Psychology A Level

• What will I study and learn?

  You will study a variety of areas within the subject including social influence, mental health, how individuals develop from birth and the way that biological factors can influence behaviour. There will also be a lot of emphasis on understanding how understanding psychologists conduct their work - carrying out investigations through experiments, observation and questionnaires and then how they work out the significance of their findings.

  
  

  The topics you will cover in your first year are:

  • Social influence
  • Memory
  • Attachment
  • Approaches in psychology
  • Psychopathy
  • Research methods

  
  

  You will also study the following in your second year:

  • Biopsychology
  • Issues and debates in psychology
  • Gender
  • Schizophrenia
  • Forensic psychology

  
  

  Psychology lessons involve a wide variety of activities including class discussion, small group work, reading, videos and short lectures from the teacher.

• How is the course assessed?

  A level students will study a two year linear A Level programme.
  
  At the end of their 1st year, students will sit internally assessed exams.

• What courses would combine well with this course?

  Psychology goes well with many A level subjects. Some popular combinations include Mathematics, Applied Science and Sociology.

• What skills will I need for the course?

  A Level Psychology is a science based subject and involves some statistics. You will need to be prepared to work using scientific principles and be competent in using mathematical skills at GCSE level so that you can apply them to your studies. You will need to be interested in reading about and discussing ideas and topics in psychology and be able to develop good essay writing skills. However it is not necessary to have studied psychology before.

• What formal entry requirements will I need?

  Minimum requirements - average point score of 5.75 including GCSE English Language, Maths and Science at grade 6. 

   

  Points calculation

  The average points score for entry to an A Level programme will be calculated using your 8 best GCSEs OR 6 GCSEs plus 1 technical qualification (equivalent to a maximum of 2 GCSEs and 10 points). From 2017 English Language, English Literature and Mathematics GCSE will be graded numerically (1 – 9. Grade 5 = a good grade C, grade 6 = grade B and grade 7 = grade A).

   

  To work out your average and find out more information, please see our Entry Requirements page.

• What could the course lead to in higher education or careers?

  An A Level in Psychology can either be used for entry to a Psychology degree or as a contributory A Level for a variety of other degrees. People with a psychology qualification work in a wide variety of fields including counselling, nursing, teaching and sports as well as occupational, clinical or educational psychology.

• Are there any costs involved?

  You will need to pay for one textbook, approximately £25 for each year and revision conferences and trips as required.

• Are you aged over 19?

  Students aged 19 or over on 31st August directly preceding their academic year may be required to pay tuition fees for that year of study. Advanced Learner Loans may be available for students studying at Level 3. If you are aged 19-23 as at 31 August and this is your first full Level 3 you may not have to pay fees.

  
  

  Students who are 19-24 years old with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) issued by the Local Authority are not required to pay course fees (ie tuition fees are free). Students will be required to provide a final copy of their EHCP provided by the LA as evidence.

   

  You can find A Level course fees for adults on our A Level page.