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A-level Psychology

AQA
Explore the fascinating subject of human behaviour and interaction whilst gaining a host of valuable skills that will help prepare you for university and/or a variety of career prospects.
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A-level Psychology AQA online course

Have you ever wondered what makes those around you tick, or struggled to understand why people behave the way they do? If you’re fascinated by the intricacies of the human mind, then you’re sure to enjoy our online AQA A-level Psychology course, awarded by the AQA exam board.

In this engaging online course, you’ll delve into topics such as the reliability and function of our memories, social conformity and resistance, the development of social cognition and different psychological schools of thought.

As well as gaining a great insight into how the human mind functions, A-level Psychology also teaches you a range of transferable skills, including critical thinking, researching, and problem-solving. These can be applied to careers across a range of sectors, and prepare you for further study within the field of psychology.

What you will learn

  1. Unit 1 - Social influence 

    • Types of Conformity
    • Explanations for obedience
    • Resistance to Social Influence
    • The role of social influence processes in social change

  2. Unit 2 - Memory

    • The Multi-Store Model
    • Explanations for forgetting
    • Interference theory
    • Retrieval failure
    • The Cognitive Interview Technique

  3. Unit 3 - Attachment

    • Caregiver-infant interactions
    • Stages of attachment
    • Multiple attachments and the role of the father
    • Cultural variations in attachment

  4. Unit 4 - Psychopathology

    • Behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of disorders
    • Depressive and bipolar disorders
    • OCD and anxiety disorders
    • The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias
    • The cognitive approach to depression
    • The biological approach to OCD

  5. Unit 5 - Approaches in psychology

    • Origins of psychology
    • Social learning theory
    • Cognitive approaches
    • Biological approaches
    • Psychodynamic approaches, including Freud and the Structure of Personality
    • Humanistic approaches
    • The eclectic approach

  6. Unit 6 - Biopsychology

    • The Nervous System
    • The Endocrine System
    • The Fight or Flight Response
    • Localisation of brain function

  7. Unit 7 - Issues and debates in psychology

    • Gender
    • Culture
    • Free will and determinism
    • Nature vs nurture
    • Holism and reductionism
    • Idiographic and nomothetic approaches 
    • Ethics

  8. Unit 8 - Relationships

    • Partner preferences
    • Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships
    • Filter theory
    • Virtual relationships
    • Parasocial relationships

  9. Unit 9 - aggression

    • Neural mechanisms and the limbic system
    • Hormonal mechanisms
    • Genetic factors and the MAOA gene
    • Twin studies and aggression:
    • Ethological and evolutionary explanations
    • Social psychological explanations
    • Dispositional and situational explanations
    • Media influences

  10. Unit 10 - Schizophrenia

    • Classification of schizophrenia
    • Different types of schizophrenia
    • Biological explanations for schizophrenia
    • Psychological explanations for schizophrenia:
    • Treatments for schizophrenia
    • Defining mental illness

  11. Unit 11 - Research methods in psychology

    • Lab experiments
    • Field experiments
    • Natural experiments
    • Quasi experiments
    • Types of observation
    • Self-report techniques
    • Sampling 
    • Experimental design
    • Ethical issues
    • The BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct
    • Peer review
    • Types of data
    • Distributions 
    • Choice of statistical testing
    • Report writing

  12. Preparing for the examinations

    Now is the time to get yourself ready for the big day and do some exam preparation.

Awarding Body

aqa awarding body logo As a leading distance learning provider, our courses are accredited by the main UK awarding bodies and recognised by UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. By completing our online A-Level Psychology course, you will receive up to 56 UCAS points, which are used as part of university applications, and issued by AQA.

Course Outcome

After you’ve passed your exams, you’ll be awarded an A-level Psychology qualification, issued by AQA. Your certificate is identical to that issued to students at any other school, college or university.

This syllabus (7182) has been chosen specifically because it is best suited to distance learning.

How is this course assessed or examined?

You will be required to complete the three written exams:

    • Paper 1: 2 hours, 33.3% of A-level, 96 marks.

    • Paper 2: 2 hours, 33.3% of A-level, 96 marks.

    • Paper 3: 2 hours, 33.3% of A-level, 96 marks.

As an Oxbridge student, you are guaranteed access to one of our exam centres located across the country, saving you time and stress and allowing you to concentrate on getting prepared. Your tutor will also provide you with all the resources you need for A-level Psychology revision; whether you prefer working from past papers or a more visual way of revising, we’re here to help you succeed.

Entry requirements

It is strongly recommended that you have at least one science GCSE or equivalent, preferably a GCSE in Psychology. You also need to be comfortable dealing with numbers. This AQA A-level Psychology syllabus is a difficulty level three: an A-level or BTEC equivalent difficulty, usually suitable for most learners of all ages.

Past Papers

You can access past papers for this course. They are free to access and cover a range of exam boards.

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A-level Psychology

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  • A - 48
  • B - 40
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  • D - 24
  • E - 16

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