Hi! These are my A-Level notes, essays and resources I used to sit the 2018 summer exams, in AQA Psychology, AQA Economics and AQA English Literature (achieving A*A*A). Hope you find these useful.
Hi! These are my A-Level notes, essays and resources I used to sit the 2018 summer exams, in AQA Psychology, AQA Economics and AQA English Literature (achieving A*A*A). Hope you find these useful.
AQA Psychology A-level: Attachment
From specification 7181, 7182 - Introductory topics in Psychology (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!)
NOTES:
Caregiver-infant interaction
Attachment vs bond, features of attachment and importance of attachment
Studies of early interaction and findings
Reciprocity, Tronick et al (1979), and interactional synchrony, Condon and Ogston (1971)
Attachment development
Schaffer and Emerson longitudinal study and evaluation
Stages of attachment and evaluation
Attachment figures - Grossman (2002) and fathers as primary caregivers, and evaluation
Animal studies
Lorenz’s geese studies and evaluation - imprinting for survival and critical period
Harlow’s monkey study and evaluation, including experiment variations and findings
Explanations for attachment
Learning theory - classical conditioning and operant conditioning (Skinner) - and evaluation
Bowlby’s monotropic theory and evaluation - instinctive attachment, monotropy, internal working model etc.
Types of attachment
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation (1970) and evaluation of attachment types
Causes of individual differences in attachment
Cultural variations in attachment - Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) and evaluation
Deprivation
Bowlby’s theory of Maternal Deprivation and 44 thieves study, and evaluation
Romanian orphan study - Rutter et al and evaluation
Effects of institutionalisation, disinhibited attachment and evaluation
Influence of early attachment
Hazen and Shaver (1987) - study for internal working model
Evidence for behaviour influenced by internal working model and evaluation
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Discuss research into early infant-caregiver interaction (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research by Schaffer and Emerson into attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research into the stages of attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research the role of the father (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate animal studies into attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate learning theory as an explanation for attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation for attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ research (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate cultural variations of attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation (16 marks)
Discuss research into the effects of institutionalization (16 marks) / Outline and evaluate Rutter’s study of Romanian orphans (16 marks)
Discuss research into the influence of early attachment (16 marks)
AQA Psychology A-level: Social Influence
From specification 7181, 7182 - Paper 1: Introductory topics in Psychology (I achieved an A* in Psycholology A-level in 2018, across all three papers)
Includes a lot of evaluation! - AO3 needed for high marks!
**NOTES: **
Types of conformity - compliance, identification and internalisation
Explanations for conformity - normative and informational social influence
Factors affecting conformity - group size, unanimity, task difficulty and relevant studies
Evaluation of conformity (A03)
Conformity to social roles - Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison experiment and evaluation
Explanations for obedience - Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
Situational variables: proximity, location and uniform
Dispositional explanations - the Authoritarian personality and evaluation
Resistance to social influence and social change
Explanations for resistance - locus of control, social support and evaluation
Role of minority influence - commitment, consistency and flexibility principles and evaluation
Role of social influence in social change, Civil Rights, snowballing effect**
EXAM QUESTIONS:
Outline and evaluate explanations for conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Asch into conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Zimbardo into conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Milgram into obedience (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the situational factors affecting obedience (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate legitimacy of authority and the agentic state (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Adorno’s authoritarian personality (16 marks)
Discuss social support as an explanation for the resistance to social influence (8 marks)
Outline and evaluate Rotter’s LOC as an explanation for resistance to social influence (16 marks)
Discuss research into minority influence and its implications on resistance of social influence (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate social change and its implications on resistance to social influence (16 marks)
AQA English Literature A-level; Specification A (7711, 7712). Love through the ages; comparative set texts (Great Gatsby and Love poetry pre-1900)
Includes example essays and teacher-assessed marks (all Band 5, 21-22/25)
Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about unrequited love
Compare how the writers of two texts you have studied present ideas about immorality in love
Compare how the writers of two texts you have studied present ideas about truth and deception in love
Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about romantic commitment
Compare how the writers of two texts you have studied present ideas about conflict within relationships
(Cross-poetry analysis) Compare how the authors of two texts you have studied present ideas about loss of love
From AQA A-level English Literature A ‘Love through the ages’ (7711, 7712) -*I sat my exams in June 2018 and achieved an A grade. *
This resource contains a list of 25-mark essay plans (fully-written essays as well as structured plans), and a list of key quotations:
Discuss how Shakespeare presents the relationship between Othello and Desdemona in this extract and elsewhere in the play (25 marks)
'As lovers, Othello and Desdemona either worship or despise one another. There is no middle ground.’
In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Othello’s and Desdemona’s attitudes towards one another in this extract and elsewhere in the play. (25 marks)
‘Paradoxically, texts present jealousy as a destructive force existing within the deepest of love’. In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Othello’s feelings for Desdemona in this extract and elsewhere in the play. (25 marks)
Structured plans
‘Bleak, pessimistic view on love: it is a cause of misery and sadness’
Typically, love is presented as an all-consuming, malicious force’. In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents love in this passage and elsewhere in the play.
In Othello, females are presented as weak-minded and subservient in their relationships with their husband’. In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents marital love in this extract and elsewhere in the play.
‘Shakespeare presents love as successfully transcending boundaries and difficulties’. In light of this view, examine the relationship between Othello and Desdemona in this extract and elsewhere in the play.
‘Typically, texts present men as unable to control their emotions or act rationally upon them’. In light of this view, discuss how Shakespeare presents Othello’s emotions in this extract and elsewhere in the play.
