Psychology

What?

What are we learning? 

Students have fully completed the subject content for GCSE Psychology so will spend term 5 revising, consolidating and practising examination skills in preparation for their final GCSE Psychology examination across all 2 papers.  

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/specification-at-a-glance 

What’s interleaved?  

All units from both YR10 and YR11 GCSE Psychology will need to be covered, not only in their own right but to develop synoptic links between different units which will allow students to further develop their analytical skills. 

What’s challenging? 

This term allows students to not only consolidate their knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the GCSE Psychology course, but also allows students to challenge their synoptic understanding by making links from different units.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Students have now completed the teaching element of the subject content for the GCSE Psychology course, so now will need to prepare for their final GCSE Psychology examinations which commence in May 2024. 

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge

Students should have competent knowledge of all units across all 2 papers for their final GCSE Psychology examinations. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/specification-at-a-glance 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

All aspects of the GCSE Psychology course for the final GCSE examinations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures. 

AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures. 

AO3: Analyse and evaluate psychological information, ideas, processes and procedures to make judgements and draw conclusions. 

What?

What are we learning? 

Students have fully completed the subject content for GCSE Psychology so will spend term 5 revising, consolidating and practising examination skills in preparation for their final GCSE Psychology examination across all 2 papers.  

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/specification-at-a-glance 

What’s interleaved?  

All units from both YR10 and YR11 GCSE Psychology will need to be covered, not only in their own right but to develop synoptic links between different units which will allow students to further develop their analytical skills. 

What’s challenging? 

This term allows students to not only consolidate their knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the GCSE Psychology course, but also allows students to challenge their synoptic understanding by making links from different units.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Students have now completed the teaching element of the subject content for the GCSE Psychology course, so now will need to prepare for their final GCSE Psychology examinations which commence in May 2024. 

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge

Students should have competent knowledge of all units across all 2 papers for their final GCSE Psychology examinations. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/specification-at-a-glance 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

All aspects of the GCSE Psychology course for the final GCSE examinations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/gcse/psychology-8182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures. 

AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures. 

AO3: Analyse and evaluate psychological information, ideas, processes and procedures to make judgements and draw conclusions. 

What?

What are we learning? 

Throughout term 3, A Level Psychology students will be studying the Psychopathology unit.  It allows students to examine differing definitions of abnormality, including the variations in cultural beliefs surrounding mental health problems and then to gain a greater insight into the explanations and treatments of three mental health problems: OCD, Phobias and Depression. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

What’s interleaved?  

YR12 Approaches to provide different explanations for how different mental health problems develop and to offer potential treatments for these conditions.  

GCSE Biology through applying knowledge about evolution is considered in the origins of phobias, additionally the endocrine system and hormones and the physiological and behavioural they have upon the body with a specific focus on adrenaline. 

Issues and debates - considering the key debates such as nature v. nurture, free will v. determinism, culture, and gender bias. 

What’s challenging? 

This unit reviews year 12 concepts and develops them further by allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new concept. It also challenges how mental health problems are perceived both historically, culturally and within modern society. 

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Psychopathology is a core unit from Paper 1 of the A Level Psychology course. It allows students to examine differing definitions of abnormality and then to gain a greater insight into the explanations and treatments of three mental health problems: OCD, Phobias and Depression. 

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

AQA A Level Psychopathology Unit:  https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

Core knowledge:  

• Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health. 

• The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 

• The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias: the two-process model, including classical and operant conditioning; systematic desensitisation, including relaxation and use of hierarchy; flooding. 

• The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck’s negative triad and Ellis’s ABC model; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), including challenging irrational thoughts. 

• The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD: genetic and neural explanations; drug therapy. 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements. 

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument, support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

Be able to use a variety of approaches to offer explanations for how different mental health problems such as OCD, phobias and depression develop, including biological, behavioural and cognitive explanations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO2 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques, and procedures. 

AO2: Applying their knowledge from the 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas, and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures. 

What?

What are we learning? 

