How do class and ethnicity impact on educational achievement? Why do people commit crime? How is gender connected with power? Our A level Sociology online course is full of intriguing questions.

Through your studies you’ll gain subject knowledge and develop skills of analysis, evaluation and independent thinking. You’ll also explore key research methods used by sociologists. Looking to the future, this qualification is perfect preparation for a social science degree and promotes skills that enhance employability.

Our Sociology A level course is ideal if you:.

• Are keen to build on the knowledge you’ve gained at GCSE level.
• Have an interest in human behaviour and how society shapes our daily life experience.
• Aim to pursue a career in which you can effect positive change in society, by understanding and helping others.
• Would like to build your skills as an independent, analytical thinker to enhance your employability.

Future opportunities

• Studying sociology at university.
• A range of rewarding careers in fields such as international aid, charity work, probation and social work, HR, market research, public relations, marketing, law and journalism.

Section 1: The sociology of education and schools

• Introduction to sociology
• Sociological perspectives on education
• School relationships and processes
• School subcultures

Section 2: Educational achievement

• Class and educational achievement
• Gender and educational achievement
• Ethnicity and educational achievement
• Educational policies
• Methods in context

Section 3: Sociological research methods

• The relationship between theory and methods
• Planning research
• Secondary data sources
• Research methods for quantitative data
• Research methods for qualitative data

Section 4: The sociology of families and households

• Sociological perspectives on the family
• Politics, social policy and the family
• Changing families

Section 5: Childhood gender and demographic change

• Gender roles and power
• Childhood
• Demographic change and the family

Section 6: Beliefs in society 1

• Religion, science and ideology
• Religion as a force for social stability
• Religion as a force for social change
• Religious organisations

Section 7: Beliefs in society 2

• New religious movements
• Gender, feminism and religion
• Religion, ethnicity, age and class
• Secularisation

Section 8: Crime and deviance 1

• Social control, deviance and crime
• Radical criminology
• Labelling theory
• Crime statistics

Section 9: Crime and deviance 2

• Ethnicity, gender and crime
• Social class and crime
• Crime in a global world
• The criminal justice system

Section 10: Revision – theory and methods

• Revising sociological theory
• Revising education and the family
• Revising sociological methods
• Revising beliefs in society and crime and deviance

Study A level Sociology with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Our exam booking service
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Mo who is just one of our first-class Sociology tutors:

“I have over 20 years experience of teaching both Psychology and Sociology and I have worked as a senior examiner for a major exam board for many years. Sociology is an amazing subject and offers us an insight into the individuals and society around us. The course allows you to learn about various aspects of Sociology from what makes a person turn to crime to the loss of religious beliefs. Having studied Sociology for many years, I am still learning new and exciting aspects to human behaviour. Which aspects of the specification interest you will be a really personal discovery, this will allow you to investigate and learn more as your curiosity is raised. This means that I really enjoy working with students as they will always show me some insight or detail that I have never considered and it makes your studies collaborative.”

Exam board

• AQA 7192

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 250-300* hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 300 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 300 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 5 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 11 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards your final grade

Resources

Set textbooks – included as a free ebook with your course:

• Sociology for AQA, Vol. 1: AS and 1st-Year A level, K Browne, Polity Press, 2015
• Sociology for AQA, Vol. 2: 2nd Year A level, K Browne, Polity Press, 2016

Requirements

• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

Our course fees are clear and transparent to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• 24/7 access to learn@nec platform and resources
• Expertly designed online course materials (including ebook versions of textbooks where specified) that you need to complete the course
• Support from our Student Services team
• Structured assignments carefully designed to prepare you for exams
• Guidance from your tutor for up to 24 months from your date of enrolment
• Extensive feedback to all assignments that will support your learning
• NEA (coursework) marking and authentication
• Marking for one examination paper (from a previous year)
• Guaranteed exam place
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner template to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams

Your course fee does not cover:

• Any fees in relation to exam entries or assessments
• Centre Assessment Grades (CAG) in the event of exam cancellation
• Recommended textbooks for additional reading or set texts

If you need more support, you can purchase:

• Online tutorials – if you need help with a specific topic you can arrange a 30 minute or 1 hour tutorial
• Additional past paper marking – to help with your exam preparation
• Revision tutorial –  to plan your revision and explore revision techniques
• Help with your UCAS application service

For further information on additional/optional support you can purchase, please visit our additional services page.

Exams (three):

• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)
• 33.3% of marks  (2 hours)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies. In our experience learning online works best when either a parent or guardian are involved. This is why NEC has developed our unique Progress Tracker to help you to support your child.

NEC’s Progress Tracker will allow you to easily track your child’s progress across their subjects and gain insight to how well they are doing through access to their assignment grades and tutor feedback.  

Read more about how we work with young students who are studying at home or through a school.

Would you like to talk to our Course Advice Team about the best route for you? Visit our Contact Us page, fill in the form and a member of the team will get back to you!