Struggling with Alevel Psychology

Hi everyone,

I’m a Year 13 student studying AQA A-level Psychology and recently I’ve been getting consistent D grades. I’m struggling to feel confident with any of the topics and with around three months (97 days) left until my first exam, I’m starting to feel quite stressed about whether I can realistically improve.

I wanted to ask whether anyone has been in a similar situation and managed to significantly improve their grade, what revision strategies actually helped you move up grades, and whether anyone has any advice specifically for improving 16 markers and overall exam technique.

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you !

Reply 1

Sillykitten

Original post

by lovely-action

Hi everyone,
I’m a Year 13 student studying AQA A-level Psychology and recently I’ve been getting consistent D grades. I’m struggling to feel confident with any of the topics and with around three months (97 days) left until my first exam, I’m starting to feel quite stressed about whether I can realistically improve.
I wanted to ask whether anyone has been in a similar situation and managed to significantly improve their grade, what revision strategies actually helped you move up grades, and whether anyone has any advice specifically for improving 16 markers and overall exam technique.
Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you !

Hi, I consistently got ds and cs from yr 12-13 and came out with a b and was like 16marks off from getting an A I think the mock before my real exam I got a C, what technique are u currently using for the 16 markers?

Reply 2

lovely-action

Original post

by Sillykitten

Honestly I don’t really have a fixed technique. I usually put all the AO1 in the first paragraphs and then the evaluation after, but it changes depending on the question. I’m also not great with timing, and my teacher says I don’t include enough evaluation, so I tend to lose quite a few marks on 16-markers.

Reply 3

Sillykitten

Original post

by lovely-action

For 8 markers aim to have 3 ao1 points and 2 evaluations one for and one against
For the 16markers my teacher recommended 6 ao1 points and 3-4 evaluation points, if you have 3 solid ao3 u can get full marks but if you think one or more points are lacking make sure u include a 4th x

Reply 4

Sillykitten

if u need any help with application questions my teacher taught us the peel method
P for point e for evidence e for explain and l for link(back to the main point) this is for 3-4markers

Reply 5

rajbhamra

Original post

by lovely-action

Hi everyone,
I’m a Year 13 student studying AQA A-level Psychology and recently I’ve been getting consistent D grades. I’m struggling to feel confident with any of the topics and with around three months (97 days) left until my first exam, I’m starting to feel quite stressed about whether I can realistically improve.
I wanted to ask whether anyone has been in a similar situation and managed to significantly improve their grade, what revision strategies actually helped you move up grades, and whether anyone has any advice specifically for improving 16 markers and overall exam technique.
Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you !

hey! i do a level psych, i use to be on U’s and now i got c’s and even b’s. the way i revise is flashcards. condense the information on to the flashcard and then teach it to someone else like there are an alien, then do exam questions with notes or without, try without first and then do with if you struggle! and then with time ur grades will improve! don’t worry its not over yet, you have time, do not stress and most importantly don’t overthink your answers! you got this! regarding sixteen marker, i would honestly get help from teachers or youtube.

Reply 6

Janepsy

Original post

by lovely-action

Hi everyone,
I’m a Year 13 student studying AQA A-level Psychology and recently I’ve been getting consistent D grades. I’m struggling to feel confident with any of the topics and with around three months (97 days) left until my first exam, I’m starting to feel quite stressed about whether I can realistically improve.
I wanted to ask whether anyone has been in a similar situation and managed to significantly improve their grade, what revision strategies actually helped you move up grades, and whether anyone has any advice specifically for improving 16 markers and overall exam technique.
Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you !

I think my first piece of advice would be to nail research methods. It carries a lot of marks. But you can also gain A03 marks by using research methodology for those 16 mark essays. Try structuring your essays A01 A03 A03 A01 A03 A03. Pretend it’s two 8 markers and you have just joined them together. Revise this way to, your brain will associate the A01 and A03 together. Hope this works

Reply 7

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Hi there!

I feel like I was in a very similar position to you. My 16 markers were always my weakest area, and the highest grade I got in my mock exams was a C. However, I ended up achieving a B in my A-level Psychology exam, and now I’m studying Psychology at university.

I just want to say that it does feel really hard at first, but it genuinely gets easier once you get used to the process. Personally, I found the huge AQA Psychology textbook overwhelming, and I kept putting off revision because it made me anxious. What really helped was starting with a smaller revision guide(pretty sure it was this one https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/aqa-psychology-for-a-level-year-1-as-revision-guide-2nd-edition-book-cara-flanagan-9781912820436?gad_campaignid=17428061177&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADZzAIAWmzJoOjml33KJolR9yZMQ1&sku=GOR011245833). This was a much more concise summary of the subject, with each topic explained clearly and concisely. I began by reading it and trying to memorise key details such as the names of researchers, dates and important findings, as these were clearly highlighted. This became a really good starting point.

Once I had gained a basic understanding of a topic, such as memory, my friends and I would sometimes revise together using whiteboards, although I also did this alone. We would pick a subtopic, such as the Multi-Store Model, and write down everything we could remember, such as researchers' names, years, study details and key terms, all the things that help you gain higher marks. Then we would check the textbook and add anything we had missed in a different colour. After that, we focused on our weaker areas, repeating the process until we could confidently recall most of the content. I only started adding extra detail from the main textbook once I felt secure with the basics.

After establishing a solid knowledge base, I moved on to past papers. I completed as many as I could find. This helped me to identify gaps in my knowledge and understand how the marking schemes worked. Over time, you start to recognise patterns in what the examiners are looking for. With practice, smaller-mark questions became much easier for me.

As for the 16-mark questions, yes, they are definitely the hardest. What helped me most was sticking to a clear structure, such as PEEL paragraphs for analysis or SCOUT for evaluation. Having a structure makes your answers more organised and prevents you from losing marks by mixing points together. It can also be difficult to mark 16-mark questions yourself, so I strongly recommend giving your practice answers to your teacher for feedback. Their advice can make a huge difference as they can show you exactly how to improve.

Overall, A-level Psychology exams rely heavily on free recall, so unfortunately there’s no shortcut, you really have to memorise the material and practise past papers consistently. It can feel tough, but once you start seeing your marks improve, your motivation will naturally increase. Revising with classmates can also be very helpful for instance, explaining a topic to a friend and asking them to add anything you missed is an excellent way to improve recall. Of course, this is just my personal experience and what worked for me, you should choose the revision methods that suit you best.

You still have time, and improvement is absolutely possible, I've been there myself! 🙂

Kornelija (Psychology Student Ambassador)