Last Updated on August 17, 2026 by Karl Thompson
Students land on this page at two points in the year: in September wanting to know what the exams look like, and in April wanting to practise them. This page does both:
- What the three papers are, how long they are and what each is worth
- The five question types, what they’re worth, and what earns marks on each
- Where to get AQA past papers and mark schemes
- Model answers to every question type, sorted by paper
I taught A-level sociology for eighteen years and marked all three of these papers for the AQA between 2010 and 2018. What’s below is how I explained the exam to my own students.
The three AQA A-level sociology exam papers
There are three papers, all sat at the end of the two-year course. It is a linear qualification: everything is examined in one May/June series, and nothing you do in the first year counts towards the final grade.
| Paper | Code | What’s on it | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 7192/1 | Education with Theory and Methods | 2 hours | 80 | 33.3% |
| Paper 2 | 7192/2 | Topics in Sociology | 2 hours | 80 | 33.3% |
| Paper 3 | 7192/3 | Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods | 2 hours | 80 | 33.3% |
Two hours for eighty marks works out at 1.5 minutes per mark. That is the single most useful number on this page. A 30-mark essay gets 45 minutes, a 10-marker gets 15, a 4-mark question gets six. Students who lose marks on paper 1 usually lose them because they spent 25 minutes on the first three questions, which are worth 20 marks between them, and then wrote a rushed 30-mark essay.
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods (7192/1)
A write-in booklet — the questions and the answer spaces are in the same paper, and you answer every question. Six questions in total.
| Section | Question | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Outline two… | 4 |
| Education | Outline three… | 6 |
| Education | Applying material from the item, analyse two… | 10 |
| Education | Applying material from the item and your knowledge, evaluate… | 30 |
| Methods in Context | Applying material from the item and your knowledge of research methods, evaluate the strengths and limitations of [method] to investigate [topic in education] | 20 |
| Theory and Methods | Outline and explain two… (no item) | 10 |
Education is worth 50 marks, Methods in Context 20, and Theory and Methods 10.
That last row is where students get caught out. Ten marks of theory and methods sits at the end of paper 1, most people have run short of time by then, and it can be on any part of the theory and methods content — the nature of science, value freedom, positivism, sociology and social policy, any of it.
Full guidance on paper 1, with worked examples of each question type.
Paper 2: Topics in Sociology (7192/2)
The options paper, and the only one where you get a choice. The questions come in a booklet and you write in a separate answer booklet.
You answer one topic from Section A — Culture and Identity, Families and Households, Health, or Work, Poverty and Welfare — and one topic from Section B — Beliefs in Society, Global Development, The Media, or Stratification and Differentiation. Most centres teach families for Section A and beliefs for Section B. I taught global development.
Each topic carries 40 marks, made up of the same three questions:
| Question | Marks |
|---|---|
| Outline and explain two… (no item) | 10 |
| Applying material from the item, analyse two… | 10 |
| Applying material from the item and your knowledge, evaluate… | 20 |
So you answer six questions in total, three on each of your two topics, for 80 marks.
Answer the topics you have been taught. Every year a handful of students attempt an option their centre never covered because the question looked easier, and it never goes well.
There is no theory and methods on this paper. That is papers 1 and 3 only.
Paper 3: Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods (7192/3)
Another write-in booklet, and again you answer all six questions.
| Section | Question | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Crime and Deviance | Outline two… | 4 |
| Crime and Deviance | Outline three… | 6 |
| Crime and Deviance | Applying material from the item, analyse two… | 10 |
| Crime and Deviance | Applying material from the item and your knowledge, evaluate… | 30 |
| Theory and Methods | Outline and explain two… (no item) | 10 |
| Theory and Methods | Applying material from the item and your knowledge, evaluate… | 20 |
Crime and deviance is worth 50 marks and theory and methods 30 — more than a third of the paper. Students consistently underprepare for that 20-mark theory and methods essay, and it is worth the same as a full paper 2 essay.
Where theory and methods is assessed
Worth setting out on its own, because students get this wrong every year and then find themselves with thirty marks of theory in front of them on the afternoon of the last exam.
| Paper | Theory and Methods questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | One 10 mark ‘outline and explain’ (no item), at the end of the paper | 10 |
| Paper 2 | None | 0 |
| Paper 3 | One 10 mark ‘outline and explain’ (no item) and one 20 mark essay with an item | 30 |
Three questions, forty marks, across two papers. Revise it for paper 3 and paper 1 takes care of itself. Do it the other way round and the 20 marker on paper 3 will hurt.
