Psychology

Course details

The AS and A Level qualifications are ‘stand-alone’. This means that any marks obtained for the AS Level do not count towards the A Level. The work covered for AS is tested again when you sit the A Level examinations.

The course structure is as follows:

AS Level:
• Introductory topics in Psychology, which covers Social Influence, Memory and Attachment.
• Psychology in context, which covers Approaches to Psychology, Psychopathology and Research Methods.

A Level:
The content extends the work covered in Approaches (with greater emphasis on Biopsychology) and Research Methods (with a section on statistical testing).
In addition, there is a new section on Issues and Debates in Psychology.

There are also 3 optional units and we offer the following topics:
• Cognition and development
• Schizophrenia
• Forensic Psychology

A variety of styles are used by the teachers of this course. They include lecture-style lessons, responding to written or video source material, discussions, group presentations and individual research work. We also try to recreate or adapt some of the classic studies.

Entry requirements
You should have high grades (preferably 5 or better) in GCSEs demanding a good command of English, e.g. English itself or History.

There is much reading in the course and the ability to absorb new vocabulary rapidly is important.

Good GCSE grades in Science and Mathematics are also an advantage as there is greater testing of mathematical skills.

Course assessment
AS Level:
• Two written papers, 1 hour 30 minutes each.

A Level:
• Three written papers, 2 hours each.
[Note: as mentioned, the AS work is retested as part of the A Level.]