Through our International GCSE Sociology syllabus, learners explore aspects of social relationships, processes and structures and develop a greater understanding of human societies and the role of continuity and change in social life.

The syllabus:

• develops learners’ critical evaluation of different social, economic and political structures
• builds understanding of sociological research methods
• develops learners’ ability to assess different forms of information and evidence
• can be related to schools’ local context, enabling learners to use the knowledge and understanding acquired to analyse their own lives. (Cambridge Assessment International Education, n.d.)

• Sociological perspectives (Functionalist, Marxist, feminist)
• Research methods (surveys, interviews, observations)
• Data analysis (qualitative and quantitative)
• Relationship between individual and society
• Socialisation processes (primary and secondary)
• Role of institutions (family, education, media)
• Social stratification (class, age, ethnicity, gender)
• Causes and effects of inequality
• Social mobility
• Types of families (nuclear, extended, single-parent)
• Changing family roles
• Impact of demographic trends
• Functions of education
• Factors affecting educational achievement (gender, ethnicity, social class)
• Hidden curriculum
• Definitions and theories of crime and deviance
• Patterns of crime
• Role of law enforcement and media
• Media ownership and control
• Influence of media on society
• Media representations and bias

International GCSE Sociology requires about 130 hours of study. The number of hours needed may vary depending on your previous experience of the subject.

We do not expect learners starting this course to have previously studied Sociology.

In a rapidly changing world, International AS and A Level Sociology offers learners the opportunity not only to explore the processes that are shaping current trends, but also to develop an understanding of the complexity and diversity of human societies and their continuities with the past.

The study of sociology stimulates awareness of contemporary social, cultural and political issues, and focuses on the importance of examining these issues in a rigorous, reasoned and analytical way. (Cambridge Assessment International Education, n.d.)

• Influence of inequality on opportunities and life choices
• Forms of inequality: age, ethnicity, gender, class
• Theories on who holds power and its usage
• Mechanisms of social order and control
• Ways people resist power
• Transition from traditional to modern industrial society
• Modernity and post-modernity
• Impact of globalisation and digital revolution
• Learning expected behaviours through socialisation
• Cultural variations in norms and values
• Study of social identities
• Debate on individual behaviour vs. social forces
• Structural theories vs. action theories
• Role of education in social order and economic reproduction
• Relationship between education and social mobility
• Theories about the role of education: functionalist, Marxist, New Right, social democratic
• Perspectives on globalisation: cultural, political, economic
• Impact on identity, power, and politics
• Global social movements and nation-state roles
• Transformation of media: traditional vs. new media
• Ownership, control, and media content influences
• Media effects on behaviour and society
• Role of religion in social order and social change
• Secularisation and modernity
• Gender, feminism, and religion
• New religious movements and fundamentalism

International AS Level Sociology requires about 180 hours of study, and International A Level Sociology requires about 360 hours of study. These figures are for guidance only. The number of hours needed may vary depending on your previous experience of the subject.

We recommend that students who are beginning this course should have previously completed an International GCSE course in Sociology.

It is also necessary that all A-Level students have IGCSE English Language or the equivalent at Grade C/4 or above.