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A Level Psychology

Yes - even though you’re studying online, you’ll sit the same exam at the same time as other A Level students in the UK, and the qualification you’ll receive is exactly the same.

They’re awarded by AQA, the UK’s largest provider of academic qualifications. AQA have been around for over a century (almost as long as us!), and they set and mark the papers for around half of the GCSEs and A-Levels sat each year.

Their qualifications are internationally recognised and taught in 30 countries around the world.

Is the A Level the same as the one you’d study in High School?

Build lifetime success with our flexible, accredited courses

We’re the UK’s #1 provider of online GCSE,

IGCSE and A Level courses.

Years of Experience

We’ve been pioneers in flexible learning for 128 years, so you’ll

benefit from more than a century of educational expertise.

Payment Plans

You can spread the cost of your course with an interest-free

monthly payment plan.

Fully Supported Learning

You’ll have your own expert tutor who you can contact any time, and

our friendly Student Support team is always on hand.

We’re the UK leader in online learning, and our flexible courses are perfect if you’ve got a busy life. They allow you to shape your study around your schedule: learn at your own pace, in your own time, wherever suits you best on whatever device you are on, whether that be mobile, tablet or laptop. That’s why students from all over the world trust us to help them take their career to the next level.

Looking for more information? Call our expert High School advisors on 0800 015 3326


Why this course is right for you

Our online A Level Psychology course covers a broad range of subjects which together answer many of the most fascinating

questions we can ask about human behaviour.

You’ll explore theories that explain how we remember, why we love, how we grow up and why violence occurs. You’ll learn about

the causes of phobias, autism, depression, schizophrenia and OCD, and gain an understanding of why people develop differently.

You’ll understand the main issues that arise from various psychological methods, and look at the ways in which psychology can

be applied. You’ll learn to conduct effective research, interpret the results, use statistics effectively and deal with ethical issues.

As you discover how others think, you’ll also be gaining an insight into your own psyche and behavioural traits, which is a

valuable asset in both your personal and working life.

You’ll be fully supported in getting the A Level you need without having to sacrifice your job, family time or social commitments -

your study can be completely shaped around your life.

Why this course is right for you

The study of psychology is particularly valuable in fields such as education, health, HR, marketing, business, media

and the justice system.

Entry Requirements

You don’t need any previous qualifications to enrol on this course. That’s because we believe in making education as accessible as possible.

As this course is online, you will need access to a computer and the internet.

If you have any disabilities which you believe may impact your studies or assessments, please inform your Course Advisor before enrolment so that we can advise you on whether reasonable adjustments can be made to accommodate your needs.

This course is perfect for you if:

You want to fill in gaps in your school education or prepare for college or university

You want the flexibility to learn at your own pace, in your own time, with no deadlines or timetables (except from your exams!)

You realise how valuable an understanding of human behaviour can be in every aspect of your life

You want to study a Psychology-related subject at a higher level


Sit exams at your

local school or collegeA Level exams are nationally set, so you’ll take them alongside all the other students in the UK. Once you pass, you’ll have the perfect foundation for building lifetime success. With the benefit of our flexible approach, cutting edge course materials, and unbeatable tutor support, you’ll be well prepared for further study and a rewarding career.

What’s it like studying online?

Get expert advice,

& get startedWhether you’re set on a course or are still deciding

which subject is right for you, the first thing to do is call our specialist course advisors. There won’t be any pressure - we know that taking a new qualification is

a big decision. We’ll take the time to learn about your experience, education and ambitions to make sure you

pick the right course.

Easily keep track of progress & submit test papers as you learnYou’ll complete progress checks throughout your course, so you and your tutor know exactly how you’re doing. They’ll make sure you’re well-prepared for your final in-person exams.

Study when &

where it suits youYou can get started on your course whenever you choose, and complete it as quickly or slowly as you like within the support period - there are no cohorts or deadlines, so we won’t chase you if you need to take some time off. Plus, all your study materials are online, so you can study from anywhere and on any device!

