Psychology A Level

Applications Open - 16 January 2026

Applications Close - 13 February 2026

Entry Requirements - check with school

How to Apply - Via school website only

Notes for external students - Subject to references from your current school, one of the Sixth Form team will be in touch to discuss your subject choices and field any questions you may have.

Notes for internal students - After year 11 parents consultation and trial exam grades.

Make a difference to your life and others; explore ‘Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour’. Is there a ‘banality of evil’? Are you a ‘Little Oedipus’? How can we explain and treat depression, schizophrenia, phobias and OCD? How can we use research to treat offenders in the modern world?

Understanding why people are the way they are and why they act as they do is a fascinating area of study. An insight is gained into the workings of the mind, such as how the memory works. During this course students learn about key psychologists, research and theories and develop an understanding of the principles and perspectives governing Psychology. The work of notable psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Ivan Pavlov will be evaluated and their theories will be compared and contrasted.

Paper 1: Introductory topics in psychology

Social influence (including conformity, obedience and minority influence)

Memory (including models of memory, forgetting and eye witness testimony)

Attachment (including animal studies, Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation and Ainsworth’s Strange Situation)

Psychopathology (including explaining and treating phobias, OCD and depression)

Paper 2: Psychology in context

Approaches in psychology (Learning approaches, Cognitive, Biological, Psychodynamic and Humanistic)

Biopsychology (including the nervous system, neurons, the process of synaptic transmission, the endocrine system, localisation of function, and sleep)

Research methods (including experiments, observations, self-report, correlations, content analysis and case studies. Scientific processes, data handling and analysis, and inferential testing)

Paper 3: Issues and options in psychology

Compulsory content: Issues and debates in psychology (including gender and culture bias, free will v determinism, nature v nurture, holism v reductionism, idiographic v nomothetic, and ethical implications.

Option 1: one from Relationships, Gender, or Cognition and development

Option 2: one from Schizophrenia, Eating behaviour or Stress

Option 3: one from Aggression, Forensic psychology or Addiction

No coursework. 100% written examinations at the end of a two-year course.

Three two-hour long examination papers each contain a mix of multiple-choice, short answer and extended writing.

It is recommended that you have a high GCSE level in English (level 6 or above) or a Humanities subject with an ability to write effectively. You are also advised to have a good GCSE levels in Science and Maths (level 6 or above) to cope with the higher mathematical demand in the A Level specification. These are not compulsory, but are highly recommended based on the demands of the two year A level.

All applications to Gravesend Grammar School Sixth Form must be made directly via our website. Our sixth form information evening is on Wednesday 13th January at 7pm, applications open on Thursday 14th January.

Almost any field you then decide to follow, there is likely to be a Psychologist pulling the strings somewhere: business, advertising, teaching, counselling, police, zoo keeping, artificial intelligence, Prime Minister,…the list is endless!