The unit for Term 4 A Level Psychology is Memory   

Throughout Term 4, A Level Psychology students will explore explanations for how we create memories including the Multi-Store model and the Working Memory Model and how we can use case studies to support and refute these models. Students then examine different theories of forgetting and consider why when we recall information the memories are not always accurate. This is then applied to work and research within the field of eyewitness testimony, with practical applications surrounding how we can improve the accuracies of memories can be employed by the judicial system - https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

What’s interleaved?  

YR12 Approaches to provide different explanations for the reasons why and how we remember and forget and how psychologists attempt to explain these cognitive process (cognitive approach) 

YR12 Biopsychology and GCSE Biology - the impact of adrenaline, stress and anxiety upon both physiological and psychological processes. 

YR13 Issues and debates – considering the key debates such as nature v. nurture, free will v. determinism and holism v. reductionism 

What’s challenging? 

This unit reviews year 12 concepts and develops them further by allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new concept, that of memory and forgetting. It also challenges how research into memory and forgetting can aid students with their learning in an educational setting but also considering how the judicial system can adopt strategies to ensure that the accuracies of eyewitness testimonies are improved.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Memory is one of the core/required units of study on Paper 1 of the A Level Psychology course.  

It allows for students to examine the reasons why and how we remember and forget and how psychologists attempt to explain these cognitive process.  

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

AQA A Level Memory Development Unit:  https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

• The multi-store model of memory: sensory register, short-term memory and long-term memory. Features of each store: coding, capacity and duration. 

• Types of long-term memory: episodic, semantic, procedural. 

• The working memory model: central executive, phonological loop, visuo-spatial sketchpad and episodic buffer. Features of the model: coding and capacity. 

• Explanations for forgetting: proactive and retroactive interference and retrieval failure due to absence of cues. 

• Factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: misleading information, including leading questions and post-event discussion; anxiety. 

• Improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, including the use of the cognitive interview. 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

Be able to use a variety of approaches to offer explanations for how memories are formed and explanations for forgetting. Students also consider factors that affect eyewitness testimony and strategies than can be employed to improve accuracy. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO2 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures. 

AO2: Applying knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures: 

• In a theoretical context 

• In a practical context 

• When handling qualitative data 

• When handling quantitative data 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures. 

What?

What are we learning? 

The unit for Term 5 A Level Psychology is Attachment   

Throughout term 5, A Level Psychology students will explore the importance of childhood attachments on both their physical and psychological development and the impact that these early attachments have upon future/later life attachments. Additionally, we will explore the consequences of disruption or a lack of childhood attachments and how research can influence government and educational policies surrounding childcare and education - https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

What’s interleaved?  

YR12 Approaches to provide different explanations for the reasons why and how we develop attachments i.e. cupboard love theory and evolutionary basis for survival. 

YR13 Forensic Psychology – origins of offending behaviour i.e. maternal deprivation hypothesis 

YR13 Issues and debates – considering the key debates such as nature v. nurture and free will v. determinism. 

What’s challenging? 

This unit reviews year 12 concepts and develops them further by allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new concept, that of attachments. It also challenges how research into attachment can challenge government and educational policies surrounding childcare, paternity and maternity leave and what companies can/should do to support parents/carers.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Attachment is one of the core/required units of study on Paper 1 of the A Level Psychology course.  

It allows for students to examine the origins of attachment and the impact that these early attachments can have upon our psychological development and upon how we develop attachments/relationships in later life.  

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge:

AQA A Level Attachment Development Unit:  https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/introductory-topics-in-psychology 

• Caregiver-infant interactions in humans: reciprocity and interactional synchrony. Stages of attachment identified by Schaffer. Multiple attachments and the role of the father. 

• Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow. 

• Explanations of attachment: learning theory and Bowlby’s monotropic theory. The concepts of a critical period and an internal working model. 

• Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’. Types of attachment: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant. Cultural variations in attachment, including van Ijzendoorn. 

• Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation. Romanian orphan studies: effects of institutionalisation. 

• The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships, including the role of an internal working model. 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

Be able to use a variety of approaches to offer explanations for how early attachments develop, including biological, social, psychodynamic and cognitive explanations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO2 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures. 

