Course summary
This course is broadly equivalent to two A Levels. During the course there are various units covering topics such as: communication, equality and diversity, development through the life stages, anatomy and physiology, personal and professional development, sociological perspectives, psychological perspectives, nutrition, research methodology and dementia care.
How will I be assessed?
This two year course is assessed entirely by coursework, there are no examinations. You must ensure you complete coursework before the deadline in order to make any improvements.
What careers would this course be useful for?
This course is ideal for any students considering a future career in areas such as social worker, nursery nurse, residential care, physiotherapist, nursing or probation officer
What are the entry requirements?
It helps if students have achieved a pass in Level 2 Health and Social Care, although this is not essential.
Who can I contact for more information?
Mr M Lipton.
AS content
Topics include:
- Education, with specific reference to UK policy and globalization.
- Families and households, with an emphasis on changing characteristics over time.
Students will also study research methods.
Full A level content
AS content plus the following topics:
- Crime and deviance
- Beliefs in society.
In addition to research methods at AS level students will also study sociological theory; this will be applied to the crime and deviance topic.
How will I be assessed?
Assessment of the AQA Sociology course is by written examination. The examinations are in June. The AS course features two 90 minute examinations. The full A-level course features three 120 minute exams. All exams are at the end of the year (summative assessment).
What careers would this course be useful for?
With a qualification in Sociology you could go on to Further or Higher Education. Sociology is positively regarded by university admissions tutors so makes an exceptional additional subject within an academic A-level programme. A-level Sociology also requires the development of critical thinking skills. This is seen as a huge positive in the employment market.
What are the entry requirements?
The course requires students to be skilled in Mathematics, Science and English as these are all assessed as part of the qualification. Students are required to have a grade C in GCSE English, Mathematics and Science.
Who can I contact for more information?
Mr. M Lipton
For more information on the course, please visit the official AQA website:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology
You can download the full course specification:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level
You can also download past papers and mark schemes, the most effective form of revision!
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/sociology/as-and-a-level/sociology-2190/past-papers-and-mark-schemes
A-level Sociology Links
Excellent for revision. Lots of essay-style questions to practice and chapter summaries which are helpful for recapping.
- Sociology Revise www.sociology.org.uk/drevise.htm
Another great revision site that provides lots of helpful resources for students, such as revision cards, maps and diagrams.
- Rachael’s Sociology www.rachelsociology.synthasite.com
A home-made site, but still contains a lot of useful resources (mostly in Word format). Concentrates mainly on crime and education.
- Sociology.org www.sociology.org.uk
A site that provides a very useful collection of links, which are helpfully organised by topic.
- Sociology Online www.sociologyonline.co.uk
A site that is less formal and contains lots of facts, quizzes and crosswords to aid sociology revision
- Get Revising http://getrevising.co.uk/
Although not sociological-specific, and it takes a minute to subscribe, this site is really good if you want to create your own revision resources, eg. cards, timetables.