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St Margaret Ward
Catholic Academy
St Margaret Ward
Catholic Academy
Psychology gives us the tools to make sense of ourselves, other people, and the world around us, combining scientific thinking with real human insight. It is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, exploring how we think, feel, and act in different contexts. At A-Level, students examine a wide range of behaviours, from memory and obedience to mental health and criminality, using research evidence to understand both everyday experiences and complex psychological issues. Psychology sits at the intersection of science and social inquiry, equipping students with the skills to evaluate theories, apply research methods, and engage critically with real world problems.
Our A-Level Psychology curriculum is shaped by a commitment to Inquiry — the central driver that underpins everything we teach. We aim to develop students not only as learners of psychology, but as thinkers, questioners, and investigators of the human mind and behaviour. Our goal is to foster active engagement with psychology, encouraging students to go beyond acquiring knowledge and instead become psychologically literate individuals.
Students are empowered to:
The four tenets of Behavioural, Human, Critical, and Evidence-Based Inquiry form the foundation of Inquiry. These tenets shape how students engage with psychological content, structure their thinking, and develop disciplinary habits. They provide a consistent framework for understanding behaviour, applying theory, analysing evidence, and reflecting on what it means to study psychology in depth and in context.
Students examine how behaviour is shaped by learning, experience, and environment. They explore questions such as: Why do we conform? What influences criminal behaviour? This tenet supports key topics including social influence, attachment, memory, and forensic psychology, encouraging students to apply behaviourist and social learning principles to real-world actions.
Students explore how psychological theory helps us understand relationships, emotion, and mental health. They consider questions such as: How do early attachments affect later behaviour? How can we support those experiencing psychological distress? This tenet runs through topics such as attachment, clinical psychology and mental health, schizophrenia, and relationships, encouraging students to think with empathy and reflect on the human side of psychological science.
Students learn to question evidence, challenge assumptions, and weigh up competing explanations. They explore questions such as: How reliable is psychological research? Can we trust diagnostic labels? Are all perspectives equally valid? This tenet runs throughout the course but is especially central to issues and debates, approaches in psychology, schizophrenia, and relationships, where students develop the skills to think analytically and evaluate complex ideas.
Students learn how psychological knowledge is generated through research and how to interpret and apply findings. They consider questions such as: What makes a study credible? How do we analyse data? How can research solve real-world problems? This tenet is embedded in research methods, forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and memory, equipping students with the tools to think scientifically and make informed, evidence-based judgments.
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced to build knowledge, application, and evaluative skill over time. In Year 12, students are introduced to core psychological approaches and methods through topics such as attachment, memory, social influence, and psychopathology. From the outset, they engage in evaluation and critical thinking, while developing a strong foundation in theory, evidence, and research. In Year 13, they build on this foundation by strengthening their analytical skills and applying them to more complex and comparative content, including schizophrenia, forensic psychology, and relationships, alongside broader psychological debates.
Research methods is taught as a double unit and assessed across all three exam papers. It is introduced early and reinforced throughout the course, through discrete and interleaved teaching. Students also complete practical research tasks to consolidate their understanding and experience psychology as a scientific discipline.
The A-Level Psychology course follows the AQA Specification (7182) and is assessed across three exam papers:
Download the full course outline including how content is ordered, key questions, learner outcomes, and how each topic links to our core Psychological Inquiry tenets.
View the full AQA Psychology specification here.
Assessment is used consistently and purposefully to support progress, promote retention, and embed disciplinary thinking. A range of formative and summative methods are used to ensure that learning is secure, meaningful, and responsive over time.
Assessment strategies include:
These approaches promote depth, precision, and exam readiness, with regular opportunities for students to evaluate theories, interpret evidence, and communicate psychological ideas effectively.
At the end of the course, students sit three AQA exam papers:
Our students achieve excellent outcomes in A-Level Psychology, reflecting a curriculum that is ambitious, clearly sequenced, and grounded in psychological inquiry.
Students speak positively about their learning experiences:
“Studying psychology has opened new doors in my career journey.”
— Year 13 student
“Psychology is the most interesting subject I take, and it’s opened my eyes to life in general.”
— Year 12 student
The broader impact of the curriculum is reflected in students’ ability to think like psychologists — to analyse behaviour, understand others, evaluate ideas, and apply research. They leave the course as confident, reflective learners with a deep understanding of the mind and behaviour, grounded in the principle of Inquiry.
