AQA A-level psychology help

Hi,
I just needed any tips for the 16 markers in psych, because I've made detailed flashcards using the textbook and save my exam notes, that I've memorised, however, after doing some exam practise on essays, I've realised that I'm struggling on AO3 content so any tips or structures that may be good to use!
Any help appreciated alot! x

Reply 1

M_05

9

Original post by reneee603

Hi,
I just needed any tips for the 16 markers in psych, because I've made detailed flashcards using the textbook and save my exam notes, that I've memorised, however, after doing some exam practise on essays, I've realised that I'm struggling on AO3 content so any tips or structures that may be good to use!
Any help appreciated alot! x

I would recommend you use the Peel structure for your A03. I used to struggle last year on A03 as well but this year I started using this method I’ve been getting 14or 15 out of 16 on these type of questions .

Reply 2

reneee603

OP

10

brilliant thank you so much and that's amazing to hear! I was just wondering if you had any tips for AO3 when you cannot remember or recall any, for eg evaluating a study or piece of research?
Thanks once again! 🙂

Reply 3

M_05

9

Original post by reneee603

brilliant thank you so much and that's amazing to hear! I was just wondering if you had any tips for AO3 when you cannot remember or recall any, for eg evaluating a study or piece of research?
Thanks once again! 🙂

I just make mindmaps for revision & add small A03 points that I can expand on in my actual essay because that makes it easier to remember.

Reply 4

tomhughesa

1

Some really useful advice that my teacher, an AQA Psychology exam marker, gave me is to not be afraid to use and apply your AO1 knowledge when evaluating. Use support (this is really useful in topics like Psychopathology and Schizophrenia): the Behaviourist Approach to explaining Phobias has support and practical application in its therapy, and vice versa: the therapy is supported by the explanation. It can also challenge the research: in the Schizophrenia topic, the Psychological explanation contradicts the Biological Explanation and vice versa. Issues and Debates is also really useful in evaluating: as they provide inbuilt counterpoints to your answer (due to there being the alternative perspective of the debate: a reductionist approach increases validity as it targets the specific, localised area/ relationship to investigate but may also neglects important other factors) which enhances evaluation and reduces the number of evaluation points needed in an essay from 4 to 3. Using this AO1 content to dictate your AO3 is really useful as it reduces having three of four specific evaluation points to remember for every single lesson down to a handful per topic. This is good because it reduces time spent revising AO3 content, and being so familiar with the AO3 points your writing because you’re writing the same sort of thing over and over again reduces thinking time in exams as you don’t need to think about your points, you know them so well, so you can spend less time thinking about your evaluation points, and more time using your knowledge elsewhere.

Take Forensic Psychology, for example, you can pretty much use the same 3 evaluation points for all the possible essay questions that could come up:

1.

An alternative: all the explanations for offending behaviour can be used against each other. An evaluation point for an essay on Differential Association could be any other explanation for offending behaviour. It shows a lack of consensus in the psychological community and how some believe that there is a more accurate dipictor of how offending behaviour is explained, hence reducing explanatory power and validity. Anger management can be used by alternatives such as behaviour modification (both are used in custody- why would one place choose another over this one? It implies some don’t believe in its credibility) and vice versa. Restorative justice and Custodial Sentencing can also be used against each other, as can each of the Offender Profiling methods.

2.

An issue and debate- for example, the psychodynamic approach is reductionist and hence its application to offending behaviour is reductionist, then you could discuss if that’s a good or bad thing, leading to your counterpoint.

3.

Multi-use evaluation points really help. My teacher told us about the idea that ‘all criminals are not the same’. A shoplifter cannot be held to the same standards as a mass murderer. Their motivations are so different, one is based on aggression and one is more of a white-collar, victimless crime. How can they be in the same prisons through custodial sentencing? How can they be explained the same way when their actions are so different?

For Schizophrenia, take the question “Discuss Psychological treatments of Schizophrenia”

1.

The principles of psychological treatments are supported by the psychological explanations, as it’s geared towards treating the exact same psychological problems identified in psychological explanations of schizophrenia.

2.

Psychological treatments are contradicted by the biological treatments for schizophrenia.

3.

An issue and debate can again be used and also provides a counterpoint- the biological approach is reductionist. Is that good as it targets the specific things going on at the synapse, allowing for an easier, localised investigation of how to treat the disorder? Or does it ignore other important factors?

