The Highs and Lows of AS and A-Level Sociology. What Do the Numbers Tell Us…?

After two years of hard work, the results are now in. But what do the numbers tell us about AS and A-Level Sociology…

Overall Entries

Overall numbers in sociology, for both AS and A Level, were slightly down on last year. A Level saw a small drop from 31,919 to 30,755 entries (a 3.6% decrease), while AS saw a significant drop from 39,319 to 21,032 entries (a 46.5% decrease). While both of the major exam boards saw a sizeable drop at AS, OCR was worse hit overall. AQA retains an 88% market share at A Level, leaving OCR with just 12% of the market.  

The decline of AS can be attributed to a number of factors:

• Schools opting for a genuinely linear approach
• The need to significantly cut costs (AS entries are a big drain on school funds)
• Centres encouraging students to take three, not four subjects from the start of Year 12

Results

A-Level: The percentage of students achieving the very top grade (A*) dropped slightly for AQA, but rose for OCR, bringing the two exam boards closer together. The pass rate in terms of A-C and A-E was very similar for both exam boards, with roughly 78% of student securing A-C and 98% of students achieving A-E. While there is often speculation about the difference between A Level Psychology and Sociology, broadly speaking the percentages achieved at each level are very similar for both subjects (see psychology analysis).

AS Level: At AS, AQA saw a dip in performance at all levels, while OCR saw an increase in performance at all levels. However, this shift in performance has brought the two exam boards closer together in terms of overall grades.

Grade Boundaries

The overall % required for an A at A Level was 67%, which was consistent with last year’s (legacy specification) SCLY course. Things were markedly different at the bottom end, however. 32% gains you an A-Level pass this year, as opposed to 40% in 2016.

What’s Next?

• For an overview of the AS and A Level Sociology headline figures, click here.
• For a breakdown of the AS and A Level Sociology grade boundaries by exam board and paper, click here.

This entry will be followed-up with a series of entries unpicking the strengths/weaknesses of the new A-Level papers and what we can do to support our students in September. Make sure that you are signed up to ‘my tutor2u’ to receive an email notification when we publish more Sociology news.