AS Level Sociology Paper 1 rewards structure more than length. Students usually lose marks because a 6-mark answer is written like an essay, or a 26-mark essay never gets round to evaluation. This guide gives AS Level Sociology 9699 Paper 1 model answers for every question type, shows where each mark comes from, and ends with a timing plan for the 90 minutes.

All the example questions and answers below are Tutopiya’s own illustrations, written in the style of the paper. They are not taken from past papers and they are not official mark schemes. The mark-earning structures come from Cambridge’s published syllabus and mark schemes.

Sociology is one of the most studied subjects on Tutopiya by students in Pakistan, so some examples use Pakistani families, schools and media. Examiners credit any relevant, accurate example, so local material is a strength.

The 9699 Paper 1 format at a glance

Paper 1 is Socialisation, Identity and Methods of Research. It is a 1 hour 30 minute written paper out of 60 marks, worth 50% of the AS Level and 25% of the A Level (Cambridge 9699 syllabus for 2027 and 2028). You answer all three questions in Section A and one of the two essays in Section B.

Question	What it asks	Marks	Skills (AOs)	How it is marked
1	Describe two of something	4	AO1	Points (2 × 2)
2(a)	Explain two reasons, ways or factors	8	AO1 + AO2	Points (2 × 4)
2(b)	Evaluate a research method (strengths and/or limitations)	6	AO1 + AO3	Points (2 × 3)
3(a)	Explain the view in a quotation	10	AO1 + AO2	Levels
3(b)	Give one argument against the view	6	AO2 + AO3	Levels
4 or 5	Essay (your choice of one)	26	AO1 + AO2 + AO3	Separate mark for each AO

The mark allocations above are the ones used in Cambridge’s published Paper 1 mark schemes for the current syllabus (for example, October/November 2024 Paper 12). Across the paper, AO1 (knowledge and understanding) carries 40% of the marks, and AO2 (interpretation and application) and AO3 (analysis and evaluation) carry 30% each.

Which syllabus applies to you

Cambridge publishes 9699 syllabuses for 2024–2026, 2027–2028 and 2029–2031 (Cambridge 9699 syllabus page). The 2027–2028 syllabus (version 2, April 2026) says there are “no significant changes which affect teaching”, and its only assessment change is to the A Level weightings of Papers 3 and 4. If you sit AS Level in 2027 or 2028, everything in this guide applies.

From 2029 the syllabus is revised. Paper 1 content is reduced, and Section A changes: Question 2(a) becomes 6 marks and Question 3(a) becomes 12 marks (Cambridge 9699 syllabus for 2029, 2030 and 2031). Students starting Lower Six in 2027 for a 2028 AS sitting are not affected.

Paper 1 content has two halves, socialisation and identity, and methods of research, and any Section A part can come from either.

Question 1: “Describe two…” (4 marks)

How the marks work: for each of your two examples, 1 mark for identifying it and 1 mark for describing it. Nothing else is credited, so evaluation and theory waste time.

Example question: Describe two ways the peer group acts as an agency of social control.

Model answer:

One way is ridicule. Members of a peer group who break its norms, for example a student who dresses differently or studies more than the group thinks is acceptable, may be teased or mocked, which pressures them to change their behaviour to fit in.

A second way is exclusion. A young person who does not conform may be left out of activities or removed from the group’s chat, and the fear of losing friendships and status encourages members to follow the group’s norms.

Two short paragraphs, each with a named way and one sentence of description, earn all 4 marks.

Question 2(a): “Explain two reasons…” (8 marks)

How the marks work: up to 4 marks per reason. In the published mark schemes those 4 marks come from:

1. making a point,
2. explaining that point,
3. selecting relevant sociological material (a concept, theory or study),
4. explaining how that material supports the point.

The third and fourth marks are the ones students drop. A paragraph with a clear point and no sociological concept usually stops at 2.

Example question: Explain two reasons why official crime statistics may lack validity.

