Last Updated on September 1, 2026 by Karl Thompson
Written and maintained by Karl Thompson, who taught A-level sociology for eighteen years and marked all three AQA papers as an examiner between 2010 and 2018.
Everything on this site is written for the AQA specification (7192). You will find revision notes on every topic across all three papers, model answers to the 10, 20 and 30 mark questions, and the evaluation points that make the difference between a description and an answer that scores AO3 marks.
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An introduction to A-level sociology
What sociology is, the main perspectives, and how the A-level is structured. Start here if you’re new to the subject.
Exam and revision advice
Advice on all three AQA A-level sociology papers. Model answers for both types of 10 mark questions and essay questions.
Revision Bundles for sale!
200+ pages of revision notes, 60 mind maps and 50 exemplar answers covering all three AQA papers. £19.99.
Paper 1 (7192/1): Education with Theory and Methods
Two hours. Education, Methods in Context, and one Theory and Methods question. Sat on Friday 14 May 2027 in the afternoon.
Sociology of Education (paper 1)
Perspectives, in-school factors, class, gender, ethnicity, education policies.
Research Methods in Sociology (Papers 1 and 3)
Qualitative and quantitative, primary and secondary: surveys, interviews, participant observation, experiments, official statistics.
Sociological Theories (Papers 3 and 1)
Functionalism, Marxism, Feminisms, Social Action Theories, Post and Late Modernism, Positivism and Interpretivism, and social policy.
Paper 2 (7192/2): Topics in Sociology (Section A Options)
Two hours, and you answer on two topics, not five. Most centres teach Families and Households alongside either Beliefs in Society or the Media. Sat on Friday 21 May 2027 in the morning.
Families and Households (Paper 2)
Perspectives, marriage and divorce, family change and diversity, childhood, family policies, demography.
Culture and Identity (Paper 2)
Different types of culture, the self and socialisation, consumption and identity, age, disability, ethnicity, sexuality, social class and identity.
Key Concepts and Definitions (all papers)
Sociological terms explained, with examples of how each one is used in an exam answer.
Paper 2 (7192/2): Topics in Sociology (Section B Options)
Two hours, and you answer on two topics, not five. Most centres teach Families and Households alongside either Beliefs in Society or the Media. Sat on Friday 21 May 2027 in the morning.
Beliefs in Society (Paper 2)
Religion, science, ideology, social change, cults and sects, secularisation, globalisation and fundamentalism.
Sociology of the Media (Paper 2)
Ownership and control, who makes the news, theories of audience effects, representations, and new media.
Global Development (Paper 2)
Theories of development, globalisation, aid and trade, NGOs, urbanisation and industrialisation, war and conflict, the environment.
Paper 3 (7192/3): Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods
Most of the Theory and Methods content is examined on this paper rather than Paper 1, so revise Sociological Theories and Research Methods in Sociology alongside crime and deviance.
Crime and Deviance (Paper 3)
Functionalist, Marxist, labelling and realist theories of crime; class, gender and ethnicity; punishment and social control; global, green and state crime.
Revising for the 2027 exams
AQA has provisionally timetabled the A-level sociology papers as follows:
- Paper 1 (7192/1) Education with Theory and Methods — Friday 14 May 2027, afternoon, 2 hours
- Paper 2 (7192/2) Topics in Sociology — Friday 21 May 2027, morning, 2 hours
- Paper 3 (7192/3) Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods — Thursday 10 June 2027, morning, 2 hours
These are taken from AQA’s provisional timetable and are subject to change, so check them against the timetable your school gives you.
For model answers to every question type on all three papers, see the exams and past papers page.
Sociology Revision Resources for Sale
My comprehensive A level sociology revision mega bundle covers all three exam papers for the AQA A-level sociology specification. It costs £19.99
The bundle covers these three papers and topics:
- Paper 1 (7192/1): Education, including Methods in Context and Theory and Methods
- Paper 2 (7192/2): Families and Households, Beliefs, and Media.
- Paper 3 (7192/3): Crime and Deviance with Theory and Methods.
Overall the bundle contains:
- over 200 pages of revision notes
- 60 mind maps in pdf and png formats
- 50 short answer exam practice questions and exemplar answers
- Covers the entire A-level sociology syllabus, AQA focus