Psychology

Subject Leader
Miss Private: Vitty

Aims of the Course

  • To delve into the science of the mind with an exciting and challenging A Level Psychology course.
  • To inspire students to investigate, explore and research the subject’s key themes, including; cognitive, developmental, biological, social and abnormal psychology.
  • To introduce Psychology as both an applied and a theoretical subject, it can be utilised in a number of ways, from exploring academic questions to solving real-world problems.
  • To provide students with a richer understanding of themselves and the world around them.

Course Content

Year One Course

  1. Social influence
  2. Memory
  3. Attachment
  4. Approaches in psychology, including biopsychology
  5. Psychopathology
  6. Research methods

Year Two Course

Expanded from Year One:

  1. Approaches in psychology
  2. Biopsychology
  3. Research methods
  4. Issues and debates in psychology

Plus one topic from each option area, our current selections are in bold:

Option 1

11. Relationships

12. Gender

13. Cognition and development

Option 2

14. Schizophrenia

15. Eating behaviour

16. Stress

Option 3

17. Aggression

18. Forensic psychology

19. Addiction

Boys receive eight lessons per week. It is expected that boys will do a minimum of 4 hours of work per week outside of lessons to consolidate their learning. This is in addition to the wider reading and research to expand their knowledge and understanding of current issues in the field.

In psychology we offer comprehensive support to all our students, including regular lessons dedicated to exam focus and developing boys’ academic skills. Our small class sizes mean that every boy receives a personalised and tailored experience in their studies. We take an active approach to the subject ensuring that pupils learn, design and conduct their own psychological experiments. As part of our holistic approach we also have a focus on boys’ next steps, including university courses and careers in psychology.

Assessment

A-level examinations

Paper 1: Introductory topics in psychology

Covering Social Influence, Memory, Attachment and Psychopathology

  • written exam: 2 hours
  • 96 marks in total
  • 33.3% of A-level

Paper 2: Psychology in context

Covering: Psychological Approaches, Biopsychology and Research Methods

  • written exam: 2 hours
  • 96 marks in total
  • 33.3% of A-level

Paper 3: Issues and options in psychology

Covering: Issues and Debates in Psychology, Gender, Stress and Forensic Psychology

  • written exam: 2 hours
  • 96 marks in total
  • 33.3% of A-level

Career Opportunities

Studying psychology provides an in depth understanding of human nature and human interaction, this creates a strong foundation for any career, as we will always be required to work with others. The following sectors are particularly relevant to our current module choices:

  • Forensics, policing and the judicial system
  • Child care, teaching and social work
  • Physiotherapy, medicine and neurology
  • Clinical psychology, counselling and therapy work

Transferable skills to all academic disciplines include essay writing, statistics, critical thinking and evaluation of key research.