Model answer:

One reason is that many crimes are never reported to the police [point]. Victims may think the crime is too minor, may fear the offender, or may not trust the police to act, so the recorded figure is lower than the real amount of crime [explanation]. Sociologists call the unrecorded crime the “dark figure of crime” [sociological material]. Because the dark figure is large and unknown, official statistics do not give a true picture of how much crime happens or who commits it, which means they lack validity [how the material supports the point].

A second reason is that the statistics are shaped by the decisions of the police [point]. Officers use discretion about whom to stop, arrest and charge, so the people who appear in the figures depend partly on police expectations rather than on who actually offends [explanation]. Cicourel’s interactionist study of juvenile justice found that police and probation officers held a stereotype of the “typical delinquent”, and young people who matched it were more likely to be arrested and charged [sociological material]. This suggests official statistics are a social construction that reflects police labelling, so they do not validly measure offending [how the material supports the point].

Notice the shape: the final sentence of each paragraph uses the word in the question (“validity”). That sentence earns the fourth mark.

Question 2(b): evaluating a research method (6 marks)

How the marks work: the question asks for two strengths, two limitations, or one of each. Each one earns up to 3 marks: 1 for identifying it, 1 for explaining why the method has that feature, and 1 for explaining why it is a strength or limitation.

One examiner instruction is worth remembering. When a 2024 question asked about overt participant observation, the mark scheme said strengths and limitations “need to specifically relate to the overt aspect and not participant observation in general”. If the question names a specific form of a method, your answer must be about that form.

Example question: Explain one strength and one limitation of covert participant observation.

Model answer:

A strength is that it can produce highly valid data. Because the group does not know it is being studied, members behave as they normally would rather than changing their behaviour for the researcher. This avoids the Hawthorne effect, so the researcher sees genuine behaviour and meanings, which is what interpretivists value.

A limitation is that it raises serious ethical problems. The researcher hides their identity, so participants never give informed consent to being studied. This breaks a basic principle of ethical research and can harm participants if what they said or did in confidence is later published.

Each paragraph has the three steps: feature, why the method has it, why that matters. Both paragraphs are specifically about the covert form of the method.

Question 3(a): “Explain this view” (10 marks)

Question 3 starts with a quotation. Part (a) asks you to explain the view in it, and the mark scheme uses three levels:

Level	Marks	What the answer needs
3	8–10	Two clear and developed points, both supported by sociological concepts, theories or evidence, focused on the question
2	4–7	One developed point and one relevant but underdeveloped point
1	1–3	Underdeveloped points, or points about the general topic rather than the specific view

Two developed points get you into the top band. Three thin points do not. You are only explaining the view here, so leave criticism for 3(b).

Example question: “The family is the most important influence on a person’s gender identity.” Explain this view.

Model answer:

One reason sociologists support this view is that gender identity is first learned through primary socialisation in the family. Ann Oakley argued that parents shape gender through canalisation and manipulation: they channel children towards gender-typed toys and activities and encourage or discourage behaviour depending on whether it fits gender norms. In many Pakistani households, for example, daughters may be expected to help with cooking while sons are given more freedom outside the home. Because this happens before school or peer groups have much influence, children see these roles as natural, and the identity formed at home becomes the base for everything that follows.

A second reason comes from functionalism. Talcott Parsons saw the family as the main agency that produces stable personalities, with parents acting as role models: in his view the father takes an instrumental role as provider and the mother an expressive role as carer. Children identify with the parent of the same sex and copy their behaviour, so the family passes gender roles from one generation to the next. In extended or joint families, grandparents and other relatives reinforce the same expectations, which strengthens the family’s influence further. This suggests that later agencies only build on a gender identity that the family has already created.

Each paragraph names a sociologist and a concept, explains the mechanism, applies it, and ends by linking back to “most important influence”.

