Need any help with AQA Psychology? from 'A' grade A-level student!

Rachel_Leah

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Hey everyone, I recently was awarded an 'A' on my results day for this subject and boy did I work hard to get it!

I know that this course has a lot of depth and can sometimes swamp people and revision is quite difficult at times, so if anybody has any questions or needs advice, they can post on here and I will do my best to help

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Mephestic

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How did you revise for paper 3?

I can see about 10 possible essay questions that could come up and im unsure what the best way to revise is.

Im currently trying to create essay plans and just try and recall everything in essay form from there but it is really long and difficult.

Any advice on how you managed?

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Rachel_Leah

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(Original post by Mephestic)
How did you revise for paper 3?

I can see about 10 possible essay questions that could come up and im unsure what the best way to revise is.

Im currently trying to create essay plans and just try and recall everything in essay form from there but it is really long and difficult.

Any advice on how you managed?

Well I studied Aggression, Eating Behaviour and Gender. And in the specification it has bullet points such as "biological explanations for aggression" etc, and basically for each one of those (there were approx 15/20 if I recall correctly!) I created a 25-mark essay that covered everything in the topic, and had it marked by my teachers. Once it was getting top marks, I'd revise by condensing it down into bullet points, so long as I can expand on each one correctly, using the correct studies and details etc. I think once you grasp the main details and studies everything sort of slots into place, trying to remember regurgitated paragraphs is really hard, so just read over your essays several times, pick out the main points which you can easily expand on etc and go from there. I used to do that, then write down quickly (usually using my laptop as revision was so much quicker this way) all I could remember for each essay question, and then read back over my original notes. Whatever I left out, I'd put in BOLD or RED so it would really catch my attention, and then try again and see what I leave out that time if at all etc etc.
It is a really tedious and hard process revising for an exam with so much depth, but I found that was a good way just to get into a routine, and once in the exam everything flows easily one sentence after the other

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
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Hey! I'm doing agression, eating behaviour and gender too! Aah thanks for the tips. I've just finished AS and got an A, so hoping to get an A* next year. What book did you use to revise off? I'm thinking of getting the 'dog' book (forgot the name).

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Rachel_Leah

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(Original post by EffKayy)
Hey! I'm doing agression, eating behaviour and gender too! Aah thanks for the tips. I've just finished AS and got an A, so hoping to get an A* next year. What book did you use to revise off? I'm thinking of getting the 'dog' book (forgot the name).

THE DOG BOOK IS AWESOME. Literally. I loved it. I originally copied out the notes from the Dog Book using colours etc. and then I added anything which was missing or could be expanded upon from the AQA book (which wasn't a lot, because this book is rather rubbish!) and then I knew that I definitely had enough for a 25-mark essay! Always make sure you have 16+ AO2 and AO3 and 9+ AO1, so even if you forget a few things in the exam you have always revised just over the amount of points you need to, so shouldn't lose too many, if any, marks

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
THE DOG BOOK IS AWESOME. Literally. I loved it. I originally copied out the notes from the Dog Book using colours etc. and then I added anything which was missing or could be expanded upon from the AQA book (which wasn't a lot, because this book is rather rubbish!) and then I knew that I definitely had enough for a 25-mark essay! Always make sure you have 16+ AO2 and AO3 and 9+ AO1, so even if you forget a few things in the exam you have always revised just over the amount of points you need to, so shouldn't lose too many, if any, marks

Aah brilliant, thanks! Yeah we used the official AQA book for AS but my teacher goes for A2 it is absolutely crap! There seems so much to learn! Ahaa

Can I ask what UMS you got for PSYA3?
I was looking at the dog book in school before we broke up and for the evaluation there is SO much research support. Do we have to know them all?

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Rachel_Leah

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(Original post by EffKayy)
Aah brilliant, thanks! Yeah we used the official AQA book for AS but my teacher goes for A2 it is absolutely crap! There seems so much to learn! Ahaa

Can I ask what UMS you got for PSYA3?
I was looking at the dog book in school before we broke up and for the evaluation there is SO much research support. Do we have to know them all?

