OxfordAQA International GCSE Sociology: Preparing for a New Specification's Two Papers

OxfordAQA International GCSE Sociology (9292) is a brand-new specification: OxfordAQA states first teaching from September 2026, with first examinations from May/June 2028. It is linear, untiered, and assessed with no coursework by two equally weighted written papers. Paper 1 (Families; Education; Research Methods) and Paper 2 (Differences and Inequalities; Socialisation and Social Control; Research Methods) each run 1 hour 30 minutes, carry 60 marks and are worth 50%. Research methods content appears on both papers, rather than being confined to one. These notes complement the site’s guides to Introducing Sociology and Socialisation, and should be read alongside your centre’s own scheme of work, since this specification is new and teaching materials are still developing.

Research methods is not confined to one paper – it is examined everywhere

Because methods content sits on both papers, it functions as a toolkit applied throughout rather than a single topic to revise once. Exam-preparation priority: revise methods early, and then deliberately practise using methods vocabulary – sampling, validity, reliability, ethics – when answering questions on families, education, inequality and socialisation. A methodologically aware answer to a substantive question reads very differently from one that simply asserts a claim.

Paper 1 and Paper 2 are substantively different territories

Paper 1 covers families and education; Paper 2 covers differences and inequalities, and socialisation and social control. Exam-preparation priority: revise them as genuinely separate content areas, and resist the temptation to let concepts from one paper substitute vaguely for concepts on the other – each has its own key studies, concepts and debates, even where methods vocabulary is shared.

Ninety minutes for 60 marks is 1.5 minutes per mark

Exam-preparation priority: practise complete papers to that budget, with particular attention to the higher-tariff evaluation questions, which typically sit towards the end of each paper and reward planning as much as content knowledge.

Concepts need to be defined and then applied to a specific example

Sociological concepts – socialisation, social control, stratification, subculture – score well when defined precisely and then applied to a named, specific example, and score poorly when used as unexplained vocabulary. Exam-preparation priority: for each key concept, rehearse a one-sentence definition paired with a one-sentence application to a concrete case from the syllabus.

Evaluation questions want both sides taken seriously, then a judgement

The higher-tariff questions on both papers reward weighing perspectives against each other rather than presenting one view at length. Exam-preparation priority: practise the structure – position, supporting evidence, the strongest counter-position, and a reasoned judgement – since content knowledge alone rarely distinguishes strong answers from adequate ones at this level.

Worked routine: applying a concept to a specific example

The routine below is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper, specimen material or mark scheme (none of which existed for this new specification at the time of writing).

Step 1 - define the concept precisely, in one sentence:
The definition itself is creditable and disciplines what follows.

Step 2 - name a specific, concrete example:
A particular institution, practice or pattern -- not "society in
general".

Step 3 - explain how the example demonstrates the concept:
The connecting sentence -- this is where understanding, rather than
recall, is shown.

Step 4 - where relevant, note a methodological point:
How would a sociologist study this? What are the challenges of
researching it reliably?

Step 5 - link back to the question's specific demand:
A closing sentence confirming the point addresses what was asked.

Step 3 is the step that most reliably separates a strong answer from a list of correct but disconnected facts: it is where the example is shown to demonstrate the concept, rather than merely sitting beside it.

Before/during exam checklist

• Before the exams: revise research methods early and reuse its vocabulary across both papers; keep Paper 1 and Paper 2 content as genuinely separate revision areas; pair every concept definition with a specific applied example; practise the position-evidence-counter-judgement structure for evaluation questions.
• During either paper: budget roughly 1.5 minutes per mark and protect time for the higher-tariff evaluation questions.
• In every concept-based answer: define, exemplify, explain the connection, and close by answering the question’s specific demand.
• Given the new specification: check with your teacher for any updated guidance or specimen materials as they become available, since this qualification is still in its early cohorts.

Self-test

1. What is distinctive about how research methods content is distributed across the two papers?
2. What content does each paper cover?
3. What should accompany every concept definition in an answer?
4. Why does this resource caution readers to check with their teacher for updated guidance?

Answers: 1. It is not confined to one paper – it appears on both, functioning as a toolkit applied across families, education, inequality and socialisation content rather than a single stand-alone topic. 2. Paper 1 covers families and education; Paper 2 covers differences and inequalities, and socialisation and social control – both also include research methods. 3. A specific, concrete example, and an explanatory sentence showing how the example demonstrates the concept. 4. Because this is a brand-new specification (first teaching September 2026, first exams May/June 2028), so specimen assessment materials and accumulated teaching experience are still limited compared with established qualifications.

Written against the assessment section of OxfordAQA’s own new International GCSE Sociology (9292) qualification page (official OxfordAQA page, verified 2026-08-28), which states first teaching from September 2026 and first exams from May/June 2028. The application routine above is an original model written for this resource, since no official past paper or specimen material yet exists for this specification. Always check the current specification and any published specimen assessment materials at oxfordaqa.com.