Page 37 - Sixth Form Courses 2026-2028

A LEVEL
PSYCHOLOGY

OVERVIEW The study of Psychology allows us to confront and examine our intuitions and
beliefs objectively. This involves testing preconceptions and questioning our
understanding of people’s behaviour, as individuals or in groups. Throughout the
course, the focus is on application of research methods in psychology and an
appreciation of the code of ethics employed by the British Psychological Society.
APPROACH We offer a structured approach to Psychology in the Lower Sixth as students are
unlikely to have studied the subject before. Students are introduced to the major
areas of research, guided towards more advanced reading and online materials,
and helped to develop critical thinking skills as they consider the value of the
research and theories that they encounter. Although there is no coursework and
no continuous assessment that contributes towards the final grade, every
opportunity to recreate key experiments is taken in order to develop an
appreciation for practical skills. All students will carry out small-scale independent
research projects during the course.

COURSE OUTLINE The Lower Sixth provides the foundation on the theories of psychology and
research techniques alongside the key approaches to understanding behaviour
such as Biopsychology, the biological structures and chemical activity that
underlie behaviour and the techniques that are used to investigate brain function.
Other topics in the Lower Sixth include Social Influence, introducing the classic
research on conformity and obedience; Memory, tracing the development of
current models of human memory and evaluating their impact on the
interpretation of eyewitness testimony; Attachment, focusing on the role of
caregivers in development and the impact of maternal deprivation and Clinical
Psychology and Mental Health, where students learn about the characteristics of
phobias, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder then evaluate different
approaches to treatment.
The first half of the Upper Sixth builds on the foundation of theory and research
techniques from the Lower Sixth, by evaluating their practical applications in areas
such as the treatment of mental illness and forensic psychology. The latter half of
the Upper Sixth is based around comparison of the effectiveness of the different
perspectives adopted by psychologists in studying human behaviour, including
their implications on philosophical debates such as our free will to make choices.

FURTHER INFORMATION Psychology is a very flexible subject and compliments all Sixth Form courses.
Students studying other subjects have appreciated its topic links with Biology,
Physical Education, Philosophy, Business and Economics. Psychology remains one
of the most popular courses at university, and it underpins other courses, such as
Child Development, Marketing, Criminology and Neuroscience.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Students who have studied GCSE Separate Science should have achieved a
minimum of grade 6 (B) in GCSE Biology to enrol onto this course. Those with
GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy should have achieved a minimum of grades 6-6
(B-B).
All students should have achieved a minimum of grade 6 (B) in GCSE Maths.
A minimum of grade 5 (C+) in English is essential and grade 6 (B) is desirable.

EXAM BOARD AND 7182
SPECIFICATION https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/a-level/psychology-7182/
specification
CONTACT Head of Psychology
Mr B Wright
wright.b@millfieldschool.com

35 MILLFIELD SIXTH FORM 2026-2028