Last Updated on July 5, 2025 by Karl Thompson
This page provides the following information:
- An overview of the three exam papers for AQA A-level sociology (paper 1: education with theory, paper 2: topics, and paper 3: crime with theory)
- Links to Posts on how to answer questions on entire A level sociology past papers
- Links to dozens of exemplar answers for the five different types of question you’ll find across the three sociology papers. Many of these come from sociology past papers.
To explore more topics across the A-level sociology specification, please visit my A-level Sociology homepage where you’ll find resources on education, families, crime, theory, methods and more.
An Overview of the Three Sociology Exam Papers
There are three exam papers for AQA A-level sociology. All papers are two hours long. Each paper has a total of 6 questions. The format of some of these questions repeats across papers. All papers are marked out of a total of 80.
- Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods – the education section has a 4 mark ‘outline and explain question’. It also has a 6 mark ‘outline and explain question’. It also includes a 10 mark ‘item’ question. Additionally, there is a 30 mark essay question. Then there is a 20 mark applying methods to education essay question. There is also a 10 mark (no item) theory or methods question.
- Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (the main options are families and beliefs). You answer one section from part A and one from part B, so two sections in total. All sections have three questions. There is one 10 mark question with an item. There is one 10 mark question without an item. There is also one 20 mark essay question.
- Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods -the crime section includes one 4 mark ‘outline and explain question’. It also has a 6 mark ‘outline and explain question’. There is a 10 mark ‘item’ question. Additionally, there is a 30 mark essay question. Then there is a 10 mark (no item) theory and/or methods question. Finally, there is a 20 mark theory and/or methods essay question.
For more advice on each paper and examples of specific questions and answer, please scroll down!
A Level Sociology Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods
This section provides links to specific questions and model answers which either have, or could appear on this paper. Please scroll down for papers 2 and 3!
Posts on specific sociology past papers (paper 1)
- AQA Sociology Paper 1 – Education with Theory and Methods
- The 2018 Education and Theory paper
- How I would have answered the 2017 Education and Theory and Methods paper
10 mark ‘applying material from the item analyse questions’
- Applying material from item A, analyse two ways in which the functions of education might reproduce class inequalities in society (10) – available with the ‘education revision bundle‘
- Applying material from Item A, analyse two reasons why some pupils join pupil subcultures (10)
- Applying material from item A, analyse two reasons why marketization policies may have increased inequality of educational opportunities for some students (10)
- Applying material from item A, analyse two ways in which globalisation may have changed the way pupils experience education (10)
- Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which cultural capital might give some children an advantage in education (10) – available with the ‘education revision bundle’
- Applying material from item A, analyse two reasons for gender differences in subject choice (10)
- Applying material from item A Analyse two ways in which processes within school might encourage students to adopt traditional gender identities (10) – available with the ‘education revision bundle’
- Applying material from Item A, analyse two effects of increased parental choice on pupils’ experience of education.
20 mark methods in context questions
- Methods in Context – possible method and topic combinations (20) – there are lots! Any main method, and ANY topic within education, whether it’s explicitly in the spec or not!
- Research Methods in Context – essay template
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of using structured interviews to investigate the impact of family on students’ education (20) – a marked full mark answer from the AQA.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of using written questionnaires to investigate working-class educational underachievement (20) – an 18/20 answer from the AQA.
30 mark education essay questions
- Evaluate the Marxist View of the Role of Education in Society (30)
- Evaluate the view that differences in educational achievement between social groups are the result of factors and processes within schools (30)
- Evaluate the extent to which it is home based factors, rather than in-school factors which explain social class differences in educational achievement (30)
- Assess the claim that ethnic differences within education are mainly a result of in school factors (30)
- Assess the view that in school processes, rather than external factors, are the most important in explaining differences in educational achievement (30) – available in the ‘education revision bundle.
- Assess the view that educational policies since 1988 have improved equality of educational opportunity (30) – brief essay plan.
- Assess the view that educational policies since 1988 have raised standards in education (30) – available in the education revision bundle.
10 mark theory and/ or methods outline and explain (no item) 10 mark questions
Remember that this type of question also appears at the end of paper 3!
- Outline and explain two practical problems which might affect social research (10)
- Outline and explain two reasons why positivists prefer to use quantitative research methods (10)
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using social surveys in social research (10)
- Outline and explain two practical advantages of using surveys in social research (10)
- Outline and explain two practical problems of using documents in social research (10)
- Outline and explain two ethical problems in social research (10) – available in the ‘theory and methods revision bundle’
- Outline and explain two practical advantages of using official statistics
- Outline and explain two reasons why Interpretivists prefer to use qualitative research methods (10)
- Outline and explain two ways researchers might overcome theoretical problems when conducting unstructured interviews (10) – available in the ‘theory and methods revision bundle’
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using official statistics (10) – available in the ‘theory and methods revision bundle’
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using documents (10) – available in the ‘theory and methods revision bundle’
- Outline and explain two advantages of choosing overt participant observation as a source of data compared with covert participant observation (10)
A Level Sociology Paper 2: Topics
AQA Sociology Paper 2 – Topics in Sociology
Posts on specific sociology past papers (paper 2)
- The 2018 Topics paper – families.