When are the AQA A-level sociology exams?
All three papers are sat in the same May–June series, and you sit all three in one year — there’s no January option and nothing carries over from the first year.
Paper 1 comes first, then papers 2 and 3. For the 2027 exams Paper 2 is one week after paper 1, and then you have almost another three weeks until the final paper 3.
AQA sets the exact dates each year and publishes the provisional timetable the autumn before. Get them from the source:
For June 2027:
- Paper 1 (7192/1) Education with Theory and Methods — 14 May PM
- Paper 2 (7192/2) Topics in Sociology — 21 May AM
- Paper 3 (7192/3) Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods — 10 June AM
These dates are correct to the best of my knowledge. Check with your own centre for confirmation, and for where and what time you’re sitting — exam rooms and start times are set locally, not by AQA.
Once you know the dates, the useful thing to do with them is work backwards. My recommended revision timetable for A-level sociology sets out how to divide the time between the three papers.
Where to find AQA past papers and mark schemes
I can’t host AQA’s papers here — they belong to the exam board. You get them from AQA directly:
- AQA A-level Sociology 7192 assessment resources — past papers, mark schemes, examiner reports and the specimen materials
- AQA past paper and mark scheme finder — search by subject and series
Two things worth knowing. The most recent series is normally restricted to centres for a period, so if you can’t find last summer’s paper, ask your teacher rather than assuming it doesn’t exist. And the examiner reports are the most underused document AQA publishes — they say, in plain English, what most students got wrong that year. Read the report before you attempt the paper it belongs to.
What I can give you is the thing the past papers don’t come with: questions worked through with an explanation of why an answer earns what it earns. That’s what the rest of this page is.
The five question types
Every question across the three papers is one of five types. Learn the five and you have learned the whole exam.
Outline questions — 4 and 6 marks
Papers 1 and 3 only, at the start of the crime and education sections. A 4-mark question asks for two things, a 6-mark question asks for three.
Think of these as “1+1” answers. One mark for the point, one for explaining how it works. “Overcrowding at home” earns one mark; “which means not having private space to study” earns the second. A list of four factors with no explanation scores four marks out of eight across both questions, which is where a lot of the paper 1 damage is done.
Bullet-point them. Don’t write an introduction. Six minutes for the 4-marker, nine for the 6-marker, and move on.
Model answers:
- Outline two differences in offending rates by ethnicity (4) — includes a marked exemplar
- Outline three functions crime may perform (6) — includes a marked exemplar
- Outline three ways in which surveillance may be used to control crime (6)
- Ethnicity and crime short answer questions
“Outline and explain two…” — 10 marks, no item
Appears at the end of papers 1 and 3 as the theory and methods question, and on both of your topics in paper 2 — so you will answer this question type four times across the three papers, more than any other. It is worth learning properly once.
There is no item, so both points come from your own knowledge. Pick two points that are as different from each other as possible — two versions of the same idea will not be credited twice. Develop each across a full paragraph, ideally linking to another part of the course.
There are no marks for evaluation on this question type. This is the single most confused thing in the whole exam. Students who have been drilled to evaluate everything write two paragraphs of criticism on a question that awards nothing for it. Save it for the essays.
Fifteen minutes.
