Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Version 1
Changes to the syllabus for 2020
The latest syllabus is version 1, published September 2017.
There are no significant changes which affect teaching.
You are strongly advised to read the whole syllabus before planning your teaching programme.
Any textbooks endorsed to support the syllabus for examination from 2014 are still suitable for
use with this syllabus.
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is
the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which itself is a department of the
University of Cambridge.
UCLES retains the copyright on all its publications. Registered centres are permitted to copy material from this booklet for
their own internal use. However, we cannot give permission to centres to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a
third party even for internal use within a centre.
Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................... 2
Why choose Cambridge Assessment International Education?
Why Cambridge International AS & A Levels?
Why Cambridge International AS & A Level Sociology?
Teacher support
2 Assessment at a glance.................................................................................................. 8
4 Syllabus content............................................................................................................ 12
4.1 Core content: Cambridge International AS Level
4.2 Core content: Cambridge International A Level
5 Other information.......................................................................................................... 20
Equality and inclusion
Language
Grading and reporting
Exam administration
Cambridge International AS & A Level Sociology 9699 syllabus. Introduction
Syllabus for examination in 2020.
Our international qualifications are recognised by the world’s best universities and employers,
giving students a wide range of options in their education and career. As a not-for-profit
organisation, we devote our resources to delivering high-quality educational programmes that can
unlock learners’ potential.
Our programmes and qualifications set the global standard for international education. They are created
by subject experts, rooted in academic rigour and reflect the latest educational research. They provide a
strong platform for students to progress from one stage to the next, and are well supported by teaching and
learning resources.
Every year, nearly a million Cambridge learners from 10 000 schools in 160 countries prepare for their future
with an international education from Cambridge.
Cambridge learners
Our mission is to provide educational benefit through provision of international programmes and
qualifications for school education and to be the world leader in this field. Together with schools, we
develop Cambridge learners who are:
• confident in working with information and ideas – their own and those of others
• responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others
• reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn
• innovative and equipped for new and future challenges
• engaged intellectually and socially ready to make a difference.
fident
Con
d
Engage
Cambridge
learner
Learn more about the Cambridge learner attributes in Chapter 2 of our Implementing the curriculum
with Cambridge guide at www.cambridgeinternational.org/curriculumguide
Cambridge International AS & A Level curricula are flexible. It is possible to offer almost any combination
from a wide range of subjects. Cambridge International A Level is typically a two-year course, and
Cambridge International AS Level is typically one year. Some subjects can be started as a Cambridge
International AS Level and extended to a Cambridge International A Level.
There are three possible assessment approaches for Cambridge International AS & A Level:
Cambridge International
Year 2
A Level
Option one (remainder of A Level) Cambridge
International
Cambridge International Cambridge International A Level
Year 1
AS Level AS Level
(standalone AS) (AS is first half of A Level)
Students take the Cambridge Students take the Cambridge Students take all papers of the
International AS Level only. The International AS Level in Year 1 and Cambridge International A Level course
syllabus content for Cambridge in Year 2 complete the Cambridge in the same examination series, usually
International AS Level is half International A Level. at the end of the second year of study.
of a Cambridge International
A Level programme.
Every year thousands of students with Cambridge International AS & A Levels gain places at leading
universities worldwide. Cambridge International AS & A Levels are accepted across 195 countries. They
are valued by top universities around the world including those in the UK, US (including Ivy League
universities), European nations, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Learners should check the university
website for specific entry requirements before applying.
Learn more
For more details go to www.cambridgeinternational.org/recognition
These figures are for guidance only. The number of hours needed to gain the qualification may vary
depending on local practice and the learners’ previous experience of the subject.
Prior learning
Candidates beginning this course are not expected to have studied Sociology previously.
Progression
Cambridge International A Level Sociology provides a suitable foundation for the study of Sociology or
related courses in higher education. Equally it is suitable for candidates intending to pursue careers or
further study in Sociology, or as part of a course of general education.
Cambridge International AS Level Sociology constitutes the first half of the Cambridge International A Level
course in Sociology and therefore provides a suitable foundation for the study of Sociology at Cambridge
International A Level and thence for related courses in higher education. Depending on local university
entrance requirements, it may permit or assist progression directly to university courses in Sociology
or some other subjects. It is also suitable for candidates intending to pursue careers or further study in
Sociology, or as part of a course of general education.