Yeah AQA really sucked for A2 where the book was concerned haha.
And I got 87/100 UMS which I was pretty chuffed with.
And as I said, as long as you have around 16+ AO2/AO3 points (I had around 20) then that's fine! You can't remember everything, so get some 9+ solid AO1 points, concise and to the point, and find some really good AO2/AO3 to counteract those, and that's perfect. The key is getting really specific ones that you will remember and fit in nicely. It took me a long time to do that with every topic but my god was it worth it x

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Mephestic

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
THE DOG BOOK IS AWESOME. Literally. I loved it. I originally copied out the notes from the Dog Book using colours etc. and then I added anything which was missing or could be expanded upon from the AQA book (which wasn't a lot, because this book is rather rubbish!) and then I knew that I definitely had enough for a 25-mark essay! Always make sure you have 16+ AO2 and AO3 and 9+ AO1, so even if you forget a few things in the exam you have always revised just over the amount of points you need to, so shouldn't lose too many, if any, marks

Could you post a link to this DOG BOOk you guys speak of lol

I think I may order it to supplement the Collins book I have!

Which book is it?

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
Yeah AQA really sucked for A2 where the book was concerned haha.
And I got 87/100 UMS which I was pretty chuffed with.
And as I said, as long as you have around 16+ AO2/AO3 points (I had around 20) then that's fine! You can't remember everything, so get some 9+ solid AO1 points, concise and to the point, and find some really good AO2/AO3 to counteract those, and that's perfect. The key is getting really specific ones that you will remember and fit in nicely. It took me a long time to do that with every topic but my god was it worth it x

Oh thanks! 87 is really good! We got CRAP results for PSYA3, like 8 A's in the whole year and we go to a grammar school too!
I'm just really worried because of how subjective markers are with essay based subjects! PSYA4 doesnt look too bad tbh, but PSYA3 is going to be a killer aha :L

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Rachel_Leah

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(Original post by EffKayy)
Oh thanks! 87 is really good! We got CRAP results for PSYA3, like 8 A's in the whole year and we go to a grammar school too!
I'm just really worried because of how subjective markers are with essay based subjects! PSYA4 doesnt look too bad tbh, but PSYA3 is going to be a killer aha :L

I HATED PSYA4 purely because of the research methods, but schizophrenia and addiction were lovely topics. PSYA3 wasn't as bad as I thought, it's true that it can be subjective, but if you truly have included 4 or more AO3 points 12 or more AO2 and 9 or more AO1 they can't really fault you!
It's important to make it really clear when you are using AO2, so instead of just describing a study writing something like 'this study shows support the behavioural view...' then go onto talk about the study, as it proves you are evaluating the view. Then in turn, 'however, there is evidence against this'. That's easy marks right there

x
And you also need to factor in view which are reductionist, nature vs nurture and determinism! They are really good evaluative points which you need to use at least once in your essay. i.e. 'although there has been some support for the biological explanations of gender, it is reductionist as it ignores .... etc. it is determinist as it .... etc. xxxx

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Mephestic

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(Original post by EffKayy)
Oh thanks! 87 is really good! We got CRAP results for PSYA3, like 8 A's in the whole year and we go to a grammar school too!
I'm just really worried because of how subjective markers are with essay based subjects! PSYA4 doesnt look too bad tbh, but PSYA3 is going to be a killer aha :L

Eff,

whats this dog book you guys speak of?

I got the A2 Collins book with the Blue eye on it, white cover and its reasonably good - I would recommend it but I think I may get another one to suppliment it that may have model answers in it.

Which dog book is this and does it have model answers in it do you know?

sorry to be a pain,

congrats on your 95 ums btw, you must have only missed out on about 2-4 marks for that at most! O_O

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Rachel_Leah

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I'm just going to upload some tables that I made for PSYA3 which helped me revise, as a sort of essay but in two columns of AO1 and AO2, most of which corresponds loosely to the thing next to it etc. bare with me x

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Rachel_Leah

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(Original post by Mephestic)
Eff,

whats this dog book you guys speak of?

