Psychology is an intriguing subject and rapidly developing discipline; it is a field that appeals to people who are eager to understand thinking, behaviour and social interactions.

Subject Overview

We follow the Edexcel syllabus

AS Level:

Unit 1 Social and Cognitive Psychology: 1hr 20 mins, 40% of AS, 20% of GCE
Unit 2 Understanding the Individual: 1 hr and 40 mins, 60% of AS and 30% of GCE

A2 Level:

Unit 3 Applications of psychology: 1hr 30 mins, 40% of A2, 20% of GCE
Unit 4 How Psychology works: 2 hours, 60% of A2 and 30% of GCE

Teaching Approaches

Class sizes are small, making it possible to achieve a high level of interaction and engagement with the subject content. Furthermore, teachers can provide the additional extra support and guidance as required as well as individually tailored programmes of study.

Higher Education Opportunities

Psychology is widely sought subject and many students study this at degree level. The skills achieved will be extremely valuable for other degree courses and other career paths such as Nursing, Law and medicine as well as pathways within Psychology.  The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) has reclassified A-Level Psychology as a science A-Level since 2008.

Supportive material

There is guidance specifically on psychology related careers available on the BPS- www.bps.org.uk. Other useful websites that can facilitate learning include www.s-cool.co.uk and www.psyonline.org.uk

Teaching staff: Anita Sarkar.

Click here for a full Powerpoint presentation on Psychology A Level at Abbey College Birmingham.