Qualification: A Level Psychology (AQA)
Course Tutor: Ms M Hamilton
Course entry requirements: General A level entry requirements including a grade 56 in Science, a grade 5 in Maths and a grade 5 in English.
Course description
Unit 1: Social influence - Why do people conform to group pressures and obey authority?
Unit 2: Memory - How do we remember and why do we forget?
Unit 3: Attachment - How and why do we form attachments to others?
Unit 4: Approaches in Psychology - What are the origins of Psychology and is Psychology a science?
Unit 5: Psychopathology - What is ‘abnormality’? And how do people develop Phobias, Depression and OCD?
Unit 6: Research Methods – How is psychological research carried out and interpreted?
Unit 7: Biopsychology - How does the brain work?
Unit 8: Issues and debates in Psychology - Are Psychological studies biased in any way?
We will then choose one topic from each of these option blocks:
Option 1: Relationships, Gender or Cognitive Development
Option 2: Schizophrenia, Eating Behaviour or Stress
Option 3: Aggression, Forensic Psychology or Addiction
Examination
If you choose to take A level Psychology, we will cover topics 1-6 in the first year and topics 7,8 and three more (one each from option blocks 1-3) in year 2.
Exams: You will sit three summer exams at the end of your second year:
Paper 1: 2 hour exam, topics 1 – 4
Paper 2: 2 hour exam, topics 5 – 7
Paper 3: 2 hour exam, topic 8 plus one topic from each of the 3 option blocks.
Coursework
There is no coursework for this subject.
Post-18 Opportunities and Employment
Students will develop transferable skills that both support study in a wide range of subjects at university and the transition to employment, including quantitative and analytical analysis and forming and testing hypotheses. The development and application of mathematical skills prepare students for study of psychology and related courses at university.
Students can progress from this qualification to: Higher education qualifications such as psychology degrees, and biology-related courses or further education courses such as BTEC Higher Nationals such as the Higher Nationals in Applied Biology and Biological Sciences for Industry.
If you would like more detailed information about the content of this course, please visit the Psychology curriculum page, where you will find curriculum maps for each year of study.