Many students progress to higher education in Psychology, Criminology, Law, Sociology, Nursing, Education, and other related fields. Others go on to careers in mental health, human resources, social care, business, marketing and research.
Further information on careers linked to A-Level Psychology can be found here.
Course Description: All pupils studying A level Sociology will study a two-year qualification which follows the OCR specification. They will be assessed via three exam papers (see table below). The course is broadly divided into three components:
| Topic | Total Marks | Time | % of Total A Level | |
| Component 1 | Socialisation, culture and identity | 90 Marks | 1 hour 30 minutes | 30% of total A level |
| Component 2 | Researching and understanding social inequalities | 105 Marks | 2 hour 15 minutes | 35% of total A level |
| Component 3 | Debates in contemporary society | 105 Marks | 2 hours 15 minutes | 35% of total A level |
| Component 1-Section A: Introducing socialisation, culture and identity | ||||
| This section introduces learners to the key themes of socialisation, culture and identity and develop skills that
enable individuals to focus on their personal identity, roles and responsibilities within society and develop a lifelong interest in social issues. |
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| Pacing | Key questions | Content | Learners should: | Key Studies |
| First Half Autumn Term | 1. What is culture? | Culture, norms, and values
Types of culture:
Cultural diversity Cultural hybridity |
be able to understand the relative nature
of culture, norms, and values. |
Mead (1935) Comparing tribal cultures
Bourdieu (1984) Cultural capital McLuhan (1984) Global village Nayak (2003) White wannabes |
| 2. What is socialisation? | Primary and secondary
socialisation Agencies of socialisation:
Nature/nurture debate Formal agencies of social control:
Informal agencies of social control:
|
be able to link definitions of primary socialisation and secondary socialisation to relevant agencies of socialisation, understanding that socialisation is a lifelong process.
understand the link between socialisation and the creation of identities.
consider the implications of the nature/nurture debate for an understanding of socialisation.
explore the overlap between formal and informal social control for work, education and religion. |
Parsons (1955) The role of the family in primary socialisation
Oakley (1981) Gender role socialisation in the family Lees (1983, 1997) Peer pressure and teenage girls Bowles and Gintis (1976) Schooling and the hidden curriculum Mulvey (1975) The ‘male gaze’ Young (2007) The ‘bulimic society’ Modood (1997) The importance of religion to young Asians Waddington (1999) ‘Canteen culture’ |
|
| Second Half of Autumn Term | 3. What is identity? | The concept of identity
Aspects of identity and the associated cultural characteristics:
Hybrid identities |
understand how identities are created including the influence of agencies of socialisation.
Understand the different aspects of an individual’s identity, their relative importance to individuals and ways in which they may intersect. consider changing identities. |
Ghumann (1999) Asian identity and family
Gilroy (1993) The ‘Black Atlantic’ identity Francis & Archer (2005) British Chinese families Back (1996) Neighbourhood nationalism Hewitt (2005) White British identity Anderson (1983) ‘Nation’ as an ‘imagined community’ Kumar (2003) English identity Oakley (1981) Gender role socialisation in the family. Mac an Ghaill (1984) Macho lads Jackson (2006) Lads and ladettes Mackintosh & Moonie (2004) Invisibility and social closure in the upper class. Fox (2004) The English class system McIntosh (1996) The homosexual role Plummer (1996) The homosexual career Postman (1982) The disappearance of childhood Hockey & James (1993) The infantilisation of the elderly Shakespeare (1996) Disability and identity Murugami (2009) Disability and identity Nayak (2003) White wannabes (hybridity) |
| Component 1-Section B: Media | ||||
| This option focuses on how media plays an increasingly important role as an agent of socialisation in contemporary society. It allows learners to explore a range of evidence relating to media representations and media effects. | ||||
| First Half of Spring Term | 1. How are different social groups represented in the media? | Evidence of representations in the media and how far these are changing in relation to:
Theoretical views of media representations:
|
be able to discuss representation of
a range of ethnicities. For example learners could consider UK nationalities (Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English) and also newer immigrant groups as well as more established minority ethnic groups.
understand explanations for these representations, and any changing representations, utilising theoretical perspectives as appropriate. consider issues of consensus versus conflict, social order and control in relation to theoretical views of media representations.