Model answers — theory and methods (papers 1 and 3):
- Outline and explain two arguments against the view that sociology is a science (10) — a full-mark AQA answer, with my commentary on where I disagree with the marking
- Outline and explain two practical problems which might affect social research (10)
- Outline and explain two reasons why positivists prefer quantitative methods (10)
- Outline and explain two reasons why interpretivists prefer qualitative methods (10)
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using social surveys (10)
- Outline and explain two practical advantages of using surveys (10)
- Outline and explain two practical problems of using documents (10)
- Outline and explain two practical advantages of using official statistics (10)
- Outline and explain two advantages of overt over covert participant observation (10)
- Outline and explain two ethical problems in social research (10) — in the theory and methods revision bundle
- Outline and explain two ways of overcoming theoretical problems in unstructured interviews (10) — in the theory and methods bundle
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using official statistics (10) — in the theory and methods bundle
- Outline and explain two theoretical problems of using documents (10) — in the theory and methods bundle
Model answers — families and households (paper 2):
- Examples of possible 10-mark families and households questions
- Outline and explain two ways in which the family might be losing its functions (10)
- Outline and explain two social changes explaining the decline in marriage (10)
- Outline and explain two ways changing gender roles have affected family diversity (10)
- Outline and explain two ways changing gender roles have affected childhood (10)
Model answers — beliefs in society (paper 2):
- Outline and explain two ways in which religion might promote social change (10)
- Outline and explain two ways religious organisations have changed in response to globalisation (10)
- Outline and explain two reasons why some groups join world-rejecting new religious movements (10)
Model answers — media (paper 2):
Model answers — global development (paper 2):
- Outline and explain two criticisms other theories might make of dependency theory (10)
- Outline and explain two reasons why trade does not always promote development (10)
“Applying material from the item, analyse two…” — 10 marks, with item
Appears on all three papers. It looks like the question above and is marked completely differently.
Both of your points must come from the item. The item is short — two or three sentences — and it contains exactly two hooks, deliberately. Those hooks are your two paragraphs. A brilliant answer built on two points you thought of yourself will be capped, because application to the item is what the mark scheme rewards.
So: read the item first, underline the two hooks, then write. Make the point, explain how it works, develop it once using a study or a concept, develop it again using a perspective. Unlike the no-item version, analysis and application are credited here.
Fifteen minutes.
Model answers — education (paper 1):
- Analyse two reasons why some pupils join pupil subcultures (10)
- Analyse two reasons why marketisation policies may have increased inequality of educational opportunity (10)
- Analyse two ways globalisation may have changed how pupils experience education (10)
- Analyse two reasons for gender differences in subject choice (10)
- Analyse two effects of increased parental choice on pupils’ experience of education (10)
- Analyse two ways the functions of education might reproduce class inequalities (10) — in the education revision bundle
- Analyse two ways cultural capital might give some children an advantage (10) — in the education bundle
- Analyse two ways processes within school might encourage traditional gender identities (10) — in the education bundle
Model answers — families and households (paper 2):
- Analyse two ways an ageing population may affect family structures (10)
- Analyse two changes in the position of children over the last 100 years (10)
- Analyse two ways the nuclear family might perform ideological functions (10)
- Analyse two ways migration patterns have affected household structures in the UK (10)
- Analyse two ways globalisation may affect domestic labour in the UK (10) — from the June 2023 paper
Model answers — beliefs in society (paper 2):
- Analyse two reasons why younger people are generally less religious than older people (10)
- Analyse two criticisms of the view that religion is merely a tool of oppression (10)
- Analyse two reasons for gender differences in membership of religious organisations (10)
Model answers — media (paper 2):
Model answers — crime and deviance (paper 3):
- Analyse two reasons for the formation of subcultures (10)
- Analyse two reasons why situational crime prevention may not be effective (10)
- Analyse two ways crime has changed in response to postmodern society (10)
- Analyse two ways deviant subcultures may respond to difficulties achieving mainstream goals (10)
- Analyse two reasons why men might commit more crime than women (10)
Methods in Context — 20 marks, paper 1 only
The question nobody likes. You are given a method and a topic within education, and asked to evaluate that method for researching that topic.
The safe strategy has three stages. Write three paragraphs on the method itself, covering its theoretical, practical and ethical strengths and limitations. Then use the hooks in the item to explain why this method is particularly awkward, or particularly useful, for this topic and these people — pupils, parents, teachers, classrooms, homes. Do that two or three times and you are in the top band. Then a one-line conclusion saying whether it’s a sensible method for the job.
The marks are in the second stage. An essay that describes questionnaires beautifully but never mentions truancy, or schools, or the fact that you need parental consent to research children, is a mid-band answer however well written.
Thirty minutes.
Model answers:
- Methods in Context — possible method and topic combinations — any main method, any topic in education
- Methods in Context essay template
- Structured interviews to investigate the impact of family on students’ education (20) — a full-mark AQA answer
- Written questionnaires to investigate working-class underachievement (20) — an 18/20 AQA answer
Essays — 20 and 30 marks
Thirty-mark essays appear on papers 1 and 3. Twenty-mark essays appear twice on paper 2, and once on paper 3 as the theory and methods essay.
