Cambridge International AS/A Level Sociology Syllabus revision

Cambridge International AS/A Level Sociology Syllabus revision
We always welcome suggestions and comments from schools about the content and style of our
syllabuses. As part of our review of AS/A Level Sociology (9699) we are proposing a revision to
the content and assessment of the syllabus to reflect the changing needs of our schools and
candidates and the current developments in the subject. These changes would be for first
examination in June 2014.
The changes we are considering to the AS/A Level syllabus are:
AS Level
Candidates take Papers 1 and 2. Both papers must be taken at the same exam session.
• Subject matter will be succinct for each paper.
• The unit on ‘Family’ will move from A Level to AS.
• The unit on ‘social stratification’ will not be offered as a separate unit but themes relating to this
will be covered in A Level.
• Each paper will offer the same assessment structure i.e. a structured data response question
and two essay questions.
• For each paper, candidates answer the compulsory data response question and choose one of
two essay questions.
A Level
Candidates take Papers 1, 2 and 3. Papers 1 and 2 must be taken at the same exam session, but
Paper 3 may be taken at a later exam session.
• The unit on ‘Work and Leisure’ will not be offered as a separate unit.
• The unit on ‘Media’ will not be offered as a separate unit, but some content will be
incorporated into other units.
• There is the opportunity to include a unit which introduces global issues (Unit 2: Poverty and
Global Development’) or a unit which moves social stratification from AS to A Level.
• The assessment structure will consist of questions on ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ as well
as essay type questions based on ‘Explain and Evaluate’.
• There are four optional units with two questions per unit.
• Candidates choose one question from three of the four optional units.
These proposed changes would retain the most popular elements of the syllabus: choice of units
and questions, simplicity of structure, overall assessment scheme and duration, resources.
These changes would have the following benefits:
• Updating of content brings the syllabus more in line with subject developments and
introduces a more global perspective
• Retention of the most successful units and amending other units in line with subject
development
• Separation of content at AS level to help teachers and learners focus exam preparation work
• Streamlining of content to make the syllabus more accessible to candidates and provide more
logical progression from IGCSE/O Level to AS and A Level.
Once you have read this document please give your feedback via the online questionnaire at:
http://www.cie.org.uk/questionnaires/ALevel/9699/alevelsociology2011.htm

AS Level
Content
This would require candidates to study the family and age groups, together with theory and
methods, at AS Level. There would no longer be a separate unit on social stratification.
However, issues relating to social stratification will form underlying themes or a separate unit
at A Level (Paper 3).
The two AS Level papers will cover:
Unit 1: Theory and Research Methods
• Socialisation and Identity
• Structuralist and interpretivist
perspectives
• Sociology as a science
• The role of values in sociology
• Primary and secondary data
• Quantitative and qualitative research
methods
• The relationship between theory and
methods
Paper 1
1.5 hours
Unit 2: Family and Age Groups
• Changes in family and household
structures
• The family and gender roles
• Patterns of marriage and changing
relationships
• The family and wider society
• Age groups and demographic
change
• The social construction of childhood
and old age
• Youth cultures
Paper 2
1.5 hours
Through the inclusion of ‘family’ at AS Level the syllabus is more accessible to candidates and
allows the candidates to build on prior learning when they move from IGCSE or O Level to AS
or A Level.
Assessment
For both papers at AS Level, there would be a Section A and a Section B. Section A would
consist of a compulsory stimulus question based on a structured data response format.
Section B would comprise two essay questions, from which the candidate would be required
to answer one question. The mark weighting would be 50% Section A and 50% Section B.
The combination of stimulus and essay questions would cater to candidates of varying
abilities.
2

A Level
Content (in addition to Unit 1 and Unit 2)
We are proposing a reduction in the number of units at A level from 6 to 4. ‘Work and leisure’
and ‘Media’ would no longer be offered as separate units. However, some material from the
media unit would be incorporated within other units in the new syllabus. The following units
are suggested:
Unit 3: Education
Unit 5: Religion
Unit 6: Crime and Deviance
We have two options for Unit 4 and will seek feedback on your preferences: ‘Poverty and
Global Development’ or ‘Social Stratification’. Units are detailed further below:
Unit 3: Education
• The role of education
• Education and the economy
• Explanations of educational achievement
• Education and equality of opportunity
• The social construction of knowledge and learning
• Streaming, labelling and pupil sub-cultures
Unit 4: Poverty and global
development
• Theories of poverty
• The measurement of poverty
• The nature and distribution of
poverty
• Global inequality and strategies
for development
• Theories of global development
• Migration and its social impact
Unit 5: Religion
• Theories of ideology and religion
• Religion and social change
• The secularisation debate
• Social diversity and religious practice
• Religious movements
• Religion - modernity and post-modernity
Unit 6: Crime and Deviance
• Theories of crime and deviance
• The sociological study of suicide
• Deviance, power and social control
• Societal reaction to crime and deviance
• Measurement and patterns of crime
• Explanations of the social distribution of crime
or
Unit 4: Social stratification
• Theories of social stratification
• Dimensions of inequality:
power, status, income and
wealth
• Patterns of social mobility
• Class boundaries and social
change
• Gender inequality
• Ethnic inequality
3
In the accompanying questionnaire we ask
you to state which you prefer for inclusion in
the syllabus.

Assessment
There will be one exam paper (Paper 3) which will be divided into four units. We are proposing
that there will be two questions for each unit, with each question composed of two parts. The
first part will require an explanation for 9 marks and the second part will require an evaluation
for 16 marks. Candidates will be required to answer three questions taken from separate units
of the exam paper.
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Assessment Structure for the proposed syllabus
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