Psychology

Entry Requirements

6 in a Science subject CURRENT YEAR 11 STUDENTS AND EXTERNAL candidates must have: 9 A-level: at least three 9-6 grades in addition to a 5 in English Language and a 5 in Maths For internal Year 11 students only, the Academy offers a BTEC Extended Diploma. The entry criteria for BTEC is: 5 or more GCSE grades of 9–4, including English Language & Maths and a 4 in Business if studied. Throughout the 2 years students are encouraged to develop as independent learners. Psychology is the explanation of individual peoples’ behaviour. The syllabus covers an unusually wide variety of subject areas, ranging from up to date aspects of the biochemistry of the brain to some long established philosophical ideas such as free will. Consequently students will be encouraged to develop a range of approaches to learning. Sometimes a scientific approach might be best. But psychological questions are complex, and a common sense approach can be as useful as science. Students will be encouraged to use ideas and information from other subject areas (e.g. Sociology, Media Studies, Art, Biology, English, Computing, etc) when studying psychological topics. The exam board give credit for this broad approach. Year 12 content covers a range of topics which are representative of Psychology as a whole. The topics covered are often relevant to news stories. A variety of teaching styles are used, including group projects, individual research, using the Internet, and designing and conducting psychological investigations. Year 13 content is designed to let students study and investigate theoretical and applied topics in more depth, and to help them gain an overall picture of Psychology. Teaching styles will vary according to the subject material and the student’s skills. A flexible approach to Psychology is important, for example when considering problems of cultural or gender bias, and when trying to decide what exactly is “abnormal” behaviour. Research methods that are useful for investigating one kind of psychological question might not work with a different problem. The A-level course has a broad and balanced content and they are useful preparation for a wide variety of further courses and occupations. Psychology is one of the most popular courses at university, and it also forms part of many joint degrees. It is studied in many vocational training courses, such as for social work, teaching, business administration, and many more. Many psychologists are involved in academic research in university departments. Others work in a wide range of public and private organisations, for example in Medicine, Education, Management Consultancy, Product Design and Advertising, employers often value the improved knowledge and analytical skills which the study of Psychology encourages. Progress in psychological research is currently rapid. Advances in genetics, brain scanning and artificial intelligence research are being applied to psychological questions, and the answers have important implications for society in future.