GCSE Sociology (8192) - Specification for teaching from September 2017 onwards

Sep 5, 2026

GCSE Sociology (8192) specification defines the course aimed at helping students understand key social structures, social processes and social issues through the study of families, education, crime and deviance, and social stratification. It outlines how learners build analytical and communication skills by comparing sociological perspectives, constructing reasoned arguments, and making substantiated judgements. The document also details assessment objectives, scheme of assessment, and general administration, supported by resources and guidance for teaching and exam preparation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages56

Reading Time2 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

1 Introduction

1.1 Why choose AQA for GCSE Sociology

1.2 Support and resources to help you teach

2 Specification at a glance

2.1 Subject content

2.2 Assessments

3 Subject content

3.1 The sociological approach

3.2 Social structures, social processes and social issues

3.3 Families

3.4 Education

3.5 Crime and deviance

3.6 Social stratification

3.7 Sociological research methods

4 Scheme of assessment

4.1 Aims and learning outcomes

4.2 Assessment objectives

4.3 Assessment weightings

5 General administration

5.1 Entries and codes

5.2 Overlaps with other qualifications

5.3 Awarding grades and reporting results

5.4 Resits and shelf life

5.5 Previous learning and prerequisites

5.6 Access to assessment: diversity and inclusion

5.7 Safeguarding

5.8 Working with AQA for the first time

5.9 Private candidates

6 Appendix A: key terms and concepts

6.1 Families

6.2 Education

6.3 Crime and deviance

6.4 Social stratification

7 Appendix B: texts and summaries

7.1 Families

7.2 Education

7.3 Crime and deviance

7.4 Social stratification

| GCSE
SOCIOLOGY
(8192) | | --- | | Specification
For teaching from September 2017 onwards For exams in 2019 onwards | Version 1.1 14 October 2021 Contents 1 Introduction 5 1.1 Why choose AQA for GCSE Sociology 5 1.2 Support and resources to help you teach 5 2 Specification at a glance 7 2.1 Subject content 7 2.2 Assessments 7 3 Subject content 9 3.1 The sociological approach 9 3.2 Social structures, social processes and social issues 9 3.3 Families 10 3.4 Education 13 3.5 Crime and deviance 15 3.6 Social stratification 17 3.7 Sociological research methods 19 4 Scheme of assessment 21 4.1 Aims and learning outcomes 21 4.2 Assessment objectives 21 4.3 Assessment weightings 22 5 General administration 23 5.1 Entries and codes 23 5.2 Overlaps with other qualifications 23 5.3 Awarding grades and reporting results 23 5.4 Resits and shelf life 24 5.5 Previous learning and prerequisites 24 5.6 Access to assessment: diversity and inclusion 24 5.7 Safeguarding 25 5.8 Working with AQA for the first time 25 5.9 Private candidates 25 6 Appendix A: key terms and concepts 27 6.1 Families 27 6.2 Education 31 6.3 Crime and deviance 35 6.4 Social stratification 38 7 Appendix B: texts and summaries 45 7.1 Families 45 7.2 Education 46 7.3 Crime and deviance 48 7.4 Social stratification 51 Are you using the latest version of this specification? • You will always find the most up-to-date version of this specification on our website at • We will write to you if there are significant changes to the specification. 1 Introduction 1.1 Why choose AQA for GCSE Sociology GCSE Sociology helps students to gain knowledge and understanding of key social structures, processes and issues through the study of families, education, crime and deviance and social stratification. Students will develop their analytical, assimilation and communication skills by comparing and contrasting perspectives on a variety of social issues, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements and drawing reasoned conclusions. By studying sociology, students will develop transferable skills including how to: • investigate facts and make deductions • develop opinions and new ideas on social issues • analyse and better understand the social world. You can find out about all [our Sociology qualifications at](our Sociology qualifications at aqa.org.uk/sociology)[ ](our Sociology qualifications at aqa.org.uk/sociology)[aqa.org.uk/sociology](our Sociology qualifications at aqa.org.uk/sociology) A specification designed for you and your students Students study key ideas of classical sociologists including Durkheim, Marx and Weber, referencing their view of the world and their contribution to the development of the discipline. Students will also learn how to apply various research methods to different sociological contexts. They will be introduced to sociological terms and concepts concerned with social structures, social processes and social issues. Clear, well structured exams, accessible for all To enable your students to show their breadth of knowledge and understanding, we’ve created a simple and straightforward structure and layout for our papers, using a mixture of question styles. For more information on our exciting new GCSE Sociology qualification, [visit](visit aqa.org.uk/sociology)[ ](visit aqa.org.uk/sociology)[aqa.org.uk/sociology](visit aqa.org.uk/sociology) 1.2 Support and resources to help you teach We’ve worked with experienced teachers to provide you with a range of resources that will help you confidently plan, teach and prepare for exams. Teaching resources [Visit](Visit aqa.org.uk/8192 to see all)[ ](Visit aqa.org.uk/8192 to see all)[aqa.org.uk/8192](Visit aqa.org.uk/8192 to see all)[ to see all](Visit aqa.org.uk/8192 to see all) our teaching resources. They include: • sample schemes of work to help you plan your course with co

FAQs

What topics are covered in GCSE Sociology (8192)?

The specification covers families, education, crime and deviance, and social stratification, supported by the sociological approach and wider social structures and processes.

How does the GCSE Sociology course develop student skills?

Students build analytical and communication skills by comparing sociological perspectives, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements, and drawing reasoned conclusions.

What does the scheme of assessment include?

It includes aims and learning outcomes, assessment objectives, and assessment weightings, along with guidance on administration such as entries and codes and awarding grades.

Sep 5, 2026

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