Edexcel AS Level Psychology Tutors Online

Edexcel AS Level Psychology is code 8PS0, and its full title is the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Psychology. First teaching was September 2015 and first certification was 2016. This page works from Issue 2, dated November 2016.

The qualification is structured into four topic areas, which the specification describes as the areas that have laid the foundations of modern psychological understanding. It consists of two externally examined papers, and students must complete all assessment in May and June in any single year, so both papers are sat in the same summer.

Paper 1 is Social and cognitive psychology, code 8PS0/01. It is externally assessed, worth 50% of the total qualification, and it is an examination of 1 hour 30 minutes carrying 70 marks. It draws on Topic 1, Social psychology, and Topic 2, Cognitive psychology.

Paper 2 is Biological psychology and learning theories, code 8PS0/02. It is also externally assessed, worth 50%, and it is an examination of 1 hour 30 minutes carrying 70 marks. It draws on Topic 3, Biological psychology, and Topic 4, Learning theories.

Both papers have exactly the same internal shape, and it is worth knowing the mark allocation precisely. Each paper has three sections and students must answer all questions from all three. Section A carries 29 marks and comprises mixed question types covering the first topic. Section B carries 29 marks and comprises mixed question types covering the second topic. Section C carries 12 marks and comprises one extended response question covering both topic areas.

That Section C is the part of the paper that separates students who have learned two topics from students who understand how the two fit together. It is a single extended response with the two topics in play at the same time, so it cannot be answered from one half of the course. At 12 marks it is smaller than either of the other sections, but it is the only place where the connection is examined.

The mark arithmetic is straightforward: 29 and 29 and 12 make 70, on both papers. So each paper allocates 58 marks to the two topics separately and 12 marks to them together.

Two features make this qualification easier to plan around. The formulae and statistical tables given in Appendix 4 are printed in the paper itself, so a student is not carrying tables in memory or bringing their own. And calculators may be used in the examination, which matters because the specification asks students to perform procedures within the content and develops mathematical skills throughout, with the skills listed in Appendix 3.

The content is four topic areas rather than a long list of studies. The specification says content marked with an e.g. is intended to illustrate core material and is indicative of what may be assessed, and that additional examples not given in the specification may also be assessed. So the topics set the boundaries, but a student cannot rely on only the named examples.

The assessment objectives are three. AO1, demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures, is 35 to 40 per cent. AO2, apply knowledge and understanding in a theoretical context, in a practical context, and when handling qualitative and quantitative data, is 30 to 35 per cent. AO3, analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas and evidence, including in relation to issues, to make judgements and reach conclusions and to develop and refine practical design and procedures, is 30 to 35 per cent.

Knowledge is the largest objective here, but only just, and the other two objectives are worth almost as much each. Together, applying and evaluating account for 60 per cent or more of the qualification, so a student who can describe a study but cannot use it or weigh it is limited to around a third of the marks.

Both papers carry the same objective split. Each is 17 to 19 per cent AO1, 14 to 19 per cent AO2 and 14 to 18 per cent AO3, so neither paper is weighted towards recall and neither rewards one skill over the other. The ranges are wide, which means the exact balance can shift slightly between series.

The qualification is graded on a five-grade scale from A to E using the total subject mark, and individual papers are not graded. The first certification opportunity was 2016. Students below the minimum judged by Pearson to be of sufficient standard receive an unclassified U result.

On codes: the qualification number is 601/5572/3, the subject code is 8PS0, and the paper codes are 8PS0/01 and 8PS0/02. Two discount codes are printed, PK1 for KS4 performance tables and 4850 for 16 to 18 performance tables.