We recommend learners check the Cambridge recognitions database and the university websites to find the
most up-to-date entry requirements for courses they wish to study.
Cambridge AICE
Cambridge AICE Diploma is the group award of the Cambridge International AS & A Level. It gives schools
the opportunity to benefit from offering a broad and balanced curriculum by recognising the achievements
of candidates who pass examinations from different curriculum groups.
Learn more
For more details go to www.cambridgeinternational.org/aice
Our research has shown that students who came to the university with a
Cambridge AICE background performed better than anyone else that came to the
university. That really wasn’t surprising considering the emphasis they have on critical
research and analysis, and that’s what we require at university.
John Barnhill, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management, Florida State University, USA
Teacher support
We offer a wide range of practical and innovative support to help teachers plan and deliver our
programmes and qualifications confidently.
The support package for our Cambridge International AS & A Levels gives teachers access to a worldwide
teaching community enabling them to connect with other teachers, swap ideas and share best practice.
Cambridge
International
AS & A Level
support for
Professional development teachers Learn more
Face-to-face training Find out more about support for this syllabus
We hold workshops around the world to support at www.cambridgeinternational.org/alevel
teachers in delivering Cambridge syllabuses and Visit our online resource bank and discussion forum
developing their skills. at www.cambridgeinternational.org/support
Online training
You can find useful information, as well as share
We offer self-study and tutor-led online training
your ideas and experiences with other teachers, on
courses via our virtual learning environment. A
our social media channels and community forums.
wide range of syllabus-specific courses and skills
courses is available. We also offer training via Find out more at
video conference and webinars. www.cambridgeinternational.org/social-media
Qualifications
We offer a wide range of practice-based qualifications
at Certificate and Diploma level, providing a
framework for continuing professional development.
Paper 1
Unit 1: The Family The family and social change
Family roles, marriage and changing relationships
The social construction of age
Paper 2
Unit 2: Theory and The sociological perspective
methods Socialisation and the creation of social identity
Methods of research
The relationship between theory and methods
Paper 3
Unit 3: Education Education in social context
Structures and processes within schools
2 Assessment at a glance
Candidates take:
Candidates answer one compulsory data Candidates answer one compulsory data
response question and one essay question response question and one essay question
from a choice of two. from a choice of two.
Candidates take:
Paper 1 for A Level is the same as Paper 1 for Paper 2 for A Level is the same as Paper 2 for
AS Level. AS Level.
and:
Paper 3 3 hours
Candidates answer three essay style questions from four sections with two questions per section.
Availability
This syllabus is examined in the June and November examination series. This syllabus is also available for
examination in March for India only.
The topics in these units form the core content of contemporary sociology. Studying these topics provides a
thorough introduction to the subject and an appropriate foundation for candidates and centres who want to
progress to the Cambridge International A Level qualification.
Paper 1: The paper is in two sections. Section A comprises a compulsory data response question. Section B
comprises two essay questions, with the candidates having the choice of which one to answer.
Paper 2: The paper is in two sections. Section A comprises a compulsory data response question. Section B
comprises two essay questions, with the candidates having the choice of which one to answer.
These four topics are central to mainstream sociology. Candidates and centres need to cover at least three
units. The syllabus allows candidates to study sociology in the context of different societies, including their
own, and from a wider global perspective. The distinction between traditional and modern industrial societies
is a central theme in most of the study units.
Paper 3 is in four sections, one for each unit. There are two essay questions in each section. Candidates
must choose three questions from three different sections. Each question is divided into a part (a) and a
part (b). There are 9 marks for part (a) and 16 marks for part (b).
4 Syllabus content
Key concepts
• adolescence • family functions • monogamy
• ageism • family ideology • neolocal residence
• age set • female carer-core • new man
• age stratification • fertility rate • nuclear family particularistic
• beanpole family • functional fit values
• civil partnership • functional prerequisites • partnership
• child-centred families • same sex families (gay and • patriarchy
• childhood lesbian) • patrifocal family
• chosen family • gender inequality • patrilineal
• cohabitation • horizontal and vertical structures • patrilocal residence
• common-law family • households • pensioner household
• communes • industrialisation • pester power
• confluent love • infantilisation • polyandry
• conjugal roles • instrumental/expressive roles • polygamy
• convergence of diversity • joint/segregated conjugal roles • polygyny
• demographic transition • kibbutzim • post-modern family
• dependency ratio • kinship patterns (networks) • primary socialisation
• disengagement • life course analysis • privatised family
• divorce • lone/single parent family • reconstituted family
• domestic division of labour • loss of function • rite of passage
• domestic labour • marriage • serial monogamy
• domestic violence • marital breakdown/instability • social construction
• double shift/dual burden • matriarchy • symmetrical family
• dysfunctional family • matrifocal family • triple shift
• emotion work • matrilineal • universalistic values
• empty-shell marriage • matrilocal residence • urbanisation
• extended family • migration • youth culture
• family diversity • modified extended family
3. Methods of research
• The distinctions between primary and secondary data and between quantitative and qualitative data.