Question 3(b): one argument against (6 marks)

Part (b) asks for one argument against the view in the quotation, and the mark scheme credits only one, so a list of brief counter-points scores no better than a single undeveloped one. The top level (5–6 marks) needs one clear, developed argument supported by sociological material that is focused on the question.

Example question: Using sociological material, give one argument against this view.

Model answer:

Postmodernists argue that the media has become more important than the family in shaping gender identity. David Gauntlett argues that the media now offers a wide range of images of masculinity and femininity, and that people use these as resources to construct their own identities rather than simply accepting the roles their parents model. Young people in Pakistan spend a great deal of time on social media, where they meet versions of gender identity very different from those in their own homes. If people can choose and change their gender identity using media resources throughout their lives, then the family’s early influence is only a starting point and is not the most important influence.

Section B: the 26-mark essay

You choose one of two essays, usually phrased “Evaluate the view that…”. Each assessment objective is marked separately:

Assessment objective	Marks	What earns the top band
AO1 Knowledge and understanding	8	A range of detailed points with good use of concepts and theory or research evidence
AO2 Interpretation and application	8	Material accurately interpreted, well developed and consistently applied to the question
AO3 Analysis and evaluation	10	Very good analysis and evaluation that is “clear, explicit and sustained”

AO3 carries the most marks, and the mark schemes describe a mid-band answer as a “juxtaposition of different arguments” that are not focused on the question. In practice that means an essay that lists views for, then views against, and stops. The top band needs judgement throughout, with each argument weighed as you go.

A structure that earns all three AOs

1. Introduction (3–4 sentences): define the key term, state the debate and name the main positions.
2. Arguments for the view (2–3 paragraphs): each with a concept or study, applied to the question.
3. Arguments against (2–3 paragraphs): each one evaluating, not just describing.
4. Evaluation running through: in every paragraph, add a sentence that judges the argument (“However…”, “This is weakened by…”, “This is persuasive because…”).
5. Conclusion: a reasoned judgement that answers the question, drawing on the strongest points already made.

Example question: Evaluate the view that sociology can and should be scientific.

Model introduction:

Positivists argue that sociology can be scientific by using the methods of the natural sciences: objective, quantitative methods that test hypotheses and discover the social facts that cause behaviour. Interpretivists reject this, arguing that people, unlike objects in nature, act on meanings, so sociology should aim for understanding (verstehen) rather than scientific laws. A third position, realism, questions whether the natural sciences themselves always work in the way positivists assume. This essay evaluates these positions and argues that sociology can use scientific methods for some questions but cannot rely on them alone.

Model paragraph for the view (with evaluation):

The strongest support for the view comes from Durkheim’s study of suicide. Durkheim used official statistics to compare suicide rates across societies and religious groups, and found consistent patterns, such as higher rates among Protestants than Catholics, which he explained through the social facts of integration and regulation. This shows that apparently individual acts have social causes that can be measured, which is the positivist case for a scientific sociology. However, Durkheim’s evidence was only as good as the statistics he used, and this is where the positivist case is weakest.

Model paragraph against the view (with evaluation):

Interpretivists argue that Durkheim’s statistics were not objective facts at all. Atkinson showed that a death is only recorded as a suicide after a coroner interprets the evidence, using common-sense ideas about what a “typical suicide” looks like, such as a note or a history of depression. Suicide statistics therefore record coroners’ decisions rather than the real number of suicides, and the patterns Durkheim found may reflect how deaths were classified. This is a strong criticism, because it undermines the very data positivists rely on. Yet it also has a limit: if every statistic is just an interpretation, sociologists would have no way to compare societies at all, so the most convincing conclusion is that quantitative data is useful when its construction is examined critically.

Model conclusion:

Overall, sociology can be scientific in the limited sense of using systematic methods and testing ideas against evidence, but not in the full positivist sense, because behaviour depends on meanings and the data itself is socially constructed. Methodological pluralism, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, is the strongest approach.

A full essay adds more arguments on each side, such as Popper on falsification, Kuhn on paradigms, or the role of values in choosing topics, each applied to “can and should be scientific”.

