AQA A-Level Sociology: Aiming for A/A*

Course Code: T0114 £249.00

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This A/A* course, revised and updated for Autumn 2025 is aimed specifically on how to ensure your students achieve the highest marks in AQA A-Level Sociology. It will focus on exploring the characteristics of work produced by students at the highest levels and delve into a range of teaching materials and strategies designed to ensure that students achieve the top grades of A and A*.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

  • Take away teaching ideas and approaches that challenge and develop A and A* students
  • Explore exemplar materials to identify characteristics of outstanding work
  • Explore thinking deeply, synoptic links and A)3 Analysis
  • Take away strategies and approaches to maximise students’ marks in the examination
  • Scrutinise and discuss exemplar A* and A grade answers
  • Insights into what success looks like in examinations
  • Find out more about to give the most effective feedback to A/A* calibre students
  • Take away methods to best prepare students for exam success

PROGRAMME

Thinking Deeply, Synoptic Links and AO3 Analysis To Access A/A*

10.00 – 10.40am
  • Strategies to embed thinking in TLA – examiners reward evidence of thinking
  • Teaching methods to encourage deep thinking and reflection among students - moving away from regurgitation of information
  • Strategies to develop students’ synoptic links, including signposting these to examiners
  • Making synoptic links – why are women more religious than men?
  • Make AO3 Evaluation stronger (and easier!) through making comparisons to similar or different sociological theories’
 

Morning Break

10.40 – 11.00am

Maximising exam performance: review where top marks are lost and how to avoid them

11.00 – 12.00pm
  • Ensuring you’re A/A* students know exactly what examiners are looking for, how to structure answers and the skills needed
  • Embed Assessment Objectives in TLA - Stay focused on the end-goal’
  • The 4 & 6 mark questions on Paper 1 and Paper 3
  • Excellent starters and plenaries
  • How to maximise marks in the two types of 10 marks exam questions
  • How to best approach and structure 20 & 30 mark exam questions to achieve top band
  • Teaching strategies to maximise marks in the exams’

Exemplar A and A* Grade Answers

12.00 – 1.00pm
  • Grade descriptors, activities, practical teaching strategies
  • Model answers for Paper 1 Education and Paper 3 Crime and Deviance
  • Candidate style answers and commentaries - what examiners look for
  • Peer marking and its role in improving skills – teaching students how an examiner recognises a top band answer
 

Lunch

1.00 – 2.00pm

Effective Feedback for A/A* Students - Comments, not Marks

2.00 – 2.45pm
  • Feedback strategies to stretch able students to maximise their potential – asking questions as feedback, no mark just feedback, amending answers using mark schemes
  • Feedback suggestions…
  • Exploring ways to use feedback to support able students in improving their marks
  • What an examiner looks for in a top band essay using exemplars
  • Going beyond a template, getting students to understand what a top-grade essay looks like.
  • Effective feedback strategies, to encourage better evaluation and conclusion writing skills.
 

Afternoon Break

2.45 – 3.30pm
  • Preparing For Exam Success
  • Effective teaching strategies to support your high ability students in preparing for examinations
  • 3 steps to revision success
  • How to get high ability students to take ownership of their revision
  • Balancing exam technique and specification requirements whilst encouraging student engagement with sociology in the wider world and signposting to HE
A-Level - Code: T0114

AQA A-Level Sociology: Aiming for A/A*

COURSE LEADER

Zenub Patel

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