use postmodernism as a critique of other theoretical views. |
Van Dijk (1991) Media representations of minority and majority ethnic groups
Malik (2002) Inaccurate representations of ethnicity, tokenism Barker (1999) Ethnic representation in Eastenders Tuchman (1978) Symbolic annhiliation of women Gill (2008) Change from passive to active representations of women in advertising. Gauntlett (2008) More equal gender roles in media Dodd and Dodd (1992) Representations of working class characters in EastEnders Jones (2012) Portrayal of working class ‘chavs’ Price (2014) Portrayal of underclass and ‘poverty porn’ Nairn (1988) Representations of the Royal family Heintz-Knowles (2002) Portrayal of children Wayne (2007) Portrayal of youth in the news Landis (2002) One-dimensional portrayal of older people Miliband (1969) Media as new ‘opium of the people’ Hall (1981) Stereotyping ethnicity from a neo-Marxist perspective Philo, Bryant & Donald (GMG) (2013) Portrayal of asylum seekers from a neo-Marxist perspective Whale (1980) Pluralist view of media representations Williams (2010) Journalism as part of democracy Mulvey (1975) The male gaze Lauzen (2014) Under-representation of women in film industry Whelehen (2000) Rise of laddism in media to override feminism messages of equality Strinati (1995) Media saturation Baudrillard (1994) Hyperreality Turkle (1995) Postmodern perspective on television (and internet) as reality |
| Second Half of Spring Term | 2. What effect do the media
have on audiences? |
Theoretical views of media
effects:
The role of the media in deviance amplification and the creation of moral panics |
understand a range of theories on the effects of the media on the audience, including: hypodermic syringe; twostep flow; cultural effects; uses and
gratifications. |
Packard (1957) Hypodermic syringe model
Newson (1994) Desensitising effect of children’s exposure to media violence Badura (1961, 1963) Bobo doll experiments Anderson et al (2003) Effects of violent song lyrics Young (2003) Narratives/ context of media violence Katz and Lazarsfeld (1965) Two-step flow model and opinion leaders Philo (1989) Differing effect of portrayal of miners’ strike. McQuail (1987) Uses of the media Hall (1973) Coding/ decoding media content Klapper (1960) Selective filter model Wilkins (1967) Deviancy amplification Cohen (1972) Folk devils and moral panics Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) Elements of a moral panic Hall (1978) Ideological function of moral panics McRobbie (1994) Changing influence of moral panics |
| Component 3-Section A: Globalisation and the digital social world | ||||
| First Half of Summer Term | 1. What is the relationship between globalisation and digital forms of communication? | Definitions of globalisation
Developments in digital forms of communication in a global society:
Applying sociological theories to digital forms of communication:
|
be aware of the problems with defining
globalisation.
consider how developments in digital communication are related to social capital.
have an overview of how developments in digital forms of communication have been theoretically interpreted. |
Giddens (1990) Defining globalisation
Carter (2005) Cybercity – a virtual community Boellstorff (2008) Second Life Castells (2000) A Marxist view on the power of the network Boyle (2005) Digitalisation and media convergence Cornford and Robins (1999) Concentration of power in media, new media not so ‘new’, surveillance and control Haraway (1985, 1991) Cyborgs as a path to gender equality Cochrane (2013) Technology and the fourth wave of feminism Bjorklund (1998) Social media as a form of autobiography |
| 2. What is the impact of digital forms of communication in a
global context? |
The impact of digital forms of
communication on:
The impact of digital forms of communication on culture:
|
consider people’s identity and social
inequalities in relation to: • social class • gender • age consider both the positive and negative impacts of digital forms of communication. |
Boyle (2007) Increasing reliance on digital communications over successive generations
Berry (2011) Older users of the internet. Mertens and D’Haenens (2010) Digital class divide Li and Kirkup (2007) Gender differences in internet use between British and Chinese students Turkle (2011) Effect on social relationships: alone together Miller (2011) Tales from Facebook Shaw and Gant (2002) Positive effects of internet use Howard (2011) The role of digital communication in fundamentalist religious groups Kirkpatrick (2010) Influence of social media on social movements |
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| Component 3-Section B: Crime and deviance | ||||
| This option focuses on debates in contemporary society through a detailed study of crime and deviance. The social construction of crime and deviance are considered and the ways in which crime is socially distributed, explained and reduced. This option introduces a global dimension, with reference to patterns and trends. It aims to give an understanding of different theoretical approaches to the study of crime and deviance. | ||||
| Second Half of Summer Term | 1. How are crime and deviance defined and measured? | Definitions:
Measuring crime:
|
consider the relativity of crime and deviance over time, between societies and within societies.
consider the advantages and disadvantages of each way of measuring crime.