- How I would’ve answered the families and households section of A level sociology paper 2
Families and Households
Examples of possible 10 mark questions for AQA A-Level sociology: families and households topic
10 mark ‘outline and explain’ (no item) questions
- Outline and explain two ways in which the family might be losing its functions (10)
- Outline and explain two social changes which may explain the decline in marriage in recent decades (10)
- Outline and explain two ways in which changes to gender roles have affected diversity of family structures (10)
- Outline and explain two ways in which changing gender roles within the family may have affected children’s experience of childhood (10)
10 mark ‘applying material from the item analyse questions’
- Applying material from Item C, analyse two ways in which an ageing population may affect family structures (10)
- Applying material from Item A, analyse two changes in the position of children in society over the last 100 years.
- Applying material from item C analyse two ways in which the nuclear family might perform ideological functions (10)
- Applying material from Item C, analyse two ways in which migration patterns have affected household structures in the United Kingdom (10)
20 mark essay questions
- Evaluate the view that the main aim of the family is to meet the needs of capitalism (20)
- Assess the reasons for the long term increase in the divorce rate (20)
- Evaluate the personal life perspective on the family(20)
Beliefs in Society (aka Religion)
Outline and explain two ways in which religion might promote social change
Outline and explain two arguments against the view that sociology is a science (10)
Evaluate the view that extent of secularisation has been exaggerated (20)
Evaluate the view that religion no longer acts as a ‘shared universe of meaning’ for people today (20)
Evaluate the view that religious beliefs and organisations are barriers to social change (20)
Media
Analyse two reasons why the media portray minority ethnic groups negatively. [10 marks]
Evaluate the pluralist view of the ownership and control of the media (20)
Evaluate the view that the media have a direct and immediate effect on their audiences [20 marks]
Global Development
Outline and explain two reasons why trade does not always promote development (10)
Evaluate explanations of development and underdevelopment put forward by Dependency Theorists (20)
A Level Sociology Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods
General advice on answering all questions
- AQA Paper Sociology Paper 3 -Crime and Theory
- The 2018 Crime and Deviance paper
- The 2017 Crime and Deviance paper.
4 and 6 mark ‘outline and explain questions’
- Outline three functions crime may perform (6) – includes a marked exemplar demonstrating standards
- Outline three ways in which surveillance may be used to control crime in modern societies (6)
- Ethnicity and crime short answer questions
- Outline two differences for ethnic convictions in offending rates (4) – includes a marked exemplar demonstrating standards.
10 mark ‘applying material from the item analyse questions’
- Using material from item A, analyse two reasons for the formation of subcultures (10)
- Using material from item A, analyse two reason why situational crime prevention strategies may not be effective in reducing crime (10)
- Using material from item A, analyse two ways in which crime has changed in response to postmodern society (10)
- Analyse two ways in which deviant subcultures may respond to the difficulties of achieving mainstream goals (10)
- Analyse two reasons why men might commit more crime than women (10)
30 mark crime and deviance essays
- Evaluate the Contribution of Consensus Theory to Our Understanding of Crime and Deviance (30)
- Assess sociological perspectives on prison as a form of punishment (30)
- Assess the Strengths of Using Participant Observation in Social Research (20)
AS level sociology resources
There are two 90 minute papers at the end of the AS year, and three two hour papers at the end of the A Level Year. Remember that if you do the AS qualification, your grades don’t count towards the A level, you are reassessed in a slightly different format on all of the first year material, along with all of the second year material as part of the A level exams at the end of the two years of study.
You might find my cheesy exam guide for the AS sociology exam useful….
Related Posts
Exam Papers for AS and A Level Sociology – this link just takes you to the AQA web site’s assessment page – you should definitely check out the exam papers, and practice them!
Assessment Objectives in AS and A Level Sociology – It’s useful to know how the marks are distributed in the exam – there are complex question by question breakdowns on the specification, but to simplify it – Knowledge and Understanding (of concepts, theories, research) is worth about 50% of the marks in the exam, the other 50% are for Application, Analysis and Evaluation.
Sociology Revision Resources for Sale
For more revision resources you might like my my A level sociology revision mega bundle – This has been designed to cover all three exam papers for the AQA A-level sociology specification and costs £19.99.
The bundle covers the following topics:
- For Paper 1 (SCLY2/1): Education, including Methods in Context and Theory and Methods
- For Paper 2 (SCLY2/2): Families and Households, Beliefs, and Media.
- For Paper 3 (SCL2/3): Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods.
Overall the bundle contains:
- over 200 pages of revision notes
- 60 mind maps in pdf and png formats
- 50 short answer exam practice questions and exemplar answers
- Covers the entire A-level sociology syllabus, AQA focus.
Sociology Teaching Resources for Sale
You might also be interested in my latest (November 2019) teaching resource pack which contains everything teachers need to deliver 10 hour long ‘introduction to sociology’ lessons.
Included in the bundle is a clearly structured 50 page gapped student work-pack, six PowerPoints* to structure the 10 lessons, 10 detailed lesson plans outlining a range of learning activities you can use with students, a massive list of relevant contemporary resources with links, and numerous lesson activities including introductions, plenaries and links to some Socrative quizzes.
These resources contain all the core sociology knowledge students need for a through introduction sociology, illustrated with numerous up to date contemporary case studies and statistics.
The resources have been designed for A-level sociology and cover the core themes on the AQA’s specification but are suitable for new 16-19 students studying any specification.