Methods of Sociological Enquiry overview: Component 2 of WJEC A-Level Sociology

This overview maps Component 2 (Methods of Sociological Enquiry) of WJEC A-Level Sociology: the research methods, the approaches that shape method choice, sampling, the concepts that evaluate research quality, and the applied scenario task.

What Component 2 covers

Component 2 is the methodological backbone of the A-level. It tests whether you understand how sociologists gather and evaluate evidence, and whether you can apply that understanding to a research scenario by designing, justifying and evaluating a study.

The structure of Component 2

1. Research methods and the research process. Primary methods (questionnaires, interviews, observation, experiments) and secondary sources (official statistics, documents, previous research); quantitative and qualitative data; positivist and interpretivist approaches; sampling; and the four evaluation concepts.
2. Designing and evaluating research. Reading a scenario, designing a study and justifying the choice of method and sample, the link between theory, method and topic, and evaluating the strengths, limitations and ethics of research.

The four evaluation concepts

Every method is judged on validity (a true picture), reliability (repeatable consistency), representativeness (a sample that allows generalisation) and ethics (consent, confidentiality, no harm). These concepts run through every answer in the component.

How to study Component 2

1. Know each method's strengths and weaknesses. Learn what every method is good and bad at, using the four concepts.
2. Link method to approach. Connect quantitative methods to positivism and qualitative methods to interpretivism.
3. Practise applying to scenarios. The exam is scenario-based, so rehearse designing and evaluating studies for novel situations.
4. Always think trade-offs. Every choice has costs; show you can weigh them.
5. Treat ethics seriously. Build consent, confidentiality and harm into every design and evaluation.

For the official specification

WJEC publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at wjec.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and WJEC's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.