Get unlimited support from

your TutorAll our tutors are carefully selected subject experts

with years of experience in distance learning, so they’re perfectly positioned to give you all the help you need. They’ll be with you from enrolment to graduation, so

there’ll always be a real person on hand by phone, email or chat if you get stuck.


You can find out the cost of the course on our website, along with payment plan details and any discounts we’re offering this month.

Alternatively, you can call our course advisors to find out more.

Our mission is to make learning affordable and accessible for all, no matter your circumstances. That’s why we make spreading the cost of your course as simple and manageable as possible with our flexible, interest-free payment plans.

You can get started right away with a deposit, then pay the rest through monthly direct debit. Our plans are flexible, so you can pay your balance off sooner if you’d like.

If you think your company will fully or partly fund your learning, we can help you put together a case, and invoice them for the cost of your course. Simply discuss this with your advisor when you enrol and they’ll give you all the information you need.

You also have the option of paying the full amount up-front if you’d prefer.

Exam fees

Your exam fees aren’t included in the cost of the course, as these are paid directly to the exam centre. The cost will vary depending on the exam centre you choose, with private schools and colleges being more expensive than state schools. They could be in the region of £80 to £150 per paper.

Our course advisors will be more than happy to tell you more about arranging your exams.

I was heartbroken to find out that I didn’t get the required grades to take Psychology, until my mother suggested ICS Learn. All of a sudden I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

This course fits in very conveniently with the other 3 A Levels that I’m taking at my sixth form, and I’m thankful that the interest-free payment plan option is available for me.

I’d like the thank the ICS Learn team. It’s very encouraging speaking to such friendly people on the phone, and they are also very responsive to emails and helped me sort out all my worries.

Abigail Robinson, A Level Psychology student

Flexible, affordable payment options


How we support youWhen you enrol, you’ll be able to join a live induction webinar so that we can show you how to navigate the Student Community, answer any questions you have, and - most importantly - give you a warm and friendly welcome to studying with us!

You’ll also benefit from a huge range of resources, including:

Group Forums

Personal Journal

AQA Resources

Interactive Quizzes

Progress Checks

Online Activities

The Student Community is our easy-to-use online learning platform. It’s a one stop shop that allows you to:

Access your course materials

Contact your tutor and Student Support team

Submit your assignments

Connect with your fellow students

Your study materials have been specially designed for online learning by distance learning experts, and they’re split into bite-sized sections so they’re easy to follow from home.

Learning online doesn’t mean learning alone. You’ll be supported throughout by your assigned tutor, who’ll answer all your questions about coursework and exams, give you detailed feedback on your mock tests, and help you whenever you’re stuck.

You’ll also have our Student Support team waiting in the wings to help you with administrative tasks, using the Student Community, and any other non-academic queries you might have.

That means that no matter what you need, there will always be someone here to help. We’re with you every step of the way.

The course advisors that I spoke to were really helpful and explained everything that I would need to know, taking their time and making me feel really valued.

I was wary that distance learning wouldn’t be for me as I’d never had to learn anything outside of a classroom set up. However, the materials are really easy to follow and the forums really help. My tutor has been really great too, responding quickly to every query I’ve sent, with a full in-depth explanation of everything I’ve needed to know.

I’m thinking about taking up another A Level with ICS Learn once I’ve completed this one!

Stephanie Sauvarin, A Level Psychology student

Supporting textbooks are not provided with this course, but they’re strongly recommended. They are:

AQA A Level Psychology Book 1, Jean-Marc Lawton, Eleanor Willard. Publisher: Hodder

AQA A Level Psychology Book 2, Jean-Marc Lawton, Eleanor Willard. Publisher: Hodder


This course will prepare you for the AQA Psychology (specification 7182) exams that take place in summer each year. They’re set nationally by AQA, so you can’t take them at any other time.