• The different quantitative and qualitative methods and sources of data, including questionnaires,
interviews, observation techniques, experiments, longitudinal studies, case studies, content
analysis, semiology, documents and official statistics.
• The stages of research design: deciding on research strategy; formulating research problems
and hypotheses; sampling and pilot studies; conducting the research; interpreting the results and
reporting the findings.
Key concepts:
• action theory • interactionist • research funding
• beliefs • interpretivism • researcher bias
• capitalism • interviews (structured, semi- • researcher effect
• case studies structured, unstructured and • respondent
• causation group interviews) • roles
• coercion • laboratory experiments • sampling and sampling
• collective conscience • longitudinal surveys techniques
• comparative analysis • looking-glass self • sampling error
• conformity • macrosociology • scientific method
• consumerism • Marxist theory • secondary data
• content analysis • mass culture (popular • semiology
• control group culture) • significant others
• correlation • methodological pluralism • social change
• covert observation • microsociology • social construction of reality
• critical theory • modern industrial society • social control
• cross-sectional surveys • modernity and post- • social desirability
modernity • social engineering
• culture
• nature versus nurture debate • social identity
• customs
• neo-Marxist theory • social order
• demand characteristics
• non-participant observation • social policy
• determinism
• norms • social problems
• economic determinism
• objectivity • social sanctions
• ethical issues
• official statistics • social self
• ethnographic
• organic and mechanical • socialisation
• ethnomethodology
solidarity
• experimental group • structuralist
• operationalisation
• falsification • structuration
• over-socialised conception
• feminist theory (liberal, • sub-culture
of man
radical, Marxist, black • subjectivity
• overt observation
feminist theory) • survey/social survey
• paradigms
• field experiments • symbolic interactionism
• participant observation
• forces of production and • traditional society
relations of production • personal documents/
• triangulation
historical documents
• free will • validity
• phenomenology
• functionalist theory • value consensus
• pilot studies
• functions, manifest and • value judgement
latent functions • positivism
• value-freedom
• gender • post-modernism
• values
• globalisation • power
• variables
• Hawthorne effect • primary data
• verstehen
• hypothesis • qualitative data
• Weberian theory
• hypothetico-deductive • questionnaires
method • reliability
• ideology/ruling class ideology • representativeness
Key concepts:
• compensatory education • formal education • peer group
• comprehensive education • gender • positive discrimination
• correspondence principle • gender stereotyping • pupil sub-cultures
• counter-school culture • gendered curriculum • self-fulfilling prophecy
• cultural capital • hidden curriculum • social class
• cultural reproduction • ideological state apparatus • social capital
• deferred/immediate • informal education • social democratic theory
gratification • inequality • social exclusion
• deprivation – material and • intelligence • social inequality
cultural
• intelligence quotient • social mobility
• deschooling
• knowledge • streaming
• educational achievement
• labelling • vocationalism
• elaborated and restricted
• language
speech codes
• marketisation
• equality of opportunity
• meritocracy
• ethnicity
• minority ethnic group
• ethnocentric curriculum
• positional theory
• feminine/masculine identities
2. Global issues
• Migration, international employment patterns and demographic change.
• Theories of the causes and consequences of poverty; distribution of wealth within and between
countries.
• Sociological theories of globalisation and its effects.
• The role of transnational organisations in national economic and cultural systems.
Key concepts:
• absolute poverty • environmentalism • proto industrialisation
• aid • exploitation • relative poverty
• aid agencies • globalisation • slavery
• basic needs • high-income country • social deprivation
• capitalism • human development index • social inequality
• colonialism • human rights • sustainable development
• convergence theory • industrialisation • tiger economies
• culture of poverty • low-income country • transnational organisations
• decolonisation • migration • underdevelopment theory
• democratic transition • modes of production • wealth
• demographic change • modernisation theory • welfare dependency
• demographic transition • multi-national companies • world system theory
model • newly industrialising
• dependency countries
• development • poverty
• development strategies • poverty trap
Unit 5: Media
In this unit candidates examine how the media are organised, how they represent different issues and social
groups, and what effects they have on individuals and societies.