The structure is the same either way:
- Introduction
- Point — relate it to the question
- Explain
- Expand — evidence, examples, or more depth
- Criticise
- Repeat three to five times
- Overall evaluations
- Conclusion that refers back to the item and takes a position
Plan for five to ten minutes before writing. At least one point should come out of the item, ideally the first. Three deep points beat five shallow ones on most questions, though a broad question sometimes wants the reverse.
The conclusion is where marks are cheapest and most often thrown away. Say which of your points was strongest, say whether you agree with the view in the question, and stop. A conclusion that lists what you just wrote adds nothing.
Forty-five minutes for a 30-marker, thirty for a 20-marker.
Model answers — education, 30 marks (paper 1):
- Evaluate the Marxist view of the role of education in society (30)
- Evaluate the view that differences in educational achievement between social groups result from factors within schools (30)
- Evaluate the extent to which home factors rather than school factors explain class differences in achievement (30)
- Assess the claim that ethnic differences in education are mainly a result of in-school factors (30)
- Assess the view that education policies since 1988 have improved equality of educational opportunity (30) — brief plan
- Assess the view that in-school processes are the most important factor in explaining differences in achievement (30) — in the education bundle
- Assess the view that education policies since 1988 have raised standards (30) — in the education bundle
Model answers — families and households, 20 marks (paper 2):
- 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)
Model answers — beliefs in society, 20 marks (paper 2):
- Evaluate the view that the extent of secularisation has been exaggerated (20)
- Evaluate the view that religion no longer acts as a shared universe of meaning (20)
- Evaluate the view that religious beliefs and organisations are barriers to social change (20)
Model answers — media, 20 marks (paper 2):
- 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)
- Evaluate the view that the media portray women in a stereotypical way (20)
Model answers — global development, 20 marks (paper 2):
Model answers — crime and deviance, 30 marks (paper 3):
- 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)
Model answers — theory and methods, 20 marks (paper 3):
Whole past papers, worked through
These are my answers to specific papers, written the week after the exam.
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
Paper 2 — topics:
Paper 3 — crime and deviance with theory and methods:
How the marks are actually distributed
Three assessment objectives run across all three papers. AQA’s weightings for the A-level as a whole:
| Assessment objective | What it credits | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts, evidence and methods | 44% |
| AO2 | Applying theories, concepts, evidence and methods to the issue in the question | 31% |
| AO3 | Analysis and evaluation — presenting arguments, making judgements, drawing conclusions | 25% |
Knowledge is worth less than half. The other 56% is what you do with it, and that is where the grades separate. A student who can recite Bourdieu and a student who can use Bourdieu to answer the question in front of them are two different grades.
More on assessment objectives and key skills.
The full specification
If you want to know exactly what can come up, the specification content is set out here: AQA A-level sociology specification content at a glance, with a printable PDF version.
Worth doing at least once. The 10-mark “analyse” questions are built by taking any two bullet points from the specification and asking you to link them, so reading the bullet points is a reasonable way to predict the question types you might face.
A note on AS sociology (7191)
The AS is a separate qualification: two 90-minute papers, 60 marks each, sat at the end of the first year. AS grades do not count towards the A-level. If you sit both, you are reassessed on the first-year material as part of the A-level exams anyway.
Guidance on AS paper 1 (7191/1) and AS paper 2 (7191/2).
You might find my cheesy exam guide for the AS sociology exam useful….
Sociology Revision Resources for Sale
For more revision resources you might like my A-level sociology revision mega bundle — designed to cover all three exam papers for the AQA A-level sociology specification, and costs £19.99.
The bundle covers the following topics:
- Paper 1 (7192/1): Education, including Methods in Context and Theory and Methods
- Paper 2 (7192/2): Families and Households, Beliefs, and Media
- Paper 3 (7192/3): 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
Signposting and Related Posts
This page has been written for students sitting the AQA’s A-level sociology exams, specification 7192.
For the content itself rather than the exams, start at the A-level sociology homepage, or go straight to Education, Families and Households, Research Methods, Beliefs in Society, Crime and Deviance, Social Theory, The Media, Culture and Identity or Globalisation and Global Development.
Please click here to return to the homepage – ReviseSociology.com