The A Level Psychology exam consists of three papers. You have to sit all three in one exam diet.

About your course

Paper 1 Introductory topics in Psychology

Paper 2 Psychology in context

Paper 3 Issues and options in Psychology

Preparing for your exams

Before you sit your exams, you’ll submit test papers to your tutor. They won’t count towards your final grade - they’re just there to make sure you’re well prepared for the real thing, and to allow you and your tutor to track your progress.

After booking your exams

Once you’re booked in and have confirmed the syllabus details, speak to your tutor and let them know so they can provide you with guidance and advice.

International students

Although you can study this course online from anywhere, the final exams for this course

can only be sat in the UK.

The cost of your exams isn’t include in your course fee, as

these fees are paid to your chosen exam centre.

Visit our website to find out which exams you can take within the support period

for this course.

Booking your exams

When it’s time to book your exams, we’ll remind you - this is usually about six months before the exam date. You’ll then choose an exam centre and book your exams as a private candidate.

Exam centres are usually schools or colleges within the UK that are already presenting ‘internal’ candidates for the exam (ie. students who go to that school). Not every centre accepts private candidates - we’ll provide you with a list of ones that do, and AQA also has one on their website.

If you have a special relationship with a school, such as it being your old school or your child’s school, they might accept you even if their policy is against private candidates.

If you’re still at school or college and you’re sitting exams there, you’ll have to go elsewhere for your exams for this course. You can’t be both an internal and a private candidate at one exam centre in the same exam diet.


With our flexible A Level courses, you’ll get the same exceptional learning experience as you’d expect in a traditional classroom, but with no restrictions on when, where, and at what pace you learn. Our courses cover everything you need to know to get your Psychology A Level and build lifetime success.

Here’s what you’ll learn in each of the 10 units on the course:

Unit 1: Approaching Psychology

Unit 2: Memory

What you’ll learn

You’ll learn about the origins of psychology, including Wundt, introspection and the emergence of psychology as a science.

You’ll study:

Learning approaches: the behaviourist approach, including classical conditioning and Pavlov’s research, operant conditioning, types of reinforcement and Skinner’s research; social learning theory including imitation, identification, modelling, vicarious reinforcement, the role of mediational processes and Bandura’s research.

The cognitive approach: the study of internal mental processes, the role of schema, the use of theoretical and computer models to explain and make inferences about mental processes. The emergence of cognitive neuroscience.

The biological approach: the influence of genes, biological structures and neurochemistry on behaviour. Genotype and phenotype, genetic basis of behaviour, evolution and behaviour.

The psychodynamic approach: the role of the unconscious, the structure of personality, that is Id, Ego and Superego, defence mechanisms including repression, denial and displacement, psychosexual stages.

Humanistic Psychology: free will, self-actualisation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, focus on the self, congruence, the role of conditions of worth. The influence on counselling Psychology.

Comparison of approaches.

You’ll learn about:

The multi-store model of memory: sensory register, short-term memory & long-term memory. Features of each store: coding, capacity & duration.

Types of long-term memory: episodic, semantic, procedural.

The working memory model: central executive, phonological loop, visuospatial sketchpad and episodic buffer. Features of the model: coding and capacity.

Explanations for forgetting: proactive and retroactive interference and retrieval failure due to absence of cues.

Factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: misleading information, including leading questions and post-event discussion; anxiety.

Improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, including the use of the cognitive interview.


Unit 3: Social Influence: Conformity and Obedience

Unit 4: Developmental Psychology: Attachment

Unit 5: Individual Differences: Psychopathology


Types of conformity: internalisation, identification and compliance. Explanations for conformity: informational social influence and normative social influence, and variables affecting conformity including group size, unanimity and task difficulty as investigated by Asch.

Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo.

Explanations for obedience: agentic state and legitimacy of authority, and situational variables affecting obedience including proximity, location and uniform, as investigated by Milgram.

