Psychology
A Level |AQA
‘Psychology has really opened my eyes to how my knowledge can be applied to the world around me. We cover a wide range of behaviours ranging from why some people are aggressive, why we feel the need to comply with our friends around us and what makes some individuals display abnormal behaviour. I have learnt valuable evaluative skills which has shown me that no theory is perfect as there is always a commentary on how it can be improved. We have discussed lots of really interested studies in terms of what they show about how people think, and I find that I can see a lot of cross over to both science and arts based subjects. I appreciate why psychology is so popular at both A Level and degree level study.
Reece
Why study Psychology?
Psychology is the study of people: how they think, act, react and interact. It is an interesting,
challenging and very useful subject, which helps students develop a wide range of skills such as
research, analysis and evaluation. Psychology is a popular subject because it has a large impact on
all areas of life; particularly in areas such as education, health, the economy, industry and crime. If
you are interested in finding out why people behave the way they do or how the brain works then
Psychology could be the subject for you.
Extra-curricular aspects of the course
We are highly exam focused throughout the course, and therefore we take advantage of external
revision seminars in both Year 12 and Year 13 in order to consolidate our understanding and
maximise our opportunities of success.
Entry Requirements
A grade 6 in GCSE English Language or Literature, Mathematics and Science is required.
Higher Education and Careers
Psychology is a skills-based course, which helps to develop analytical, critical and evaluative skills
along with the ability to present a logical and well-balanced argument. It is welcomed by many
university faculties and provides the perfect skills base for a range of careers including: law,
teaching, psychotherapy, child psychology, politics, social work, clinical and educational psychology
and many science courses.
Equipment required for the course
Students need to be equipped with adequate stationary for their studies such as folders, paper, pens and revision materials.
Assessment
| Exam | Exam Topic | Weighting |
| Paper 1 | Introductory topics in Psychology (2 hour exam) |
33.3% of A Level |
| Paper 2 | Psychology in Context (2 hour exam) | 33.3% of A Level |
| Paper 3 | Issues and Options in Psychology (2 hour exam) |
33.3% of A Level |