A Level Psychology Tutoring, for Every Board
A Level Psychology looks like an essay subject but is examined as a science: research methods and data run through every paper, and evaluation has to rest on evidence rather than opinion. The four boards organise it very differently — AQA by topic with options in its final paper, OCR and Cambridge around compulsory core studies, Pearson Edexcel in modular units built on classic and contemporary studies.
Short answer
A Level Psychology is offered online, one-to-one.
A private lesson runs 90 minutes and starts at USD 95 per lesson; lessons are booked singly or in packages.
No group class runs for this exam.
From USD 95 per lesson
- Structure shown for AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel, Cambridge International
- Live online lessons of 90 minutes
- From USD 95 per lesson
How A Level Psychology is assessed, board by board
4 awarding bodies examine this subject, and they do not examine it the same way: different papers, different weightings, different practical arrangements. Find your board — it is printed on your school's timetable and on past papers — and read that block. Nothing on this page describes one board's paper as though it applied to all of them.
AQA
| Component | Share of grade | Length | Marks | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology — Social influence, memory, attachment, psychopathology | 33.3% | 2 hours | 96 marks | multiple choice, short answer and extended response |
| Paper 2: Psychology in Context — Approaches, biopsychology, research methods | 33.3% | 2 hours | 96 marks | multiple choice, short answer and extended response |
| Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology — Issues and debates, plus one option from each of three option groups | 33.3% | 2 hours | 96 marks | multiple choice, short answer and extended response |
- Research methods is examined in Paper 2 but assessed across all three papers, and it is the single largest source of lost marks in AQA Psychology. A student who treats it as one topic among many has misread the specification.
Checked on 22 September 2026
OCR
| Component | Share of grade | Length | Marks | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research methods (01) — Planning, conducting, analysing and reporting psychological research | 30% | 2 hours | 90 marks | structured questions and data response |
| Psychological themes through core studies (02) — Key themes, each represented by a classic and a contemporary core study | 35% | 2 hours | 105 marks | structured questions and essay |
| Applied psychology (03) — Issues in mental health, plus two applied options | 35% | 2 hours | 105 marks | structured questions and essay |
- A new specification, H569, is available to teach from 2027. Both are live: confirm which one your school entered you for.
Checked on 22 September 2026
Pearson Edexcel
Pearson Edexcel International A Level Psychology (YPS01)
| Component | Share of grade | Length | Marks | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1: Social and Cognitive Psychology | 20% | 1 hour 30 min | 64 marks | short answer and extended response |
| Unit 2: Biological Psychology, Learning Theories and Development | 30% | 2 hours | 96 marks | short answer and extended response |
| Unit 3: Applications of Psychology | 20% | 1 hour 30 min | 64 marks | short answer and extended response |
| Unit 4: Clinical Psychology and Psychological Skills | 30% | 2 hours | 96 marks | short answer and extended response |
- This is a modular qualification: units are sat in January, June and October, can be taken in stages, and can be re-sat, with the best result counting. That changes how a two-year plan is built — and it is the main reason a Pearson student and a Cambridge student in the same class need different revision schedules.
Checked on 22 September 2026
Cambridge International
Cambridge International AS & A Level Psychology (9990)
| Component | Share of grade | Length | Marks | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Approaches, Issues and Debates — Core studies | 25% | 1 hour 30 min | 60 marks | short answer, extended response and essay |
| Paper 2: Research Methods | 25% | 1 hour 30 min | 60 marks | structured questions and data response |
| Paper 3: Specialist Options — Approaches, Issues and Debates — Two specialist options, 30 marks each | 25% | 1 hour 30 min | 60 marks | structured questions and essay |
| Paper 4: Specialist Options — Application and Research Methods — The same two specialist options | 25% | 1 hour 30 min | 60 marks | structured questions and data response |
Checked on 22 September 2026
Specifications are revised periodically. Each block links to the specification it was read from and gives the date it was checked; if your school has moved to a newer specification, that document takes precedence.
What A Level Psychology covers
The syllabus areas most boards share. Which ones appear, in what order and on which paper differs by board and by specification code — your own specification is the final word. Topic names are left in English, as they appear on the paper.
Foundational Psychology
Social influence: conformity (Asch), obedience (Milgram) · Memory models: multi-store, working memory · Attachment theory: Bowlby, Ainsworth · Psychopathology: phobias, depression, OCD
Approaches and Biopsychology
Behaviourist, cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic approaches · Neurotransmitters and behaviour · Brain localisation and lateralisation · Biological rhythms and sleep
Research Methods
Experimental designs and variables · Ethical principles and participant rights · Statistical tests: chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon
Where A Level Psychology marks are usually lost
Treating research methods as one more topic
Research methods carries a large share of the marks: AQA says so explicitly, OCR gives it a whole component, Cambridge a whole paper, and Pearson Edexcel a section in every topic. Students lose marks by learning definitions of validity, reliability or sampling without being able to apply them to an unfamiliar study described in the question — which is exactly what OCR’s novel-source questions and Cambridge’s scenario-based questions ask for.
Choosing the wrong statistical test
Students must know when each inferential test applies, not just its name. At AQA, OCR and Pearson Edexcel that means choosing a test such as Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, Spearman’s rho or chi-squared from the design and level of measurement, comparing observed and critical values and stating whether the result is significant. Marks go on confusing related and unrelated designs, misreading the table, or never relating the conclusion to the hypothesis.
Evaluation that could fit any study
Points such as ‘the sample was small’ or ‘it lacks ecological validity’ earn little unless they are tied to the particular study and explain what follows for its conclusions. Credit goes to evaluation that names a specific feature of the procedure, explains why it matters and, where the specification lists issues and debates, connects it to one — nature versus nurture, say, or the use of children in research.
How we teach A Level Psychology
A tutor teaches research methods from the first week and returns to it in every topic, so that each study the student learns is also a worked example of design, sampling, ethics and data. For each named study the student learns the aim, procedure, results and conclusions in a compact, accurate form, then practises evaluating it against specific criteria. The mathematics — percentages, averages and spread, graphs and, at every board except Cambridge, inferential tests — is practised weekly rather than crammed. Extended answers are planned to the board’s structure: AQA’s longer answers combining description and evaluation, OCR’s and Cambridge’s questions on core studies and debates, Pearson Edexcel’s extended open-response and synoptic questions. Where a board expects small practical studies, the tutor helps the student reflect on their own.
Your starting point is reviewed before the study plan is finalised. The exact method depends on the programme and is agreed on the intro call — for some students that means a timed section, for others it means reading a recent score report or a piece of marked work. We will tell you which applies to you before you book anything, rather than describing a process here that may not be the one you get.
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A Level Tutoring
Board-aware A Level tutoring online: AQA, OCR, Pearson Edexcel (UK and International A Level) and Cambridge International, subject by subject.
A Level prices
A Level tutoring from USD 95 per 90-minute lesson. Compare lesson packages and included materials.
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