Psychology
Exam board: AQA
Qualification type: GCSE
Course code: 8182
Contact: Mr James – mjames@retfordoaks-ac.org.uk
Have you ever wondered what makes you tick? How your brain works? Maybe you’re interested in understanding other people better. Whatever your interest in other people’s or your own behaviour, you will find some interesting answers in psychology, as well as opportunities to develop more questions!
Psychology is the study of the human mind and behaviour so looks at several factors such as your memory, your dreams, criminal behaviour and our behaviour in a group. If you would like to go into any job that involves working with people, then psychology is the subject for you. This course covers a wide range of approaches to human behaviour in psychology, and investigates behaviours such as aggression, learning, memory, attention, language, culture and groups.
The course specifically looks at matters of cognition and social context and their impact on human behaviour, as well as examining issues in mental health alongside developing an understanding of research methodology
What will be studied?
Students are encouraged through a range of teaching techniques to develop responsibility for their own learning. In lessons you will encounter discussions, debates, presentations, videos, lectures, research and experiments to create a varied and interesting learning environment.
Why study psychology?
Psychology is the science of behaviour and mind, including conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope and diverse interests that, when taken together, seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, and all the variety of epiphenomena they manifest. As a social science it aims to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases.
Assessment structure
Exam paper 1 (1 hour, 45 minutes) 100 marks worth 50%
Exam paper 2 (1 hour, 45 minutes) 100 marks worth 50%
Career opportunities
• Psychologist
• Counsellor
• Teaching
• Marketing
