A Level Psychology

During this A Level Psychology course, you’ll delve into psychological concepts such as types of conformity in social settings; the behavioural, emotional, and cognitive characteristics of phobia, depression and OCD; and the divisions of the nervous system. You will also have the chance to choose between three optional areas of study as detailed below to suit your areas of interest.

Depending on the path you hope to take after your studies, the A Levels we recommend that you study alongside this course are A Level Sociology, A Level Business Studies, or A Level Philosophy.

Degrees this subject could lead to

As a subject, A Level Psychology feeds into many different areas and will come in useful for a wide variety of degrees including marketing, criminology, education, publishing, social sciences, and business, as well as specialist psychology degrees such as child psychology, clinical psychology, forensic psychology, and sport psychology.

Future career options

You’ll gain valuable knowledge and skills during your studies that will come in useful for future careers in:

• Marketing
• Journalism
• Psychologist
• Counselling
• Forensic psychologist
• Teacher
• Media and broadcasting

A Levels via distance learning

This A Level Psychology course is exactly the same as an A Level you would study at school or college, meaning you will take the same exams and get the same qualification. The only difference is that our courses are designed to be studied from home at your own pace, and you will receive full tutor support via email.

Course duration

You will have two years to complete your A Level Psychology course.

The only deadlines involved in studying this course are concerning the A Level exam timetables. Please see the exams and assessments section for more information on this.

Exams and assessments

To achieve your A Level Psychology qualification, you must complete the exams. There are three written exams for this course which will cover the topics studied on this course. A breakdown of the exam papers can be found in the following section.

When you enrol on your course, you will have the option to add your exams to your enrolment, or you can select the course-only option.

Choosing to add the exams package

If you choose to add your exams on to your enrolment, all you need to do is contact us when you are ready to sit your exams, we will book and pay for them on your behalf. Please note that the A Level exam timetable typically takes place during May and June each year. You are advised to contact us well in advance of when you intend to sit your exams so that we can confirm your place with the exam board – cut-off dates apply. Please note that if you choose to add on your exams with us you will need to sit your exams in either the Birmingham, Bolton, Doncaster, London or Macclesfield examination centre.

The course only option

If you do not add your exams on to your enrolment, you will be responsible for booking and paying for your exams yourself. If you select this option, you must source and liaise with your chosen exam centre in order to book your exams, Open Study College will not be able to book your exams for you. In this instance, you are advised to contact AQA exam centres well in advance of their intended exam dates, as cut-off dates sometimes change.

Study method

This course will be studied entirely via distance learning, meaning you will complete your learning either from home or a place that suits you. Full tutor support will be available via email, so if you have any questions or need some guidance, your tutor will be here to help. Your course materials will include a series of self-assessment exercises and tutor-marked questions to allow both yourself and your tutor to monitor your progress.

The study method you choose depends on your personal learning style. Your options are:

• Study pack: if you choose the study pack option, you will be sent a set of printed course materials.
• Study online: if you choose this option, you will be sent your login details to our online portal through which you will access your course materials digitally. You can access your course via a desktop/laptop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Course outcome

Upon successful completion of your exams, you will be awarded an A Level Psychology qualification issued by AQA. You will also receive UCAS points relevant to the grade you achieved to support your university application.

Thinking of Going to University?

The final grade you achieve in your A Level will be translated into UCAS points. Based on your grade, you will be awarded up to 56 points per A Level which can then be added together to reach the UCAS points you need to be accepted by your chosen university.

To help you achieve the best possible grade from home, we recommend that you complete the tutor-marked assessments included in your course materials. These are designed to provide you with detailed feedback to help you fine-tune your technique before you sit your exam. Completing your tutor-marked assessments will also help your tutor to provide you with a predicted grade if this is required for your UCAS application.