GCSE (for first teaching in 2009) Sociology - J696

What are the changes?

While we've made some important changes and improved our GCSEs, we haven't changed everything. Here you can see which aspects of GCSE Sociology are changing, and which will stay the same.

 

What changes?

What stays the same?

Structure
  • This subject is now unitised
  • There is no coursework or controlled assessment
  • The units are clearly defined and easy to assess.
  • The questions are semi-structured.

Content
  • There is more consistency – the topics will not change every year.
  • New topics have been introduced, such as the sociology of youth.
  • Less popular topics have been dropped.
  • Key topics remain the same
  • Focus on applied sociological research skills remains a key part of the course – in Unit B673.

Assessment
  • Unit B672 is worth 50% and Units B671 and B673 are worth 25% each
  • Units B671 and B673 are worth 60 marks each
  • Unit B672 is now worth 120 marks.
  • The units are assessed externally.