OxfordAQA International A-Level Sociology: Introducing Sociology (9690)

This guide covers Unit 1 Introducing Sociology, one of two units forming the International AS in OxfordAQA International A-level Sociology (9690), a new qualification first teaching September 2026, with first AS exams May/June 2027 and first A-level exams May/June 2028. The full A-level adds Units 3-5 (People and Development, People and the Environment, People and Technology).

Where this fits in 9690

Unit 1 examines Families (3.1.1) and Research Methods and Theory (3.1.3). The research methods and theory content is not exclusive to Unit 1: the specification examines it again in Unit 2 (Exploring Sociology), through a different question form – short and structured questions here in Unit 1, a single extended-response question in Unit 2 – rather than through different content.

Syllabus coverage

OXFORDAQA INTERNATIONAL A-LEVEL SOCIOLOGY (9690) — UNIT 1 INTRODUCING SOCIOLOGY

• 3.1.1 Families — family types and marriage, perspectives on the family, social change and changing families, gender/age and family life
• 3.1.3 Research Methods and Theory — approaches to research, research methods, research issues, data interpretation, sociological theories and perspectives (examined in both Unit 1 and Unit 2)

Unit 1 is assessed in two sections: Section A Families (40 of the unit’s 60 marks, short and extended-response questions) and Section B Research methods (20 marks, short questions plus a structured question based on data about an unseen issue).

How to approach it

Families (3.1.1) is best revised by contrasting how different sociological perspectives interpret the same aspect of family life – this comparative approach mirrors how A-level essay questions are typically structured – and by building a bank of the six named sociologists (below) so that named-study marks are never left on the table. Research Methods (3.1.3) deserves particular attention to method-specific strengths and limitations (validity, reliability, ethics, practicality for each named method), since this level of technical precision is what distinguishes A-level answers from GCSE-level ones, and to the fact that it resurfaces in Unit 2 as a single extended-response question rather than as new content.

Families: forms, functions and change

Family types and marriage (3.1.1.1). Sociologists distinguish extended families (vertically extended, across generations, or horizontally extended, across a generation), nuclear families, and single-parent families, alongside non-family living arrangements such as communes, living alone, and foster care or children’s homes. Therborn’s typology of family systems compares family patterns across world regions. Cultural variation includes patriarchal and matriarchal family structures, and marriage practices include arranged marriages, love marriages and monogamy.

Perspectives on families (3.1.1.2). Functionalists examine the functions the family performs and how the nuclear family “fits” modern industrial society. Marxists (Engels) analyse the family as an agent of social control serving capitalism. Feminists (Oakley) examine how families shape the different positions of men and women in society.

Social change and changing families (3.1.1.3). Demographic factors – family size, birth and death rates, infant and child mortality, migration, and an ageing population – alongside the effects of industrialisation and urbanisation, explain long-run change. Newer diversity types include pivot/sandwich-generation families, reconstituted/blended families, living-apart-together couples, child-free couples, and beanpole families. Smart’s concept of personal life and individualisation describe a shift toward more freely chosen family arrangements, alongside diasporas and transnational families, friends as family, and pets or companion animals treated as family members.

Gender, age and family life (3.1.1.4). Gendered roles include the male “breadwinner”/instrumental role and the female expressive role, including the triple shift (paid work, domestic work and emotional work). Related themes: the division of domestic labour, gender differences in power and decision-making within families, violence against women and children, children’s status and “child centredness”, and the roles of adult children – including “boomerang” families – and of older people.

Named sociologists for this unit: Engels, Oakley, Parsons, Smart, Stacey, Therborn.

Research methods and theory

Positivists favour quantitative methods producing reliable, generalisable data — questionnaires, structured interviews, official statistics. Interpretivists favour qualitative methods producing valid, in-depth insight — unstructured interviews, participant observation.

Choice is judged on the PET practical, ethical and theoretical factors, and on:

• Reliability — would repeating it give the same result?
• Validity — does it measure what it claims to measure?
• Representativeness — can findings be generalised?

Reliability and validity frequently trade off: a structured questionnaire is highly reliable but may lack validity; participant observation is the reverse. Sampling methods to know by name: random, systematic, quota, multistage, stratified random, and snowball.

Ethical requirements are informed consent, confidentiality, protection from harm, and the right to withdraw — covert observation being the standard case where these are contested.

Worked example

Assess the usefulness of participant observation for studying a criminal gang.

STRENGTHS   high validity -- behaviour observed in its natural setting
            access to a group that would refuse a questionnaire
            reveals meanings members attach to their own actions

WEAKNESSES  not reliable -- cannot be replicated
            small sample, not representative
            researcher may 'go native', losing objectivity
            covert work raises consent and safety issues
            time-consuming and expensive

The conclusion should turn on purpose: for understanding meaning it is the strongest method available; for measuring prevalence it is the wrong tool.

Common mistakes

Confusing functionalist and Marxist readings of the same family function. Naming no sociologists when discussing a perspective on the family – Engels, Oakley, Parsons, Smart, Stacey and Therborn are all directly assessable. Confusing reliability with validity — the single most common error in the research methods content. Listing methods without linking them to positivism or interpretivism. Assessing a method in the abstract rather than against a specific research aim. Treating family diversity as a purely modern phenomenon rather than engaging with the demographic and social explanations behind it.

Quick revision checklist

• Know the family types (extended, nuclear, single-parent) and Therborn’s typology, plus arranged/love marriage and monogamy.
• Outline functionalist, Marxist (Engels) and feminist (Oakley) perspectives on the family, with evaluation.
• Explain the demographic factors behind family change and name at least four newer family diversity types.
• Define the triple shift and describe gendered roles and power within families.
• Contrast positivist and interpretivist approaches to research, and define reliability, validity and representativeness.
• Remember 3.1.3 Research Methods and Theory resurfaces in Unit 2 as a single extended-response question, not new content.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Sociology (9690) specification, Version 1.1 — oxfordaqa.com. Unit 1 timing and marks: 1 hour 45 minutes, 60 marks (Section A Families 40 marks; Section B Research methods 20 marks). A specimen question paper and mark scheme for this unit are published on the same qualification page.