This presentation offers teachers additional assessment guidance for the new AS assessment.
It also provides answers to some frequently asked questions.
Please refer to the specification and sample assessment material which can be downloaded at
.

AS Sociology (H180)
• Component 1
Socialisation, culture and identity
• Component 2
Researching and understanding social inequalities

AS Level Assessment Objectives
Assessment Objective
AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
• Sociological theories, concepts and evidence
• Sociological research methods
AO2 Apply sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods to a range of issues
AO3 Analyse and evaluate sociological theories, concepts, evidence and research methods in order to:
• Present arguments
• Make judgements
• Draw conclusions
Weighting
40-50%
30-35%
20-25%

AS Level Assessment Objectives
The relationship between the sociology assessment objectives and the components are shown in the following table:
Component
Socialisation, culture and identity
Researching and understanding social inequalities
AO1
% of AS Level
AO2
45-50% 30-
35%
45-50% 25-
30%
AO3
15-20%
20-25%

Component 1
Question paper: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total marks: 75

Component 1
Section A: Introducing socialisation, culture and identity
4 questions.
Answer all the questions.
Some questions will be based on source material.
Section B: Options
Choose one option from:
• Families and relationships
• Youth subcultures
• Media
There are 4 questions within each option. Candidates should answer all the questions for the option chosen.

Component 1
The question tariffs will be the same as the sample assessment materials (SAMs)

Component 1
These questions test the quality of extended responses via the levels of response mark scheme. They are marked with an asterisk (*). The level of response mark scheme can be found in the appendix, for example:

Component 2
Question paper: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total marks: 75

Component 2
Section A: Research methods and researching social inequalities
4 questions.
Answer all the questions.
Questions will be based on source material – one quantitative source and one qualitative source.
Section B: Understanding social inequalities
2 questions.
Answer all the questions.

Component 2
Section A questions will be based on source material – there will always be one quantitative source and one qualitative source

Component 2
The question tariffs will be the same as the
SAMs.
Questions marked with an asterisk (*) will be assessed in terms of quality of extended response.
The quantitative and qualitative sources may be referred to in any of the Section A questions. For example here Question 1 refers to the quantitative source but it is possible that future question papers may/will refer to the qualitative source in
Question 1. A single question won’t refer to both sources.
Whilst Questions 5 and 6 here happen to be based around gender, this doesn’t mean all future Section B questions will be on the same theme.

Component 1 - FAQs
• Do all aspects of identity need to be looked at in terms of each of the agents of socialisation? For example, will there be a specific question on age in the workplace, or will the questions be broader?
Answer: not all agents of socialisation are needed for all aspects of identity. Broader questions, where students pick which agents to use, are more likely. The focus should be general: How are individuals socialised into their different identities.

Component 1 - FAQs
• Can theory be taught in Section A of Component 1, even though it isn't directly on the spec?
Answer: It is up to individual teachers to decide this. Most teachers will want to introduce theory as a defining feature of sociology and there are references to the theory in some of the teacher support material available on the OCR website (e.g. Marxist theory of culture). As theory isn’t directly on the specification for Section A of Component 1 there won’t be a direct question on it, but it maybe a useful way for candidates to show a more developed understanding of an aspect of culture, identity and socialisation.

Component 1 - FAQs
• Will candidates be awarded marks if they make global references in
Component 1?
Answer: A relevant example in a global context would be awarded; our
AS and A Level have been developed to encourage synoptic thinking. It is often very relevant to use global examples. For example, when discussing different types of culture.

Component 1 – FAQs
• Do all types of social control need to be considered?
Answer: All the types of social control listed on the specification need to be taught. Teachers should explore the overlap between formal and informal social control for work, education and religion as it can be argued that for these 3 areas, both formal and informal control operate.

Component 2 – FAQs
• Are focus groups and case studies no longer included in research methods?
Answer: No, focus groups and case studies are no longer included within the research methods section of the specification (they were on our old specification). This means an examination question specifically on focus groups or case studies will not be asked. However, you may wish to include these in your teaching as candidates who refer to them appropriately as part of their examination answer will be credited.

Component 2 – FAQs
• Section A, key question 2 – in the Learners should column it reads ‘consider how sociological research contributes to social policy’. What is OCR expecting?
Answer: Students need to be able to recognise examples of where sociological research has impacted on social policy, for example the work of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Component 2 – FAQs
• Section B, key question 1 - in the Learners should column it reads ‘may be compared to general global patterns ’. What does that actually mean?
Answer: When looking at inequality, there could be a recognition that patterns vary globally; for example, whilst we may focus on the gender pay gap when examining gender inequality in the UK, in other countries and cultures, women are not allowed to drive.

Component 2 – FAQs
• Section B, key question 1 reads ‘social inequality and difference in relation to: social class, gender, ethnicity, age’. Could questions specify a type of class, for example middle class or working class?
Answer: Yes, different social classes could be asked. The separate classes are not listed in the specification but nor are the separate genders and male disadvantage is on the SAMs.

Component 2 – FAQs
• In Section B, are all theories required for all areas of inequality? For example could you get a question on the Weberian view of gender, or feminist views of class?
Answer: It’s broadly similar to the approach taken in the current G674 unit. The theories apply more specifically to certain areas more than others. For example, a general question on feminist views of inequality could be asked and in an answer to this, material from across the range would be credited, but also an answer that focussed solely on gender inequality would be acceptable as long as it contained range and depth.
Use the text books for guidance on which theories are applicable to each individual area of inequality.

Generic FAQs
• Will the question stems be the same as used in the SAMs?
Answer: The command words may vary from series to series and not necessarily be the same as used on the SAMs to prevent predictability which Ofqual would not be supportive of. OCR will ensure the command words are of comparable level of demand as the Assessment
Objectives and the number of marks allocated to the questions will remain the same.

Generic FAQs
• What does a ‘range’ and ‘wide range’ mean?
Answer: OCR cannot provide a definitive answer to this as it depends on the question being asked. The Candidate Style Answer Resources that we have created will give you some idea: http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce-sociology-h180-h580from-2015/#resources

Generic FAQs
• Do students need to learn statistical data when looking at patterns and trends?
Answer: Students should have a general idea of the patterns and trends but do not need to remember a large number of statistics.