Trying to condense the amount of AO3 content you have to learn can save time in both revision schedules and exams. Going into an exam with a few useful AO3 points per topic can really help. This kind of evaluation can be used through a lot of psychology, whenever there is two possible explanations: use the other as an alternative, and wherever it’s been applied, such as in psychopathology, take advantage of that as an AO3 point. Multiuseful points such as the ‘All criminals aren’t the same’ point in Forensic Psychology is also really useful and worth finding for most topics. It takes off pressure in exams, saves thinking time, and allows you to spend time remembering specific evaluation points needed in other areas of the course. Hope this helps.

Reply 5

reneee603

OP

10

Original post by tomhughesa

Some really useful advice that my teacher, an AQA Psychology exam marker, gave me is to not be afraid to use and apply your AO1 knowledge when evaluating. Use support (this is really useful in topics like Psychopathology and Schizophrenia): the Behaviourist Approach to explaining Phobias has support and practical application in its therapy, and vice versa: the therapy is supported by the explanation. It can also challenge the research: in the Schizophrenia topic, the Psychological explanation contradicts the Biological Explanation and vice versa. Issues and Debates is also really useful in evaluating: as they provide inbuilt counterpoints to your answer (due to there being the alternative perspective of the debate: a reductionist approach increases validity as it targets the specific, localised area/ relationship to investigate but may also neglects important other factors) which enhances evaluation and reduces the number of evaluation points needed in an essay from 4 to 3. Using this AO1 content to dictate your AO3 is really useful as it reduces having three of four specific evaluation points to remember for every single lesson down to a handful per topic. This is good because it reduces time spent revising AO3 content, and being so familiar with the AO3 points your writing because you’re writing the same sort of thing over and over again reduces thinking time in exams as you don’t need to think about your points, you know them so well, so you can spend less time thinking about your evaluation points, and more time using your knowledge elsewhere.

Take Forensic Psychology, for example, you can pretty much use the same 3 evaluation points for all the possible essay questions that could come up:

1.

An alternative: all the explanations for offending behaviour can be used against each other. An evaluation point for an essay on Differential Association could be any other explanation for offending behaviour. It shows a lack of consensus in the psychological community and how some believe that there is a more accurate dipictor of how offending behaviour is explained, hence reducing explanatory power and validity. Anger management can be used by alternatives such as behaviour modification (both are used in custody- why would one place choose another over this one? It implies some don’t believe in its credibility) and vice versa. Restorative justice and Custodial Sentencing can also be used against each other, as can each of the Offender Profiling methods.

2.

An issue and debate- for example, the psychodynamic approach is reductionist and hence its application to offending behaviour is reductionist, then you could discuss if that’s a good or bad thing, leading to your counterpoint.

3.

Multi-use evaluation points really help. My teacher told us about the idea that ‘all criminals are not the same’. A shoplifter cannot be held to the same standards as a mass murderer. Their motivations are so different, one is based on aggression and one is more of a white-collar, victimless crime. How can they be in the same prisons through custodial sentencing? How can they be explained the same way when their actions are so different?

For Schizophrenia, take the question “Discuss Psychological treatments of Schizophrenia”

1.

The principles of psychological treatments are supported by the psychological explanations, as it’s geared towards treating the exact same psychological problems identified in psychological explanations of schizophrenia.

2.

Psychological treatments are contradicted by the biological treatments for schizophrenia.

3.

An issue and debate can again be used and also provides a counterpoint- the biological approach is reductionist. Is that good as it targets the specific things going on at the synapse, allowing for an easier, localised investigation of how to treat the disorder? Or does it ignore other important factors?

Trying to condense the amount of AO3 content you have to learn can save time in both revision schedules and exams. Going into an exam with a few useful AO3 points per topic can really help. This kind of evaluation can be used through a lot of psychology, whenever there is two possible explanations: use the other as an alternative, and wherever it’s been applied, such as in psychopathology, take advantage of that as an AO3 point. Multiuseful points such as the ‘All criminals aren’t the same’ point in Forensic Psychology is also really useful and worth finding for most topics. It takes off pressure in exams, saves thinking time, and allows you to spend time remembering specific evaluation points needed in other areas of the course. Hope this helps.

I just had a read of this and thank you so much!! This was really useful because in some exams, I found myself using AO1 for things such as drug therapies in Schizophrenia in my biopsych exam as evaluation and didn't know if we could do that! This is really useful as I have a paper 3 mock coming up soon, and we also do forensics and schizophrenia! Appreciate this soo much thanks! :smile: