Psychology (A Level)
Why study Psychology?
If you are a human being then you will be interested in Psychology. This is what makes it one of the most popular courses in the College. Psychology is the science of mind and behaviour and provides insights not only into mental health, but also
behaviours in areas such as sport, education, criminality, the law, business and advertising. All questions in Psychology are studied in an objective scientific way, but you also need to be good at developing arguments and providing research evidence to support theories and models. For these reasons Psychology combines well with both Science and Arts subjects.
Entry Requirements
- In addition to our general entry requirements, you must have:
- GCSE English – grade 4
- GCSE Maths – grade 4
- Any GCSE Science subject – grade 4
No previous knowledge of Psychology is required. You will be required to enrol on Level 3 Mathematical Studies if you are not studying A level Mathematics
The Course
You will look at specific topics such as localisation of function in the brain, memory, childhood attachments, psychopathology and social psychology. You will have the opportunity to experience experimental and non-experimental research methods as well as learning about the biological, cognitive, behavioural and psychodynamic approaches in psychology.
Course Activities
Students learn through a variety of activities including experiments, case studies, discussions, notetaking, reading and individual research projects. Work will be text, number and graph based. We recommend that you devote 4.5 hours of private study time per week to this subject Politics is a highly regarded qualification and helps prepare students for careers in the legal
profession, journalism and the media, the Civil Service, education, management, business and, of course, local and national politics.
Career and Progression Opportunities
Our top students have progressed to study subjects as diverse as Medicine and the Law. Others have moved into general careers such as teaching, nursing, marketing and social work. However, many of our students choose to study Psychology at university and with further postgraduate qualifications it is possible to become occupational, educational, clinical or forensic
psychologists.
Course Structure and Assessment
This is a two-year course. The syllabus is divided into three equally-weighted components, and assessment is entirely by examination.
| Module title and content | Assessment |
|
Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology
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Two-hour written examination.
|
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Paper 2: Psychology in Context Compulsory content:
|
Two-hour written
|
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Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology Issues and Debates
|
Two-hour written
|
Additional Information
Examination Board: AQA
You will be required to attend a transition day in the summer term and complete work over the summer to hand in at enrolment.