have awareness that official crime statistics could include police recorded crime figures and the Crime Survey for England and Wales |
Hough and Mayhew (1985) The British Crime Survey
Jones, Maclean and Young (1986)The Islington Crime Survey Young (1988) An evaluation of victim surveys, the myth of the equal victim Farrington et al (1989, 2000a, 2001) The Cambridge Study: a longitudinal self report study Campbell (1981) Self-report study on gender and delinquency |
| 2. What are the patterns and
trends in crime? |
The social distribution of
offending and victimisation:
Patterns of crime in a global context:
|
BWilliams et al (2012) Statistically linking social disadvantage and crime
Kinsey (1984) The Merseyside crime survey, class and victimization Young (1988) The myth of the equal victim Walklate (2006) Repeat victimization and abusive relationships Adler (1975) The increase in female criminality Gelsthorpe (2006) Differences in female criminality Messerschmidt (1993) Masculinity and criminality Winlow (2001) Working class masculinity and crime McVie (2004) The Edinburgh study: age and offending patterns Bowling and Phillips (2006) Charging and prosecution of Black suspects Phillips and Bowling (2002) Overpolicing of some neighbourhoods Holdaway (1996) The racialization of policing Hood (1992) Race and sentencing Waddington et al (2004) Stopping and searching, ethnicity and the ‘available’ population Nightingale (1993) The paradox of inclusion Gunter (2008) Black identity, badness and ‘road culture’ Gilroy (1982) The Myth of black criminality Palmer (2013) Understanding black youth crime Bowling, Parmar and Phillips (2003) Asian stereotypes and crime Franko Aas (2007) Defining organized crime and green crime Castells (2000) Organized crime and globalization Robertson’s (1995) Concept of ‘glocalization’, conditions impact on global phenomena. Potter (2010) Indirect damage done by ‘green crime’ Carrabine et al (2004) Primary and secondary green crime |
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| First Half of Autumn Term | 3. How can crime and deviance be explained? | Theoretical views of crime and
deviance:
|
consider the explanations of crime and the patterns and trends of offending in relation to social class, gender, age and ethnicity. | Durkheim (1960) Anomie and upright
consciences Erikson (1966) The function of public degradation ceremonies Davis (1981) Prostitution as a safety valve Merton (1938) Strain Theory Cohen (1955) Delinquent boys and status Cloward and Ohlin (1961) Illegitimate opportunity structures Winlow (2001) Badfellas: Working class criminality Katz (1988) The seductions of crime Lyng (2005) Deviance and edgework Presdee (2002) The revolt against the mundane Young (2003) Underclass criminality and social exclusion Becker (1966) Outsiders, labelling and master status Lemert (1951) Primary and secondary deviance Cicourel (1968) Police negotiations Box (1983) Marxist view of crime as ideology Bonger (1916) Linking crime to economic conditions Gordon (1973) Crime as a rational response to social conditions Goldstraw-White (2010) Interviewing white collar criminals Chambliss (1973) The Saints and the roughnecks Hall & Jefferson (1976) Neo-Marxist views on working class youth deviance and resistance Taylor, Walton & Young (1972) The New Criminology Hall et al (1978) ‘Policing the Crisis’ |
| 4. How can crime and deviance be reduced? | Social policy and crime:
|
consider policies relating to crime prevention, punishment and control. | John Braithwaite (1989) Left wing policies: Crime, Shame and Reintegration
Lea and Young (1993) Over and under policing, multi-agency working Shapland (2008) Assessing restorative justice Clarke (1980) Right wing policies: examples of target hardening Painter and Farrington (1999) Street lighting and crime reduction Wilson and Kelling (1982) Order maintenance Zimring (2011) Assessing zero tolerance Murray (2005) New right policies: prison works |
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Component 2-Section A: Research methods and researching social inequalities |
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| In this section, learners are introduced to a range of methods and sources of data as well as the factors influencing the design of sociological research and the relationship between theory and methods. Learners are encouraged to consider the practical, ethical and theoretical issues arising in sociological research and to apply knowledge of research methods to the particular context of social inequalities. | ||||
| Second Half of Autumn Term | 1. What is the relationship
between theory and methods? |
Positivism:
Interpretivism:
Key research concepts:
|
understand how social research is guided
by theory.
use these concepts in an evaluative way when considering the research process and methodological theories. |
Studies are not required for the research methods section |
| 2. What are the main stages of the research process? | Key concepts in the research
process:
Sampling process Sampling techniques
Access and gatekeeping Ethics |
consider how sociological research
contributes to social policy.
