KS4 (Year 10-11)
Subject Leader: Miss E Evans
To contact a member of staff please email post@bromorgannwg.org.uk
The WJEC GCSE in Sociology is designed to foster in learners an understanding and critical awareness of the social world around them. The specification focuses on the importance of social structure in explaining social issues; further it will develop learners’ ability to think sociologically in relation to their experience of the social world around them so that they are able to play a positive, active and informed role in society.
The nature of the subject demands maturity and sensitivity from the students to ensure that individual differences are respected both within the classroom and in society as a whole. It will further be required for students to follow the news on a weekly basis to ensure an appropriate appreciation of significant sociological changes in contemporary Wales and further afield.
Unit 1: Understanding Social Processes
Written Examination: 1 hour 45 minutes - 50% of qualification
This component covers the following topic areas:
• Key concepts and processes of cultural transmission
• Families
• Education
• Sociological research methods
Unit 2: Understanding Social Structures
Written Examination: 1 hour 45 minutes - 50% of qualification
This component covers the following topic areas:
• Social differentiation and stratification
• Crime and deviance
• Applied methods of sociological enquiry
Both components are written assessments with a mix of short answer, structured questions and extended-response questions, all compulsory. The extended response questions will require candidates to draw together different areas of knowledge, skills and / or understanding from across the relevant specification content. There is no course work.