GCSE Social Studies
GCSE Social Studies asks learners to summarise and judge the credibility of sources, write extended evaluative answers and communicate findings to a real audience. Numeracy is the statistics of social research: designing questionnaires and samples, calculating mean, median, mode, range and percentages, drawing graphs and spotting weak data presentation. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is the habit of reading any source or chart critically, asking who made it, when and why, before using it as evidence.
- First taught
- September 2026
- Amount of literacy work
- High
- Amount of numeracy work
- Medium
- Specification
- Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
- Unit 1: Society and Social Issues: Written examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%, 60 marks
- Unit 2: Investigating Society and Social Issues: NEA 6 hours 30 minutes, 20%, 60 marks, set and marked by WJEC
- Unit 3: Social Change in Contemporary Society: Written examination 1 hour 15 minutes, 30%, 60 marks
- Unit 4: Planning to Effect Social Change: NEA 6 hours 30 minutes, 20%, 60 marks, set by WJEC, marked by the centre and moderated by WJEC
Skills that use Representing data
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Drawing graphs of social data
Learners construct bar charts, line graphs and scatter graphs with appropriate scales and labels (pie charts labelling only in Unit 1), and in Unit 2 select and create displays to suit the data.
Numeracy: Representing data
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils draw a labelled bar chart of how pupils in the class travel to school, choosing a sensible scale.
- Year 8
- Pupils draw a line graph of the population of Wales over time from census figures, with titled and scaled axes.
- Year 9
- Pupils plot a scatter graph of two measures for Welsh local authorities, such as age and internet use, and describe the correlation.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.1.2 Understanding and transforming data about society, page 11
“construct appropriate graphs to transform data, using appropriate scales and labels”
Progression step 3
I can select and construct appropriate charts, diagrams and graphs with suitable scales.
I can represent data using:
- lists, tally charts, tables, diagrams and frequency tables
- bar charts, grouped data charts, line graphs and conversion graphs
- pictograms where one symbol represents more than one unit using a key
- Venn and Carroll diagrams.
Progression step 4
I can select and construct appropriate charts, diagrams and graphs with suitable scales.
I can construct and interpret graphs and diagrams (including pie charts) to represent discrete or continuous data, choosing an appropriate scale.
I can construct graphs to represent data including scatter diagrams to investigate correlation.
Progression step 5
I can select and construct appropriate charts, diagrams and graphs with suitable scales.
Good to know
- No marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar or accuracy of language are stated in the specification; the assessment objectives (page 31) cover knowledge, application, analysis and evaluation, and enquiry skills.
- Calculator use is not stated, although learners 'should understand how to calculate' the mean, median, mode, percentages and range (page 11); 'The Assessment Pack will include all detailed information relating to assessment' (page 31).
- In Unit 1 pie charts are listed as 'pie charts (labelling only)' (page 11), which suggests learners label pie charts rather than construct them from angles.
- Unit 2 and Unit 4 'must be submitted digitally (they may be handwritten and scanned or completed digitally)' (page 32). Each takes 6 hours 30 minutes and may be done in shorter sessions.
- For Unit 2 the assignment 'includes data sources and several tasks' and 'The social issue will change annually' (page 32), so learners read unseen sources on an unfamiliar issue.
- Unit 4 requires 'secondary sources that are fully referenced' (page 27). No word limits are given.
Links with other GCSEs
Appendix A (page 37) maps Developing Mathematical Proficiency, the number system and statistics strands to all four units, with geometry and measurement in Units 1 and 3 only.
Source: WJEC GCSE Social Studies specification, Version 2, October 2025 (teaching from 2026, for award from 2028).