Cambridge IGCSE Sociology (0495): syllabus, papers and marking

Structured answers marked by the knowledge–application–evaluation split, so a student sees where the “to what extent” answers lost the evaluation marks.

Syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027 · June and November series · grades A*–G

Sociology 0495: where the marks go

Sociology 0495 is Paper 1 (2 h, 80 marks: a compulsory research methods question with data response, then one of two options) and Paper 2 (1 h 45 min, 80 marks: two questions from three). The 10-mark answers are where candidates stall because points are listed rather than developed.

Our papers follow both structures. Marking reports the knowledge, application and evaluation marks and whether each point was developed with an example, study or theory.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Research Methods, Identity and Inequality2 h8050%Compulsory research-methods question with data response, then one of two structured questions
Paper 2 — Family, Education and Crime1 h 45 min8050%Two structured questions from a choice of three

Syllabus outline

  1. Research methods: approaches, types of data, investigating society
  2. Identity: self and society
  3. Social stratification and inequality
  4. Family
  5. Education
  6. Crime, deviance and social control

How each paper is marked here

Where Sociology 0495 candidates lose marks

  1. Sampling frame confused with sampling technique — A frame is the list a sample is drawn from, not stratified or random.
  2. Text around a table ignored — The note above or below a source supplies creditworthy points.
  3. Points listed but not developed — A 10-mark answer needs each point explained with evidence.
  4. Reliability used for validity — Common in the methodology question.
  5. Weaker option answers — The better-answered option was Culture, identity and socialisation.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 0495

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Is research methods compulsory?
Yes, Question 1 of Paper 1.
Are the sources original?
Yes.
Is there an O Level version?
Yes, O Level Sociology 2251 has its own page; the two are separate syllabuses.
Is this official Cambridge marking?
No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 0495. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 0495 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2025, 2026 and 2027, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades A*–G.

Other Cambridge IGCSE courses

Start marking Sociology scripts · See a real marked script