Dispositional explanation for obedience: the Authoritarian Personality.

Explanations of resistance to social influence, including social support and locus of control.

Minority influence including reference to consistency, commitment and flexibility.

The role of social influence processes in social change.


Demographic change and the family

Caregiver-infant interactions in humans: reciprocity and interactional synchrony. Stages of attachment identified by Schaffer. Multiple attachments and the role of the father.

Animal studies of attachment: Lorenz and Harlow.

Explanations of attachment: learning theory and Bowlby’s monotropic theory. The concepts of a critical period and an internal working model.

Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’. Types of attachment: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure resistant. Cultural variations in attachment, including van Ijzendoorn.

Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation. Romanian orphan studies: effects of institutionalisation.

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships, including the role of an internal working model.


Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately, statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health.

The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias: the two-process model, including classical and operant conditioning; systematic desensitisation, including relaxation and use of hierarchy; flooding.

The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck’s negative triad and Ellis’s ABC model; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), including challenging irrational thoughts.

The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD: genetic and neural explanations; drug therapy.

Unit 6: Research Methods

You’ll learn about the uses, strengths and limitations of the following research methods, scientific processes and techniques of data handling:

Experimental method. Types of experiment, laboratory and field experiments; natural and quasi-experiments.

Observational techniques. Types of observation: naturalistic and controlled observation; covert and overt observation; participant and non-participant observation.

Self-report techniques. Questionnaires; interviews, structured and unstructured.

Correlations. Analysis of the relationship between co-variables. The difference between correlations and experiments.

Content analysis.

Case studies.


Unit 7: Approaches and Debates in Psychology

Unit 9: Cognition and development

Unit 8: Schizophrenia

Unit 10: Aggression


Gender and culture in Psychology – universality and bias. Gender bias including androcentrism and alpha and beta bias; cultural bias, including ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.

Free will and determinism: hard determinism and soft determinism; biological, environmental and psychic determinism. The scientific emphasis on causal explanations.

The nature-nurture debate: the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour; the interactionist approach.

Holism and reductionism: levels of explanation in Psychology. Biological reductionism and environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism.

Idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation.

Ethical implications of research studies and theory, including reference to social sensitivity.


Piaget’s theory of cognitive development: schemas, assimilation, accommodation, equilibration, stages of intellectual development. Characteristics of these stages, including object permanence, conservation, egocentrism and class inclusion.

Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, including the zone of proximal development and scaffolding.

Baillargeon’s explanation of early infant abilities, including knowledge of the physical world; violation of expectation research.

The development of social cognition: Selman’s levels of perspective-taking; theory of mind, including theory of mind as an explanation for autism; the Sally-Anne study. The role of the mirror neuron system in social cognition.


Psychological explanations for schizophrenia: family dysfunction and cognitive explanations, including dysfunctional thought processing.

Biological explanations for schizophrenia: genetics, the dopamine hypothesis and neural correlates.

Classification of schizophrenia. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucination and delusions. Negative symptoms of schizophrenia, including speech poverty and avolition. Reliability and validity in diagnosis and classification of schizophrenia, including reference to co-morbidity, culture and gender bias and symptom overlap.

Drug therapy: typical and atypical antipsychotics.

Cognitive behaviour therapy and family therapy as used in the treatment of schizophrenia. Token economies as used in the management of schizophrenia.

The importance of an interactionist approach in explaining and treating schizophrenia; the diathesis stress model.


Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, including the roles of the limbic system, serotonin and testosterone. Genetic factors in aggression, including the MAOA gene.

The ethological explanation of aggression, including reference to innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns. Evolutionary explanations of human aggression.

Social psychological explanations of human aggression, including the frustration-aggression hypothesis, social learning theory as applied to human aggression, and de-individuation.

Institutional aggression in the context of prisons: dispositional and situational explanations.

Media influences on aggression, including the effects of computer games. The role of desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming.

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