The Student Room Group

A Level psychology or sociology??

I've been looking for choices to pick for my A-levels as GCSE results day dooms closer and I will have to make my choices then. I did GCSE psychology however it was terrible as my teacher was boring and the class wasn't an environment for me. The reason I did pick it was because I actually did enjoy that particular subject however I didn't enjoy it as I could have. I want to study Law at uni in the future hopefully and I think I will pick Eng Lit, Politics and psychology or sociology. I will need to make a tough decision so if you have studied either one of these subjects at a level could you please layout the pros and cons for yourself? Thanks
I absolutely loved psychology at both GCSE and A level, and I’ve now chosen to pursue it at Uni.

Pros:
Not purely essay based. At least for AQA, there’s a combination of multiple choice, short 2-4 markers, and then some longer answers not exceeding 16 marks. This may be good if you want a less intense version of your other essay subjects.
Super interesting topics that apply to real life. Doing extra reading to boost my essays never felt like a chore to me
AQA has really fair grade boundaries (roughly 70% for an A*)
At least in my school, it tended to be a bit more ‘respected’ as a subject.

Cons:
Statistical tests are the bane of my existence
Research methods topic
Proper exam technique can be hard to wrap your head around initially. Just keep doing practice essays and getting them marked with feedback
If you hate biology, you’ll may struggle with the topic of biopsychology
I taught myself A-Level Sociology in 5 months so although I didn't have the typical experience with it I really enjoyed it :smile:

Pros:

- Really interesting, studying sociology really made me view the world in a different way and I feel like I have a much deeper insight into society and social life now.
- Once you have understood the basic concepts and how the examiner marks the paper, it is relatively easy to ensure that you are picking up marks.
- Would go well with A-level Politics

Cons:

- The essay questions are longer than those in Psychology, with some 30 markers.
- Viewed by some as a 'Mickey Mouse' subject. However, people often have the same view about Psychology.
- Research methods topic was pretty boring

Quick Reply