Key concepts:
• agenda setting • hegemony • media sensationalism
• audience reception • high culture • narrowcasting
• broadcasting • hyper-reality • new media
• catharsis • hypodermic syringe • normative model
• censorship • ideology • opinion polls
• content analysis • ideological state apparatus • political socialisation
• cultural effects model • interpretative community • popular culture
• cross-media corporations • interactive media • propaganda
• cybercrime • media effects • selection and presentation of
• deviance amplification • mass culture media content
• discourse analysis • media • semiotics
• diversion • media manipulation • social media
• Empowerment • media ownership • symbolisation
• folk devils • metanarrative • stereotype
• gate-keeping • moral panics • traditional media
• globalisation • media regulation • two step flow model
• hegemonic/professional/ • media representation • uses and gratification
negotiated/oppositional • youth sub-culture
codes
Unit 6: Religion
In this unit candidates develop their understanding of religion in its social context. The aim is to study
different explanations of the role of religion in society and to understand the nature of religious movements
and the factors influencing the level of religiosity in particular communities.
2. Religious movements
• Different religious movements and their power within society: cults, sects, denominations,
churches, new religious movements, New Age ideas.
• Debates about secularisation.
• Sociological studies of the relationship between religious beliefs, organisations and social groups
(including links to class, gender and ethnicity).
Key concepts:
• agnosticism • ideology • religious diversity
• asceticism • infant mortality/rate • religious pluralism
• atheism • liberation theology • religious revivals
• birth rate/death rate • marginality • ritual
• churches • millenarian movements • sacred and profane
• civil religion • modernity • sectarian cycle
• collective conscience • new age • sects
• cultural defence • new religious movements • secularisation
• cultural transition • patriarchy • social solidarity
• cults • post-modernity • spiritual shopping
• denominations • privatised forms of worship • totemism
• desacrilisation • protestant ethic • world rejecting/
• disenchantment • rationalisation world accommodating/world
• disengagement • religiosity affirming sects
• fundamentalism • religious beliefs
• globalisation • religious consumerism
5 Other information
The standard assessment arrangements may present unnecessary barriers for candidates with disabilities
or learning difficulties. Arrangements can be put in place for these candidates to enable them to access
the assessments and receive recognition of their attainment. Access arrangements will not be agreed if
they give candidates an unfair advantage over others or if they compromise the standards being assessed.
Candidates who are unable to access the assessment of any component may be eligible to receive an
award based on the parts of the assessment they have taken.
Information on access arrangements is found in the Cambridge Handbook, which can be downloaded from
the website www.cambridgeinternational.org/examsofficers
Language
This syllabus and the associated assessment materials are available in English only.
Cambridge International AS Level results are shown by one of the grades a, b, c, d or e, indicating the
standard achieved, ‘a’ being the highest and ‘e’ the lowest. ‘Ungraded’ indicates that the candidate’s
performance fell short of the standard required for grade ‘e’. ‘Ungraded’ will be reported on the statement
of results but not on the certificate. The letters Q (result pending), X (no result) and Y (to be issued) may also
appear on the statement of results but not on the certificate.
If a candidate takes a Cambridge International A Level and fails to achieve grade E or higher, a Cambridge
International AS Level grade will be awarded if both of the following apply:
• the components taken for the Cambridge International A Level by the candidate in that series included
all the components making up a Cambridge International AS Level
• the candidate’s performance on the AS Level components was sufficient to merit the award of a
Cambridge International AS Level grade.
For the assessment of languages other than English, Cambridge International also reports separate speaking
endorsement grades (Distinction, Merit and Pass), for candidates who satisfy the conditions stated in the
syllabus.
Exam administration
To keep our exams secure, we produce question papers for different areas of the world, known as
‘administrative zones’. We allocate all Cambridge schools to one administrative zone determined by their
location. Each zone has a specific timetable. Some of our syllabuses offer candidates different assessment
options. An entry option code is used to identify the components the candidate will take relevant to the
administrative zone and the available assessment options.