be completed before an Advanced Level award can be made.

Advanced Subsidiary is designed to provide an appropriate assessment of knowledge, understanding and skills expected of candidates who have completed the first half of a full Advanced Level Qualification.

The Advanced Level examination is in two parts:

• Advanced Subsidiary (AS) - 50% of the total award;

• A second examination, called A2 - 50% of the total award

Most Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced level courses are modular. The AS level normally comprises three teaching and learning modules and the A2 comprises a further three teaching and learning modules. These modules generally match the Units of Assessment (or Exam Papers).

The grading system has not changed much from the old ‘A’ level system. For both AS level and the full ‘A’ level qualification, there is a 5-grade scale: A, B, C, D and E. Candidates who fail to reach the minimum standard for Grade E will be recorded as U (unclassified).

The shelf-life of the results, prior to the award of the qualification, is limited only by the shelf-life of the specification. As long as the specification stays in its present form, grades can therefore be carried forward indefinitely.

This information is correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change. Prior to the examination, students should contact the exam board for the latest information.

This course is designed to match the requirements of the AQA 5191 (AS) and 6191 (‘A’ level A2) specifications. The exam consists of six written papers (called units), three at each level.