I got the A2 Collins book with the Blue eye on it, white cover and its reasonably good - I would recommend it but I think I may get another one to suppliment it that may have model answers in it.

Which dog book is this and does it have model answers in it do you know?

sorry to be a pain,

congrats on your 95 ums btw, you must have only missed out on about 2-4 marks for that at most! O_O

I'm just trying to find it hun, it has a ginger dog on the front laying down it's cute

it's called the complete companion x

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Mephestic

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
I'm just going to upload some tables that I made for PSYA3 which helped me revise, as a sort of essay but in two columns of AO1 and AO2, most of which corresponds loosely to the thing next to it etc. bare with me x

Rach, thank you so so much! really appreciate it,

Im revising on my own, no teachers so always good to speak to someone about it and get more perspectives on how they learn!

Do you happen to have any of your essays that you wrote up available? I would really be interested in the model answers just for my own benefit to try and learn them too!

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Rachel_Leah

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Here are a few for Gender,

Biosocial, Evolutionary etc here too x

Attached files

tables x.doc (98.3 KB)

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Mephestic

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
Here are a few for Gender,

Biosocial, Evolutionary etc here too x

Any for Aggression, relationships, eating disorders or sleep rhythms by any chance?

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Rachel_Leah)
I HATED PSYA4 purely because of the research methods, but schizophrenia and addiction were lovely topics. PSYA3 wasn't as bad as I thought, it's true that it can be subjective, but if you truly have included 4 or more AO3 points 12 or more AO2 and 9 or more AO1 they can't really fault you!
It's important to make it really clear when you are using AO2, so instead of just describing a study writing something like 'this study shows support the behavioural view...' then go onto talk about the study, as it proves you are evaluating the view. Then in turn, 'however, there is evidence against this'. That's easy marks right there

x
And you also need to factor in view which are reductionist, nature vs nurture and determinism! They are really good evaluative points which you need to use at least once in your essay. i.e. 'although there has been some support for the biological explanations of gender, it is reductionist as it ignores .... etc. it is determinist as it .... etc. xxxx

I'm shocked that there's so many marks for evaluation! Usually at AS it was 6+6 but here it's 9+16 :O
Aaah yeah reductionist and deterministic i know them points (I include them in EVERYTHING!). I was once reading the PSYA3 thread and this guy who got like full ums was giving points and saying stuff like, don't just say its deterministic and reductionist, say if it's good or bad being reductionist or deterministic. I thought they were always negative points? o_O Confusioon!!!!!!

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Mephestic)
Any for Aggression, relationships, eating disorders or sleep rhythms by any chance?

Why have you chosen them!

Do gendeeeeeeeeeeeer
(btw rachel he's a private candidate i think? )

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Mephestic

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(Original post by EffKayy)
Why have you chosen them!

Do gendeeeeeeeeeeeer
(btw rachel he's a private candidate i think? )

Yeah im a private candidate so im just greatful for any help I can get, learning on your own is a real struggle to gain motivation and trying to understand things.

With these essays i have no one to compare with or ask for guidance..atleast at AS most of the questions were simple stuff...

I havnt picked gender because I thought the others would be easier.

I may do if it turns out eating disorders or sleep is too much to take in...gah!!

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EffKayy

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(Original post by Mephestic)
Yeah im a private candidate so im just greatful for any help I can get, learning on your own is a real struggle to gain motivation and trying to understand things.

With these essays i have no one to compare with or ask for guidance..atleast at AS most of the questions were simple stuff...

I havnt picked gender because I thought the others would be easier.

I may do if it turns out eating disorders or sleep is too much to take in...gah!!

Aah good luck, you managed to get an A being a private candidate at AS! Well done, i would totally be demotivated if I had to do it myself. This year my teacher marked A2 PSYA3 papers and attended meetings etc with AQA, so she's going to be giving us LOADS of feedback as how to get top band marks! So I will update you with that. I would advise you to get the complete companion as I looked at the Collins book with the blue eye on it and some of it is quite waffly... so..

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