Theory and methods — IGCSE Sociology (0495) questions by topic
Expect source-based extraction here as much as recall: questions send you to Source A to identify types of survey question, compare countries on marriage age or paid leave, or pick out interview settings, so reading data accurately under pressure matters as much as sociological knowledge.
Describe, identify, explain, to what extent and state are the top command words, worth from 40 to 45 marks overall, with to-what-extent essays asking you to weigh perspectives such as feminism or positivism rather than just list them. Across 15 questions spanning 2023 to 2025, practise pulling exact figures and phrases from a source before writing, then use instant marking to check whether your source-based points were specific enough to count.
What examiners look for
- Examiners note that most candidates could identify two ways Zimbardo made the prison experiment realistic from Source A, such as police-style arrests, fingerprinting and prison clothing.
- A recurring criticism is that candidates confused the command to identify types of research question with writing actual example questions instead.
- Reports state that describing research problems from a source scored best when candidates picked one specific aspect, such as an unrepresentative sample, rather than a vague general criticism.
- On non-official statistics, answers were often marked down for being generalised and vague rather than naming a concrete limitation.
- Strong answers on why feminists see society as based on conflict wrote in paragraphs, making the point in the first sentence before developing it further.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
From Source A, identify two conclusions of Ehrenreich's research.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
From Source A, identify two countries where there has been an increase in the number of people aged under 25 between 1975 and 2015.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
From Source A, identify two issues researchers ask about in the BSA survey.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 11
From Source A identify the two countries with the smallest difference in life expectancy between women and men.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
From Source A, identify the two countries with the biggest difference in the estimated average age of marriage for women between 2000-2020.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 13
From Source A, identify the two countries with the biggest increase in the number of paid days off between 1980 and 2000.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 11
From Source A, identify two ways Pearson became recognised as a Blackpool F.C. supporter.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 12
From Source A, identify two settings where the interviews took place.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 13
From Source A, identify two types of question used in the survey.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 11
From Source A, identify the two countries with the most leisure time.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
From Source A, identify two ways Zimbardo tried to make the experiment realistic.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
From Source A, identify two findings from the research.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
From Source A, identify two weaknesses of focus groups.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 12
From Source A, identify two countries that complete a census every five years.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 13
From Source A, identify two groups participating in the field experiment.
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Sociology topics
- Family (15)
- Education (12)
- Crime, deviance and social control (12)
- Media (12)
- Social inequality (12)
- Culture, identity and socialisation (12)