OCR A Level Sociology refresh - frequently asked questions

To ensure that we continue to meet the needs of students and teachers, we recently conducted a review of our existing A Level specification. This involved consulting with teachers as well as other stakeholders, including the British Sociological Association. 

Our findings showed that, while our existing specification is well regarded, we need to remain responsive to changes within the dynamic, ever-changing field of sociology. 

We have now submitted our draft specifications and sample assessment materials to Ofqual, the regulator, for their review. This process can take some time, but it’s our aim to have both our A Level and AS Level qualifications accredited and ready for first teach in September 2026*.

We will keep you informed throughout the process – sign up for our email updates to stay in the loop.   

*Please note, these qualifications have not yet been accredited by Ofqual. While our draft specifications and sample assessment materials have been published to enable teachers to have early sight, changes may be required as part of the accreditation process and the proposed first teach date may change. We can give no assurances these proposed qualifications will be accredited for September 2026 or remain as they currently are.  

Subject to Ofqual accreditation, we plan to keep our most popular topics, while adding unique new content such as: 

• aspects of identity linking to fluidity, such as non-binary and trans identities.  
• urban music subcultures and female subcultures.  
• how sexuality and new gender identities are represented in the media.  
• how countries in the global south may be used by transnational criminal groups and companies.  
• new methods of crime prevention. 

We're also revising our assessment structure to ensure it's more accessible. This includes simplifying question types, being consistent in our wording of questions, and reducing the length of source materials. 

In addition, we want to give students more opportunities to showcase their research methods knowledge and understanding throughout our exams, in particularly questions where evaluation is needed. 

Read more about our plans in our blog by Subject Advisor Tom. 

You can also visit our webpages and download our mapping guide, which outlines the how the new A Level qualification is different to our existing one.

We are planning to update our existing Hodder textbook to reflect the changes we are making. 

Whether you're new to OCR or have been teaching with us for a while, we will offer a range of free support and resources to help you deliver OCR sociology with confidence. 

These include a wide range of freely available planning, teaching and learning resources accessed via Teach Cambridge*:

• sample assessment materials  

• curriculum planners  

• schemes of work 

• assessment guides  

• candidate exemplars  

• practice papers  

You will also have access to: 

• a range of professional development courses  

• expert subject advisors to advise you, share updates and resources   

• an updated Hodder textbook 

• new teaching and learning resources from third parties. This includes short film clips mapped to new specification from the Educational Recording Agency (ERA)

• Active Results: our free results analysis service   

• Access to Scripts – our free, on-demand service that allows you to download copies of students’ completed question papers 

• ExamBuilder: our free question-building platform that helps you to build your own tests as our bank of past live-series questions grows.  

*If you already have a Teach Cambridge account, you will be able to log straight in. If you do not currently have access to the platform, please visit our website for guidance on how to gain it. You can also sign up for a free, two-week trial. 

If your school or college is an approved OCR centre, teaching other qualifications with us, you can simply download our new A Level, or AS Level, specification once accredited and start teaching from September 2026*.

To help us support you, let us know if you're planning to teach by filling in this form.  

If your school or college doesn’t offer any OCR qualifications currently, you may need to register with us. Please get in touch with our Customer Development Team, who can guide you through the process.  

Please feel free to contact us on 01223 553998 or email us if you have any questions.  

*Please note, these qualifications have not yet been accredited by Ofqual. While our draft specifications and sample assessment materials have been published to enable teachers to have early sight, changes may be required as part of the accreditation process and the proposed first teach date may change. We can give no assurances these proposed qualifications will be accredited for September 2026 or remain as they currently are.  

For now, all you need to do is explore our draft resources and make sure you are signed up for our email updates to receive the latest news about our developments. 

Once we are accredited, we will let you know by email. You can then download and start teaching our new A Level, or AS Level, from September 2026*.  To help us support you, let us know if you're planning to teach with us by filling in this form.  

You can contact us on 01223 553998 or by email if you have any questions.  

*Please note, these qualifications have not yet been accredited by Ofqual. While our draft specifications and sample assessment materials have been published to enable teachers to have early sight, changes may be required as part of the accreditation process and the proposed first teach date may change. We can give no assurances these proposed qualifications will be accredited for September 2026 or remain as they currently are.