About A-level Psychology
The A-level Psychology examination is ideal for those students wishing to apply for an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Sociology, Criminology or other life-science related subject. However, it is by no means limited to the above and is frequently chosen by students who are doing mathematics and economics, for example.
In order to obtain this A-Level, students must take four separate examinations. The titles of the four papers are:
Unit 1: Social & Cognitive Psychology
Unit 2: Biological Psychology, Learning Theories and Development
Unit 3: Applications of Psychology
Unit 4: Clinical Psychology and Psychological Skills
More specifically, Papers 1 and 2 make up half an A-Level, known as the AS Level and Papers 3 and 4 make up the other half, known as the A2 level.
The syllabus is typically taught within two academic years, but can be completed sooner on the premise that the student is willing to input more time and effort.
Please see the table below for a detailed analysis of the four papers.
| Unit number and title |
Level |
Assessment Information |
Number of raw marks Allocated in the Unit |
Unit 1:
Social & Cognitive Psychology |
IAS |
Examination length: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Examination paper in three sections:
Section A Social Psychology: Short answer questions and one extended open-response question. Worth 26 marks.
Section B Cognitive Psychology: Short answer questions and one extended open-response question. Worth 26 marks.
Section C One extended open-response question on either social or cognitive psychology. Worth 12 marks. |
64 |
Unit 2:
Biological Psychology, Learning Theories and Development |
IAS |
Examination length: 2 hours
Examination paper in three sections:
Section A Biological Psychology: Short answer questions and one extended open-response question. Worth 34 marks.
Section B Learning Theories and Development: Short answer questions and one extended open-response question. Worth 34 marks.
Section C Two extended open-response questions. The first one covering either biological psychology or learning theories and development, and the second covering both biological psychology, and learning theories and development. Worth 28 marks. |
96 |
Unit 3:
Applications of Psychology |
IA2 |
Examination length: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Examination paper in two sections:
Section A Developmental psychology: Short-answer questions and two extended open-response questions: the first focuses on developmental psychology and the second is a synoptic question based on developmental psychology and issues from Units 1 and 2. Worth 32 marks.
Section B Short-answer questions and two extended open-response questions from a choice of either criminological or health psychology. Worth 32 marks |
64 |
Unit 4:
Clinical Psychology and Psychological Skills |
IA2 |
Examination length: 2 hours
Examination paper in five sections:
Section A Clinical psychology: short-answer questions. Worth 32 marks.
Section B Clinical psychology: one extended open-response question. Worth 16 marks.
Section C Psychological skills: short-answer questions drawing on research methods from other topic areas. Worth 20 marks.
Section D Psychological skills: an extended open-response question based on the analysis of a key question from other topic areas. Worth 8 marks.
Section E Psychological skills: a synoptic question based on issues and debates from other topic areas. Worth 20 marks. |
96 |
For any further information please visit the official International A-Level site: qualifications.pearson.com
FAQ
When and where can sit the modules for the IAL Psychology? 
The examinations for the IAL are held 3 times a year: in January, May/June and October. If your school is not an official test center then you can definitely make the necessary bookings at your nearest British Council.
How often can I sit the IALs?
Theoretically you can take them as often as you wish though most students prepare themselves properly so that they succeed on their first attempt. Most students sit Units 1 & 2 together and perhaps one more paper (most probably Unit 3, which is the substitute for the practical) in one sitting and then six months later they sit the remaining 3 modules. There are many though who do not succeed on their first attempt, or they do not attain the grade that they desired or deserved and therefore elect to re-sit the specific examination. A prospective test taker ought to be careful, however, not to sit the same examination too on too many occasions as the universities may take this into account when assessing the candidate’s application.
How long will it take me to complete a whole IAL?
With the correct preparation and timing a whole IAL in Psychology and be managed in one year. Generally, the maximum amount of time a student will take is two years.
How many hours per week of tutoring would be ideal?
Generally, we recommend that a serious student does 2 hours per week. The tutorials can be organized so that the tutee has a whole week to prepare the relevant homework for the next relevant tutorial. This system maximizes the progress and performance.
How many hours will I have to study every week?
As a general guideline, we reckon that for every one-hour tutorial you, the tutee, will need to do approximately 5 hours of homework.
How many hours of tutorials will I need to cover a whole IAL Psychology A-level?
This is a difficult question to answer accurately. The strong student can manage a whole IAL Psychology A-level with 60 hours of tutoring. The maximum that someone should need is 100 hours.
What materials – textbooks will I require?
We always suggest that you acquire the recommended textbooks that Edexcel/Pearson endorse. These can be found here.
Where can I find past papers to practice?
There are numerous papers available for free at the Pearson/Edexcel website here.
Important links
At the Tree Foundation we tend to encourage students to sit the Pearson-Edexcel examination. You can find all the most relevant information regarding the respective syllabus, textbooks and much more here.
Naturally there are other examination boards that the tutors of the Tree Foundation are very familiar with. These include the following:
