AS and A Level Sociology question paper updates for summer 2027
03 March 2026
As part of our accessibility principles, from September 2026, we will be improving the accessibility and clarity of our exam papers for AS and A Level Sociology (H180/H580).
The changes we're making will affect:
- question wording – we will use clearer, more student‑friendly language
- source lengths – these will be a maximum of around 300 words
- the use and placement of command words – so students can more easily understand what each question is asking them to do.
These changes will apply to assessments from summer 2027.
There will be no changes to the subject content you need to teach, or to what we expect to see in students’ responses.
You can view examples of what's changing below:
Component 01: Socialisation, culture and identity
| Current question example |
New question example (from summer 2027) |
| Outline two reasons for the increase in non-family households and illustrate your answer with examples. |
Outline two reasons for the increase in non-family households. Use examples to support your answer. |
Component 02: Researching and understanding social inequalities
| Current question example |
New question example (from summer 2027) |
| With reference to Source B explain two reasons why some sociologists use mixed methods when conducting sociological research. |
Using Source B and your wider sociological knowledge, explain two reasons why some sociologists use mixed methods when conducting sociological research. |
| With reference to Source A explain one strength and one weakness of using official statistics to study inequalities between ethnic groups. |
Using Source A and your wider sociological knowledge, explain one strength and one weakness of using official statistics to study inequalities between ethnic groups. |
| ‘Women continue to be unequal to men because we still live in a patriarchal society.’ Discuss. |
Evaluate the view that women continue to be unequal to men because we still live in a patriarchal society. |
Component 03: Debates in contemporary society
| Current question example |
New question example (from summer 2027) |
| With reference to the Sources, explain how social media might extend social networks. |
Using Source A, Source B or both, and your wider sociological knowledge, explain how social media might extend social networks. |
| With reference to the Sources, to what extent has digital social communication weakened social relationships? |
Using Source A, Source B or both, and your wider sociological knowledge, evaluate the view that digital social communication weakened social relationships. |
| ‘Digital social communication has reduced social inequality.’ Evaluate this point of view |
Evaluate the view that digital social communication has reduced social inequality. |
| To what extent are police recorded crime figures are useful in measuring patterns and trends in crime? |
Assess the view that police recorded crime figures are useful in measuring patterns and trends in crime. |
| Outline and evaluate Marxist explanations of crime and deviance. |
Evaluate Marxist explanations of crime and deviance. |
Updated specifications and sample assessment materials
To reflect these changes, we have updated the sample question papers and mark schemes, for AS and A Level Sociology. You can view and download these from the Assessment > Sample assessment materials section of the qualification page on our website, and also from Teach Cambridge.
We've also updated the specifications to reflect our new branding:
Again, there are no changes to the subject content you need to teach, or to what we expect to see in students’ responses.
If you have any queries about this update, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or email sociology@ocr.org.uk.
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