Teaching Sociological Skills: Application (1)
If you were to ask a room full of sociology teachers which skills their students least understand, the response would almost unanimously be ‘application’. Analysis of the most recent exams sat in...
Being a Man
For many sociologists, the terms ‘man’ and ‘woman’ are biological terms to describe the sex of a person whilst the terms ‘male’ and ‘female’ are social constructions, i.e., they are concepts that...
Coming Soon: The Secret Examiner
Want to find out what an examiner really thinks of the exams this summer? Perhaps you want to know how to nail those application questions? Or even how to master those 30 markers? Well, help is at...
Living below the Poverty Line: Summer Lunch Clubs
The following video provides an insight into a growing concern for many British families; that is, how to provide regular meals during holiday time. Approximately a third of families live below the...
Breast Feeding Survelliance
The video below highlights a newly emerging area within the Family and Households unit regarding surveillance. As we have entered a postmodern world new, social controls have been implemented to...
The Future of GCSEs
The first GCSE exams took place in 1988 where they replaced a previous qualification system consisting of O-Levels (Ordinary Level) and CSEs (Certificates of Secondary Education). O-Levels were...
Arranged marriages into a board game
An interesting BBC video came out recently which was discussing arranged marriages in South Asian communities. The video talks through the idea of marriage in a unique way, by allowing the concept...
Identify is more than one thing...
When looking at identity, it’s important to remember that individuals are not one type in isolation. This is often something overlooked by students when learning the culture and identity unit. The...
Gender Specific Toys
Many sociologists argue that gender stereotypes develop from a young age, starting with the toys that they are given to play with. The following BBC video turns this idea on its head and...
Should we surprised by the gender pay gap?
In mid-July the BBC released the salaries of their top-paid stars. Chris Evans is reported as being the best paid star, receiving over £2m in 2016-2017, compared to the highest paid female star...
Modern Day Slavery
It is estimated that over 21 million people are living as slaves around the world. The following video highlights the issue and could provide context for a discussion that would fit within a number...
A New Academic Year: An Introduction to Sociology
As the new academic year approaches attention turns to new cohorts of Sociology students who may be picking up the subject for the first time. One of the first questions Sociology teachers are...
Six social classes: Which are you?
Australia has six social classes, according to new research from social scientists at the Australian National University. They claim that the old working v middle class divide is far less relevant...
Education and Social Mobility in the UK - Lots of Change & Investment, but Little Effect
A useful summary of an upcoming Sociology lecture here from Dr John Goldthorpe is useful for learning more about the impact of education on social mobility.
A hit tip to Katie Bee over on the AQA A Level Sociology Facebook Group for spotting this topical example of gender inequality.
A Level Sociology Uncovered: An Analysis of The AQA Linear Results by Paper, Topic and Question Type
It’s been less than 24 hours since the publication of the first ever linear results, and teachers are already thinking ahead to September to look at how they can support their students in 2017/18....
Grade Boundaries for A Level Sociology
On this page, you will find an overview of AS and A Level Grade boundaries for 2016 and 2017 (AQA), as well as the paper boundaries for papers this year’s AS and linear A Level (AQA and OCR). A...
After two years of hard work, the results are now in. But what do the numbers tell us about AS and A-Level Sociology…
Identity is more than one thing...
When looking at identity, it is important to remember that individuals are never one type in isolation. Sunny Gunessee discovers a BBC clip on how the traditions and stereotypes associated with...
A Level Sociology on the UP - but is AS on the way OUT?
The latest A Level entry data from summer 2017 suggests that A Level Sociology is an increasingly popular option. However, like other reformed A Levels, the AS qualification is being abandoned by...