OCR A-level Sociology past papers and mark schemes
18 papers · November 2021 – June 2025
OCR A-level Sociology (H580) has three components on this page, and they are not all the same length. Component 01, Socialisation, culture and identity, is listed at 90 marks and 1 hour 30 minutes. Component 02, Researching and understanding social inequalities, and Component 03, Debates in contemporary society, are each listed at 105 marks and 2 hours 15 minutes.
Every component has 6 papers, making 18 in all, and each one has a mark scheme. The files open on the OCR website. Fifteen come from five exam series between November 2021 and June 2025, and 3 are specimen papers. The lists run from the newest series down to the oldest, with the specimen last.
Since the timings differ, practise each component at its own length so you get used to the pace of both the shorter and the longer papers. Mark your answers against the mark scheme straight after, and keep a short list of the points you missed to revisit before trying the next series. Reschedule, an independent A-level revision planner, works from the date of each paper rather than one exam date for the whole subject. It schedules every subtopic before the paper that examines it, adds past papers with mark schemes for each component, and re-fits the plan if you miss a day.
Component 01 (Socialisation, culture and identity)H580/01
1 h 30 min · 90 marks
What this paper covers
- 1 Socialisation, culture and identity (Component 01)What is culture? · What is socialisation? · What is identity? · Families and relationships: how diverse are modern families? · Families and relationships: changing roles and relationships · Youth subcultures: how and why are youth culture and subcultures formed? · Youth subcultures: why do young people participate in deviant subcultures? · Media: how are different social groups represented in the media? · Media: what effect do the media have on audiences?
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2024 | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen (Sample assessment material) | H580/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on OCR
Component 02 (Researching and understanding social inequalities)H580/02
2 h 15 min · 105 marks
What this paper covers
- 2 Researching and understanding social inequalities (Component 02)What is the relationship between theory and methods? · What are the main stages of the research process? · Which methods are used in sociological research? · What are the main patterns and trends in social inequality and difference? · How can patterns and trends in social inequality and difference be explained?
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2024 | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen (Sample assessment material) | H580/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on OCR
Component 03 (Debates in contemporary society)H580/03
2 h 15 min · 105 marks
What this paper covers
- 3 Debates in contemporary society (Component 03)What is the relationship between globalisation and digital forms of communication? · What is the impact of digital forms of communication in a global context? · Crime and deviance: how are crime and deviance defined and measured? · Crime and deviance: what are the patterns and trends in crime? · Crime and deviance: how can crime and deviance be explained? · Crime and deviance: how can crime and deviance be reduced? · Education: what is the role of education in society? · Education: what are the patterns and trends of educational inequalities? · Education: how can differential educational achievement be explained? · Education: how has the UK education system changed? · How are religion, belief and faith defined and measured? · What is the role of religion, belief and faith? · What are the patterns and trends of religion, belief and faith? · Religion, belief and faith: is secularisation occurring?
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2024 | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen (Sample assessment material) | H580/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on OCR
Common questions
- Where can I find OCR Sociology mark schemes?
- Every paper on this page has its mark scheme linked in the same row. Each link opens the PDF where it is hosted.
- Which years of OCR Sociology past papers are here?
- The page lists 15 papers from 5 exam series, November 2021 to June 2025, and 3 specimen or sample papers.
- How are OCR Sociology past papers organised on this page?
- Papers are grouped by exam paper, then by series with the newest first: Component 01 (Socialisation, culture and identity) (1 hour 30 minutes, 90 marks), Component 02 (Researching and understanding social inequalities) (2 hours 15 minutes, 105 marks) and Component 03 (Debates in contemporary society) (2 hours 15 minutes, 105 marks). Durations and marks are the most common values across the series listed.
- Are these the official OCR papers?
- They are the papers set by OCR. Links open the PDF where it is hosted: 18 on the OCR website. Reschedule is independent and not affiliated with any exam board.
- How do I fit past papers into my revision plan?
- Add Sociology and OCR in Reschedule with the date of each paper. It builds a daily revision plan that schedules each subtopic before the paper that examines it and adds past papers for each paper, then re-fits the plan if you miss a day.
More OCR subjects
Sociology on other boards
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