Psychology A level

Highworth Grammar School

Highworth Grammar School, Maidstone Road, Ashford, TN24 8UD

GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent

Level 3

Available start dates

Tuesday, 01 September 2026

Highworth Grammar School

2 Year(s)

Full time

Daytime/working hours

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Please contact the provider directly to apply for this course.

Application Instructions

***** Please note, applications have now closed for September 2026 Sixth Form Admissions *****

Applications Open - Midday, 9 January 2026

Applications Close - Midday, 6 February 2026

School Entry Requirements: -

As a basic entry requirement to join our Sixth Form, you must have achieved at least 6 GCSE subjects at Grade 6 or above including:

at least a Grade 5 in English

at least a Grade 5 in Mathematics

and the specific entry requirements for each of your subjects.

How to Apply: - Please apply via KentChoices ***Now Closed***

Course Summary

Unit 1:

Mental Illness

• When does behaviour become an illness?

• Phobias, depression and OCD

• Explanations of the cause of mental illness

Social Influence

• Why do we conform?

• Why do we obey?

• Why do we disobey?

Attachment

• Your relationship with your mother

• The influence of childhood on later relationships

Memory

• Remembering and forgetting

• The link between short-term and long-term memory

• Why is eye witness testimony often inaccurate?

Unit 2:

• 5 Explanations of human behaviour

• Brain areas associated with vision, sleep and language

• How do psychologists carry out experiments?

• Making research more scientific

• The analysis and reporting of findings

• Gender bias in research

• Is our behaviour due to the environment or to our genes?

• Do we have free will?

Unit 3:

Relationships

• Explanations for choice of a partner

• How do relationships break down?

• Virtual relationships in social media

Schizophrenia

• Causes such as genes, the brain and family atmosphere

• Hallucinations and delusions

• Explanations and drug therapies

Addiction

• What is addiction?

• What puts a person at risk of nicotine/gambling addiction?

• Reducing addiction

Course Details

Year 12:

Memory

Models of memory. Explanations for forgetting. Factors affecting the accuracy of eye witness testimony as used for sentencing in law courts.

Social Influence

Why we conform in society. Why we obey people in authority. How behaviour can bring about social change.

Psychopathology

Explaining and treating phobias. Explaining and treating depression. Explaining and treating OCD.

Attachment

Caregiver-infant interactions in humans. Deprivation and its effects, including the Romanian orphans. The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships.

Biopsychology

Circadian Rhythms – sleep patterns, jet lag. How our brain can change and adapt to situations and events. The fight or flight response. Localisation of function in the brain – how the different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviour.

Approaches in Psychology

Behaviourism – how we learn through reward and punishment. Freud - the unconscious mind. Humanism and how we seek to improve our lives.

Research Methods

The research methods that underlie most psychological research are taught in depth throughout the course.

Year 13:

Issues and Debates in Psychology

Gender and cultural issues in Psychology. Are we driven by Free will or are our lives determined by external factors? Are we a product of nature or nurture?

Romantic Relationships

Attraction, maintenance and breakdown of relationships. Virtual/online relationships and parasocial relationships, eg stalkers.

Schizophrenia

What is schizophrenia? What are the causes, therapies and treatment, for schizophrenia?

Forensic Psychology

Offender profiling. Explanations of why people commit crime. Treatment and the effectiveness of prison and non-prison sentences.

How will it be delivered and assessed?

There are three written examinations of 2 hours each at the end of Year 13. There is a separate examination for each unit which is worth one third of the full A Level.

Entry requirements

Students will require Grade 6 in Biology. No prior knowledge of Psychology is necessary but you will need to be able to think critically and analyse statistical data.

Additional information

https://www.highworth.kent.sch.uk/214/subject-pages/subject/33/psychology

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