AO2: Applying knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures: 

• In a theoretical context 

• In a practical context 

• When handling qualitative data 

• When handling quantitative data 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures. 

What?

What are we learning? 

The unit for Term 3 A Level Psychology is Gender Development   

Throughout term 3, A Level Psychology students will explore the differences between sex and gender and examine whether an individual’s gender is fixed due to their sex at birth (nature/determinism) or whether it is a more fluid concept influenced by our nurture, particularly our upbringing, the cultures we live in and influences from the media (nurture/free-will) - https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/issues-and-options-in-psychology 

What’s interleaved?  

YR12 Approaches to provide different explanations for how Gender develops e.g. biological explanations, psychodynamic explanations and the role of social learning theory.  

GCSE Biology through applying knowledge about the endocrine system and hormones and the physiological and behavioural they have upon the body – specific focus on testosterone, oestrogen and oxytocin.  

YR13 Issues and debates – considering the key debates such as nature v. nurture and free will v. determinism. 

What’s challenging? 

This unit reviews year 12 concepts and develops them further by allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new concept, that of gender development. It also challenges how gender is perceived both historically, culturally and within modern society. 

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Gender Development is one of the 3 optional units on Paper 3 of the A Level Psychology course. It allows for students to examine the origins of gender and the changing ways gender is perceived within society. Paper 3 is the synoptic paper of the A Level and is studied in YR13 once the key principles of the A Level Psychology course have been studied.  

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

AQA A Level Gender Development Unit:  https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/issues-and-options-in-psychology  

• Sex and gender. Sex-role stereotypes. Androgyny and measuring androgyny including the Bem Sex Role Inventory. 

• The role of chromosomes and hormones (testosterone, oestrogen and oxytocin) in sex and gender. Atypical sex chromosome patterns: Klinefelter’s syndrome and Turner’s syndrome. 

• Cognitive explanations of gender development, Kohlberg’s theory, gender identity, gender stability and gender constancy; gender schema theory. 

• Psychodynamic explanation of gender development, Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, Oedipus complex; Electra complex; identification and internalisation. 

• Social learning theory as applied to gender development. The influence of culture and media on gender roles. 

• Atypical gender development: gender dysphoria; biological and social explanations for gender dysphoria. 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

Be able to use a variety of approaches to offer explanations for how gender developments, including biological, social, psychodynamic and cognitive explanations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO2 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Knowledge of key 

AO2: Applying their knowledge from the 

AO3: Students should be able to evaluate different explanations of gender development, analysing different perspectives  

What?

What are we learning? 

The unit for Term 4 A Level Psychology is Schizophrenia   

Throughout term 4, A Level Psychology students will explore the how the condition of schizophrenia presents itself and the challenges surrounding obtaining a diagnosis of schizophrenia including issues with validity, reliability, co-morbidity, and gender bias. Students examine both biological explanations (dopamine hypothesis), and psychological explanations which leads to varying treatments such as biological and differing forms of therapy - https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/issues-and-options-in-psychology 

What’s interleaved?  

YR12 Approaches to provide different explanations for how schizophrenia develops and how it could be treated e.g. biological explanations/treatments, psychodynamic explanations, cognitive explanations, and cognitive behaviour therapy. 

GCSE Biology through applying knowledge about the endocrine system and neurotransmitters and the physiological and behavioural they have upon the body – specific focus on dopamine. 

YR13 Issues and debates – considering the key debates such as nature v. nurture, free will v. determinism and gender bias. 

What’s challenging? 

This unit reviews year 12 concepts and develops them further by allowing students to apply their knowledge to a new concept, that of schizophrenia. It also challenges how schizophrenia is perceived both historically, culturally and within modern society, problems with the diagnosis of the condition and how an interactionalist approach to treatment is beneficial. 

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Schizophrenia is one of the 3 optional units on Paper 3 of the A Level Psychology course. It allows for students to examine the origins of schizophrenia and to consider treatment pathways of the condition. Paper 3 is the synoptic paper of the A Level and is studied in YR13 once the key principles of the A Level Psychology course have been studied.  