How to use 90 minutes

At 60 marks in 90 minutes you have roughly 1.5 minutes per mark. This is the plan we suggest to students:

Part	Marks	Suggested time
Read the paper and choose your essay	–	5 minutes
Question 1	4	5 minutes
Question 2(a) and (b)	14	18 minutes
Question 3(a) and (b)	16	22 minutes
Essay plan	–	5 minutes
Essay	26	35 minutes

If you write the essay first, stop on time: Section A carries 34 of the 60 marks.

Practise with real papers and mark schemes

Model answers help most when you test them against real questions. The 9699 May/June 2026 past papers overview covers all four papers from the latest June series, and our question-by-question guide to 9699 Paper 12 (May/June 2026) shows exactly what the mark scheme credited on each Paper 1 question. For topic revision, start with the free Cambridge A Level Sociology notes.

In Upper Six the essays get longer and Papers 3 and 4 work differently. Our sister guide covers essay planning for the A Level essay papers.

What extra help costs in Pakistan

Many Pakistani students pay for subject coaching on top of school. As one current example, an online O and A Level Physics coaching programme lists its August–December 2026 batches at Rs11,000 a month for one subject (its advertised price, checked November 2026).

Tutopiya Premium covers every subject and every curriculum on the Learning Portal for one price, charged in Singapore dollars. At the State Bank of Pakistan’s interbank rate of about Rs276.7 per US dollar on 6 November 2026 (SBP revaluation rates), that works out at:

Plan	Price	About
Monthly	S$10	Rs2,200
Quarterly	S$25	Rs5,400
6 months	S$35	Rs7,600
Yearly	S$50	Rs10,800
2 years	S$80	Rs17,300
3 years	S$108.13	Rs23,300

A full year of Premium costs about the same as one month of coaching in one subject. Your bank’s exchange rate sets the final rupee amount.

Start free

The Cambridge AS and A Level Sociology 9699 section of the Tutopiya Learning Portal has study notes, practice questions by difficulty, quizzes, flashcards and past papers organised by syllabus topic, and a large part of it is free. Create a free account to start, and upgrade to Premium only if you want every subject unlocked. If you would like one-to-one help with essay technique, you can book a free trial lesson with a Cambridge A Level tutor.

Frequently asked questions

How many marks is 9699 Paper 1 and how long is it? +

Paper 1, Socialisation, Identity and Methods of Research, is a 1 hour 30 minute written paper out of 60 marks. It is worth 50% of the AS Level and 25% of the full A Level.

What questions are on AS Level Sociology Paper 1? +

Section A has three compulsory questions: a 4-mark 'describe two' question, Question 2 with an 8-mark and a 6-mark part, and Question 3 on a quotation with a 10-mark and a 6-mark part. In Section B you choose one 26-mark essay from two.

How is the 26-mark Sociology essay marked? +

Each assessment objective is marked separately: up to 8 marks for knowledge and understanding (AO1), 8 for interpretation and application (AO2) and 10 for analysis and evaluation (AO3). The top AO3 band asks for evaluation that is clear, explicit and sustained.

How much should I write for the 8-mark question in 9699 Paper 1? +

Write two separate paragraphs, one for each reason. Each paragraph can earn 4 marks: a point, an explanation of it, a piece of sociological material such as a concept or study, and a sentence showing how that material supports your point.

Is the 9699 syllabus changing? +

The 2027–2028 syllabus keeps the same Paper 1 structure as 2024–2026. A revised syllabus for exams from 2029 reduces the Paper 1 content and changes some Section A mark allocations, so students sitting AS Level in 2027 or 2028 should follow the current structure.

Are these official Cambridge model answers? +

No. The example questions and answers in this guide are Tutopiya's own illustrations written in the style of the exam. The mark-earning structures are based on Cambridge's published 9699 syllabus and mark schemes, and only Cambridge's mark schemes are official.

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