Psychology

Staff Contact Details

Mrs Baljinder Chall (Head of Psychology)
bch@herschel.slough.sch.uk

Curriculum Overview

Psychology is available as a two-year course at A-Level only; hence, it is a new subject for all our sixth form students and provides an exciting new challenge.

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour, the course consists of an eclectic mix of approaches explaining these concepts. Students will find themselves using skills from the Sciences, English, Humanities and Maths, as well as learning some new ones along the way. Psychology remains a very popular subject and often ranked as one of the most prevalent subject choices in schools/colleges. Many universities offer a range of Psychology courses allowing students to study the discipline further and many accept Psychology A-Level as a science along with Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

What will I study?

The course covers a diverse spectrum of topics to allow students to gain a broad knowledge of the subject.

In Year 1, you will cover the following topics:

Introductory topics in psychology: conformity, obedience, social norms, memory and attachment in children.

Psychology in context: the different approaches in psychology, biopsychology, psychopathology and research methods.

In Year 2, you will deepen your understanding of human behaviour by studying issues and debates in psychology, where you will learn about the fascinating tendencies of human behaviour.

You will also study three further topics: Eating Behaviour, Relationships and Forensic psychology, where you can discover more about psychological concepts and ethical issues. There will also be additional content in the second part of biopsychology and research methods.

Assessment

A-Level Psychology follows the AQA syllabus.

There are three 2-hour external exams at the end of the second year, each accounting for one third of your A- Level qualification. Each exam is worth 96 marks and consists of multiple choice, short answer and extended writing questions. There will be an internal assessment at the end of Year 12.

Hence, if you are looking for a subject that will help you to understand both yourself and others better and will challenge you with new concepts, then Psychology might just be the course for you!