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge:

AQA A Level Schizophrenia Unit:  https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level/issues-and-options-in-psychology  

• Classification of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations and delusions. Negative symptoms of schizophrenia, including speech poverty and avolition. Reliability and validity in diagnosis and classification of schizophrenia, including reference to co-morbidity, culture and gender bias and symptom overlap. 

• Biological explanations for schizophrenia: genetics and neural correlates, including the dopamine hypothesis. 

• Psychological explanations for schizophrenia: family dysfunction and cognitive explanations, including dysfunctional thought processing. 

• Drug therapy: typical and atypical antipsychotics. 

• Cognitive behaviour therapy and family therapy as used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Token economies as used in the management of schizophrenia. 

• The importance of an interactionist approach in explaining and treating schizophrenia; the diathesis-stress model. 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

Be able to use a variety of approaches to offer explanations for how schizophrenia develops and how it could be treated, including biological, social, psychodynamic and cognitive explanations.  

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques, and procedures. 

AO2: Applying their knowledge from the 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas, and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures.  

What?

What are we learning? 

Students have fully completed the subject content for A Level Psychology so will spend term 5 revising, consolidating and practising examination skills in preparation for their final A Level examinations across all 3 papers.  

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level 

What’s interleaved?  

All units from both YR12 and YR13 A Level Psychology will need to be covered, not only in their own right but to develop synoptic links between different unit which will allow students to further develop their analytical skills. 

What’s challenging? 

This term allows student to not only consolidate their knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the A Level Psychology course, but also allows student to challenge their synoptic understanding by making links from different units.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Students have now completed the teaching element of the subject content for the A Level Psychology course, so now will need to prepare for their final A Level Psychology examinations which commence in May 2024. 

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge:

Students should have competent knowledge of all units across all 3 papers for their final A Level Psychology examinations.https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

All aspects of the A Level course for the A Level examinations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques, and procedures. 

AO2: Applying their knowledge from the 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas, and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures.  

What?

What are we learning? 

Students have fully completed the subject content for A Level Psychology so will spend term 5 revising, consolidating and practising examination skills in preparation for their final A Level examinations across all 3 papers.  

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level 

What’s interleaved?  

All units from both YR12 and YR13 A Level Psychology will need to be covered, not only in their own right but to develop synoptic links between different unit which will allow students to further develop their analytical skills. 

What’s challenging? 

This term allows student to not only consolidate their knowledge and understanding of all aspects of the A Level Psychology course, but also allows student to challenge their synoptic understanding by making links from different units.  

Why?

Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now?  

Students have now completed the teaching element of the subject content for the A Level Psychology course, so now will need to prepare for their final A Level Psychology examinations which commence in May 2024. 

How?

How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)? 

Core knowledge:

Students should have competent knowledge of all units across all 3 papers for their final A Level Psychology examinations.https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/subject-content-a-level 

All lessons are planned with Quality First Teaching which is inclusive and has inbuilt differentiation, ensuring all students can achieve the objectives and some can also develop their knowledge and skills further through a choice of tasks and teacher support and questioning.  All resources are printed or emailed to students, any who choose may use a laptop in lessons.  Consideration is given to ESPs and access arrangements.  

How well?

What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? 

Because they can…. 

Outline the argument and support it with specific psychologists and research, challenge it with a range of examples and support these challenges with psychological views.  They will also be able to evaluate which views they perceive as the strongest and substantiate with evidence, why that is. 

What should they be able to know? 

All aspects of the A Level course for the A Level examinations. 

What should they be able to do?  

Make strong notes, join in with class discussions and debates, write extended pieces of writing on AO1 (knowledge and understanding) and AO3 (evaluative and analytical) skills. 

Learning checkpoints and assessment: 

PPEs, in class assessments.  AO1 and AO2 tasks in class and homework, timed practice paragraphs and essays. 

Past papers can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-7181-7182/assessment-resources 

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques, and procedures. 

AO2: Applying their knowledge from the 

AO3: Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas, and evidence, including in relation to issues, to: 

• Make judgements and reach conclusions. 

• Develop and refine practical design and procedures.