What is A Level Psychology? Overview for Students

Key Takeaways

• A Level Psychology explores how and why people think, feel, and behave the way they do

• You'll explore fascinating topics like memory, clinical psychology, social influence, and attachment

• Assessment includes multiple exam papers with a mix of multiple-choice, short answer, and essay questions

• It’s a subject that blends science and essay writing, which is perfect if you enjoy both

• Psychology A Level opens doors to careers in healthcare, education, business, and research

Introduction

Choosing your A Levels is a big decision. You've probably heard that Psychology is popular and interesting, but what does studying it actually involve?

Many students pick Psychology because they’re curious about the mind and human behaviour — but then realise there’s a lot more science, research, and theory than they expected!

This guide will take you through what studying A Level Psychology is really like — from the topics and exams, to the skills you’ll gain.

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What Does A Level Psychology Involve?

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. It looks at how people think, feel, act and interact with each other.

The goal of A Level Psychology is to help you understand human behaviour through scientific research. You’ll learn how psychologists design experiments, collect and analyse data, and build theories to explain why we do what we do.

Here are some of the big questions you’ll explore:

• Why do we forget things we've learned?

• What causes mental health conditions like OCD or phobias?

• Why do people conform to group pressure?

• How do babies form attachments with their caregivers?

• Can eyewitness testimony be trusted in court?

Psychology sits between science and the humanities — you’ll think scientifically, but also write essays to explain and evaluate ideas.

Topics You'll Study in A Level Psychology

A Level Psychology covers a wide range of fascinating topics. While each exam board (like AQA, Edexcel, or OCR) has slightly different content, most include the same core topics:

• Social Influence – Why do people obey authority? Why do we conform? You’ll look at famous studies like Milgram’s obedience experiments

• Memory – How memory works, why we forget, and factors that affect how well we remember things

• Attachment – How babies form bonds with caregivers and what happens when those bonds break. You’ll learn about Bowlby and Ainsworth’s research

• Clinical Psychology and Mental Health – The causes of conditions like depression, OCD, and phobias, and how they’re treated

• Research Methods – You’ll learn to design experiments, analyse data and evaluate studies — this runs throughout the course

• Approaches in Psychology – Different ways in which psychologists explain behaviour, from biological, to cognitive, to behavioural approaches

Many courses also offer optional topics like forensic psychology, relationships, eating behaviour and schizophrenia.

For a complete breakdown of what you'll study, check out our detailed A Level Psychology Topics guide.

How is A Level Psychology Assessed?

A Level Psychology is 100% exam-based — there’s no coursework.

Most exam boards have three papers, each around 2 hours long. Here’s an example based on AQA A Level Psychology:

• Paper 1: Introductory topics — social influence, memory, and attachment

• Paper 2: Approaches, biopsychology, and research methods; this often includes questions on data analysis and experimental design

• Paper 3: Optional topics and broader issues in psychology

You’ll answer a mix of:

• multiple-choice questions

• short-answer questions

• extended essay questions

Questions range from simple definitions to longer essays, e.g.:

• “What is meant by conformity?” (2 marks)

• “Discuss the multi-store model of memory.” (8 marks)

• “Outline and evaluate the cognitive approach to explaining depression.” (16 marks)

You’ll often be asked to apply your knowledge to new situations, not just recall facts.

You also need a good knowledge of research methods — including how to calculate percentages, identify variables, and suggest improvements to a study.

Skills You'll Gain from A Level Psychology

Studying Psychology helps you develop a wide range of transferable skills that universities and employers value:

• Critical thinking – You'll learn to evaluate theories and research, spotting strengths and weaknesses in arguments. This helps you think more analytically about information you encounter

• Essay writing – You’ll learn to write clearly, structure arguments, and to use evidence effectively

• Research skills – You'll understand how to design research studies, collect data ethically, and analyse results

• Data interpretation – You'll learn to read and interpret data, calculate percentages and means, and draw conclusions from data; these skills are useful in many careers

• People skills – You'll develop insight into human behaviour, which is useful in any job involving working with others

These skills are useful in areas like healthcare, education, marketing, human resources, and management.

Is A Level Psychology Hard?

This is one of the most common questions students ask. Here’s the honest answer — it depends on your strengths.

Psychology can be challenging because there’s a lot of content to learn. While the material may not be as conceptually difficult as, e.g. chemistry or physics, psychology exams require a different set of skills, so whether or not you find the work hard will depend on your development of those skills.

What makes it challenging:

• The scientific side can surprise students — you’ll need to remember studies, methods, and key researchers

• Essay writing takes practice — you need to describe and evaluate theories using research evidence

• Many questions test your application skills, not just memory

• The terminology can feel technical at first — words like ecological validity or operationalisation take time to learn

• You’ll need some basic maths skills, including calculation of percentages and knowing when to use 8 different statistical tests

What makes it easier:

• The content is relatable as it is often about real-life behaviour

• If you enjoy reading, writing, and analysing ideas, you’ll likely do well

For a deeper look at the challenges and how to overcome them, read our guide: Is A Level Psychology Hard?

Who Should Consider Taking It?

A Level Psychology is great for students who are curious about people and behaviour.

You might enjoy Psychology if you:

• like understanding what makes people tick

• enjoy both scientific and essay-based subjects

• want to develop critical thinking skills

• want to understand mental health and wellbeing

• enjoy debating ideas and evaluating arguments

Psychology pairs well with:

• biology – for understanding the brain and neuroscience

• sociology – to explore behaviour in society

• english – strengthens essay-writing skills

• maths – helps with research methods and statistics

Possible career paths:

Psychology opens doors to many careers, for example it can lead to:

• clinical or counselling psychology

• educational psychology

• forensic psychology

• human resources and recruitment

• marketing and consumer research

• social work or youth work

• teaching or childcare

• nursing or occupational therapy

Even if you don’t choose to study psychology at university, the skills you will gain at A Level are valuable in almost any job involving people.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to be good at science to take A Level Psychology?

Not really. Psychology includes science and statistics, but it’s less technical than subjects like chemistry or physics. If you’re comfortable thinking scientifically and analysing data, you’ll be fine.

What GCSEs do you need to study A Level Psychology?

Most schools ask for at least five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English Language and Maths GCSEs.

Some might prefer a grade 5 or 6 in English, as there’s lots of essay writing.

A science GCSE helps but isn’t essential — always check your sixth form or college’s entry requirements.

Can I study Psychology at university with just A Level Psychology?

Absolutely. A Level Psychology is usually required or strongly recommended if you want to study Psychology at degree level.

However, universities also value other subjects. Many psychology courses look for a mix of science and humanities A Levels.

For example, biology or chemistry can strengthen your application, especially for courses with a neuroscience focus. Maths is useful for statistics modules.

Check individual university course requirements, but having A Level Psychology is definitely a good start if you're considering a psychology degree.

Final Thoughts

A Level Psychology offers a fascinating look into how the human mind works and why we behave the way we do, combining scientific research with critical thinking and essay writing skills. You'll learn about real studies, analyse data, and develop arguments – skills that are valuable whether you continue with psychology or not.

If you’re genuinely curious about the human mind and enjoy both logic and creativity, Psychology could be the perfect A Level for you.

The best way to know if it's right for you is to explore the content and see if it sparks your curiosity. Talk to teachers, read about the topics, and imagine yourself studying them.

Psychology A Level is challenging but rewarding, and it opens doors to exciting university courses and careers. If you're ready to understand the science behind human behaviour, this could be the subject for you.

Explore our A Level Psychology revision resources