understand the practical, ethical and theoretical factors influencing choice of sampling process.
understand the advantages and disadvantages of random and non-random sampling techniques.
understand how samples are accessed and the issues with access.
understand ethical considerations such as those used by the British Sociological Association and why ethical principles should be followed. |
Studies are not required for the research methods section | |
| 3. Which methods are used in sociological research? | Research methods:
Quantitative and qualitative data Mixed methods
|
consider the uses of research methods in
the context of social inequalities. |
Studies are not required for the research methods section | |
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Component 2-Section B: Understanding social inequalities |
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| Within this section learners will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of contemporary patterns and trends of social inequality. Learners are able to engage in theoretical debate, explore conceptual issues and develop skills of analysis and evaluation of sociological research and evidence. | ||||
| First Half of Spring Term | 1. What are the main patterns and trends in social inequality and difference? | Social inequality and difference
in relation to:
|
consider the main patterns and trends in
relation to work and employment.
consider evidence of social inequalities from a range of areas of social life.
consider how social inequalities affect life chances. |
Social Class:
Rowlingson and Mullineux (2013) Birmingham Report on income and wealth Atkinson (2013) Inherited wealth Roberts (2001) Social mobility, middle class employment security Gallie (2000) Working class/ manual occupations disproportionately affected by changes to economic structure, deskilling Wakeman (2015) Food banks and nutritional deficiencies
Gender: McDowell (1992) Women concentrated in work with part-time/ short term contracts. Li and Devine (2011) Women and social mobility Payne and Pantazis (1997) Gender and poverty Mac an Ghaill (1994) Crisis of masculinity Warin et al (1999) Pressure on males to be breadwinners and superdads
Ethnicity: Jenkins (1986) Racism in recruitment practices Heath & Cheung (2006) The ethnic penalty Bhopal et al (1995) Bangladeshi women homeworkers Marsh & Perry (2003) Ethnicity and poverty Aldridge (2001) Ethnicity and social mobility Rex and Tomlinson (1979) An ethnic underclass Pilkington (2003) Challenging the idea of an ethnic underclass
Age: Milne (1999) Grey Power – Differences in life chances and experiences of the elderly Moore and Conn (1985) Observation study on treatment of elderly Hockey and James (1993) Infantilisation of the elderly Ray, Sharp and Adams (2006) Ageism in the UK, e.g. in the workplace Bytheway et al. (2007) Discrimination and rejection of elderly |
| 2. How can patterns and
trends in social inequality and difference be explained? |
The main sociological
explanations of social inequality and difference:
|
have an understanding of the distinctive
concepts and ideas associated with each theory. |
Social Class:
Davis and Moore (1945) The functions of class inequalities Saunders (1990) Equality of opportunity, a New Right view Murray (1984) The underclass, a New Right view Westergaard & Resler (1976) A Marxist view on the continuing importance of class inequality Parkin (1979) Weberian class analysis, social closure and usurpation Pakulski and Waters (1996) A postmodernist view on social class inequality
Gender: Sharpe (1994) Changing gender expectations Ansley (1977) Women soaking up male frustration Benston (1972) Unpaid domestic work Millett(1970) Sexual politics Johnson (1995) Patriarchal terrorism Delphy & Leonard (1992) The family as an oppressive institution Walby (1990, 1997) Triple systems, intersectionality Hakim (2006) Rational choice. Preference theory Rastogi (2002) Human capital Schlafly (2002) New Right view Barron & Norris (1976) Dual labour market theory
Ethnicity: Patterson (1965) Immigrant-host model Murray and Herrnstein (1994) The Bell Curve Castles and Kosack (1973) Divide and rule Miles (1989) Racialised class fractions Rex and Tomlinson (1979) Ethnic underclass Parkin (1968) Negatively privileged status groups
Age: Parsons (1977) Youth as a transitional stage Statham (2011) Role of grandparents Cummings and Henry (1961) Social disengagement theory Phillipson (1982) The elderly as a reserve army of labour Arber and Ginn (1991) Age, gender and status Turner (1989) Age and status in society Victor (1994) Negative labelling of the elderly Lackzo and Phillipson (1991) Intersection of class and age Researching and understanding social inequalities: (02) Blaikie (1999) Postmodernism and positive ageing |
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| Second Half of Spring Term | Revision for Component 1: Focus of Revision will be determined by student need | |||
| First Half of Summer Term | Revision for Component 3: Focus of Revision will be determined by student need | |||
