What is in Component 1 of WJEC A-Level Sociology?

Component 1 (Socialisation and Culture) has a compulsory Section A on the key concepts and processes of cultural transmission, socialisation and the acquisition of identity, a Section B option (families and households or youth cultures), and a Section C option (education, media or religion). The sociological perspectives are applied throughout.

What does Section A of Component 1 cover?

Section A is compulsory and tests the core concepts: culture, norms, values, roles and status; the nature versus nurture debate; primary and secondary socialisation; the agencies of socialisation and social control; and how identity is acquired by class, gender, ethnicity, age and nationality.

Which options can I study in Component 1?

In Section B you study either families and households or youth cultures. In Section C you study one of education, mass media or religion. Your centre chooses which options you take, and you answer on the options you have studied.

Which sociological perspectives do I need for Component 1?

You apply functionalism, Marxism, feminism (liberal, Marxist and radical strands), interactionism, postmodernism and the New Right across the component, along with the structure versus action and consensus versus conflict debates. Perspectives are used to analyse every topic, not studied in isolation.

How is Component 1 assessed?

Component 1 is worth a large share of the A-level and uses structured short-answer questions plus extended-writing essays. Section A is compulsory; Sections B and C each combine a compulsory question with a choice of essays on the option studied. Always check the current WJEC specification for the exact paper format and marks.

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Socialisation and Culture overview: Component 1 of WJEC A-Level Sociology

A complete overview of Component 1 (Socialisation and Culture) of WJEC A-Level Sociology: the compulsory key concepts of culture, socialisation and identity, the Section B option (families and households or youth cultures), the Section C option (education, media or religion), and the sociological perspectives applied throughout.

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What Component 1 covers
The structure of Component 1
The perspectives toolkit
How to study Component 1
For the official specification

This overview maps Component 1 (Socialisation and Culture) of WJEC A-Level Sociology: the compulsory concepts of culture, socialisation and identity, the Section B and Section C options, and the perspectives that run through every topic.

What Component 1 covers

Component 1 establishes the foundations of sociology and then applies them to chosen topics. Section A is compulsory and tests the key concepts of cultural transmission. Sections B and C are options: your centre selects which you study, so two students can sit different questions.

The structure of Component 1

Section A: socialisation, culture and identity (compulsory). Culture, norms, values, roles and status; nature versus nurture; primary and secondary socialisation; agencies of socialisation and social control; and identity by class, gender, ethnicity, age and nationality.
Section B option: families and households or youth cultures. Either the study of family forms, diversity, demographic change, roles and childhood; or youth as a social construction, subcultures, moral panics and resistance.
Section C option: education, mass media or religion. One of: differential achievement and schooling; ownership, representation and media effects; or the role of religion, religious organisations and secularisation.

The perspectives toolkit

Every topic is analysed through the sociological perspectives: functionalism, Marxism, feminism, interactionism, postmodernism and the New Right. The page on sociological theories and perspectives is the toolkit you reuse across the whole qualification.

How to study Component 1

Master Section A first. It is compulsory and its concepts underpin every option.
Learn your options in depth. You only answer on the options you have studied, so know them thoroughly.
Apply perspectives, do not just describe them. Use functionalism, Marxism, feminism and the rest to analyse each topic.
Build evidence banks. Demographic trends, studies and examples make essays concrete.
Practise reaching judgements. Essays reward a supported verdict, not a survey.

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 and option lists are board-specific.

Sources & how we know this

WJEC GCE AS and A Level in Sociology specification — WJEC (2015)