AQA Psychology A-level: Attachment, Memory, Psychopathology and Social Influence
From specification 7181, 7182 - Introductory topics in Psychology (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!)
-> These are FULL 16 mark example essays I created for revision, which helped me get my A*!
Attachment:
Discuss research into early infant-caregiver interaction (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research by Schaffer and Emerson into attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research into the stages of attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate research the role of the father (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate animal studies into attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate learning theory as an explanation for attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation for attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Ainsworth’s ‘Strange Situation’ research (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate cultural variations of attachment (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation (16 marks)
Discuss research into the effects of institutionalization (16 marks) / Outline and evaluate Rutter’s study of Romanian orphans (16 marks)
Discuss research into the influence of early attachment (16 marks)
Memory:
Outline and evaluate the multi-store model of memory (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the working memory model (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the types of long-term memory (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate interference theory as an explanation for forgetting (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate retrieval failure as an explanation for forgetting (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the effect of misleading information on eye witness testimony (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the effect of anxiety on eye witness testimony (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the use of the cognitive interview in improving the accuracy of eye witness testimony (16 marks)
Psychopathology:
Outline and evaluate two ways of defining abnormality (16 marks) x2
Outline the characteristics of phobias (6 marks)
Outline the characteristics of OCD (6 marks)
Outline the characteristics of depression (6 marks)
Discuss behavioural explanations for phobias (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the behavioural approach to treating phobias (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate one or more biological explanation for obsessive-compulsive disorder (16 marks) x2
Discuss the biological approach for treating OCD (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate one or more cognitive explanations for depression (16 marks) x2
Discuss the cognitive approach to treating depression (16 marks)
Social Influence:
Outline and evaluate explanations for conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Asch into conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Zimbardo into conformity (16 marks)
Discuss research by Milgram into obedience (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate the situational factors affecting obedience (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate legitimacy of authority and the agentic state (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate Adorno’s authoritarian personality (16 marks)
Discuss social support as an explanation for the resistance to social influence (8 marks)
Outline and evaluate Rotter’s LOC as an explanation for resistance to social influence (16 marks)
Discuss research into minority influence and its implications on resistance of social influence (16 marks)
Outline and evaluate social change and its implications on resistance to social influence (16 marks)
AQA Economics A-level: Example 25 mark essays - specification 7135, 7136
Includes 25 mark essays:
Assess whether you agree that governments should subsidize companies who are developing cars which run on clean fuels such as hydrogen (25 marks)
Assess whether you agree that the government should give financial assistance to firms producing cars in the UK to increase their competitiveness (25 marks)
Assess whether you agree that the implementation of pollution permits could play a role in reducing global warming (25 marks)
Discuss the view that falling unemployment will inevitably lead to trade-offs with other macroeconomic policy objectives (25 marks)
Evaluate policies that the government could use to reduce obesity, referring to classical solutions such as taxes, subsidies and regulations, and behavioural solutions such as nudges and default choice (25 marks)
Using your knowledge of behavioural economics and neoclassical economics, evaluate the possible policies that could be used to reduce congestion in the UK’s cities. (25 marks)
Evaluate the view that imposing a tax is the most effective government policy for reducing the market failure arising from overconsumption of unhealthy food and drink (25 marks)
Using the extracts and your economic knowledge, assess whether you agree that fixing a maximum price for energy that is sold households is the best way of dealing with market failure in the UK energy industry (25 marks)
Using the extracts and your economic knowledge, assess the view that inequality is ‘good for us all’ (25 marks)
9 and 15 mark essays:
With the help of a diagram, explain how export subsidies may help promote economic growth in India (9 marks)
Explain how government policies can reduce the natural rate of unemployment (15 marks)
Explain why, in a free market, sugary drinks may be overconsumed (15 marks)
Essay plan
To what extent do you agree that expansionary monetary policy is always effective in creating economic growth? (25 marks)
From A-level specification 7181, 7182
(I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Here is a complete bundle of all my notes.
INCLUDES:
Introductory Topics in Psychology
Social Influence
Memory
Attachment
Psychopathology
Psychology in Context
Approaches
Biopsychology
Research Methods
Issues and Options
Issues and Debates
Cognition and Development
Eating Behaviour
Forensic Psychology
AQA Economics A-level: specification 7135, 7136
*I sat my Economics exam in summer 2018 and achieved A star grades across all three papers. Here is a bundle of all my content/theory notes and 25 mark essay examples and plans!
Includes:
Paper 1 - Micro
Economic Problem and Methodology
Supply and Demand
Production, Costs and Revenue
Market Structure
Labour Market
Income and Wealth
Market Mechanism, Market Failure and Government Intervention
Paper 2 - Macro
Macroeconomic performance
Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply
Economic Performance
Financial Markets
Fiscal and Supply Side
International Economy
Paper 3 - Synoptic
Synoptic practice questions
AND *A Example 25 mark essays and practice questions covering:
**
Includes 25 mark essays:
Assess whether you agree that governments should subsidize companies who are developing cars which run on clean fuels such as hydrogen (25 marks)
Assess whether you agree that the government should give financial assistance to firms producing cars in the UK to increase their competitiveness (25 marks)
Assess whether you agree that the implementation of pollution permits could play a role in reducing global warming (25 marks)
Discuss the view that falling unemployment will inevitably lead to trade-offs with other macroeconomic policy objectives (25 marks)
Evaluate policies that the government could use to reduce obesity, referring to classical solutions such as taxes, subsidies and regulations, and behavioural solutions such as nudges and default choice (25 marks)
Using your knowledge of behavioural economics and neoclassical economics, evaluate the possible policies that could be used to reduce congestion in the UK’s cities. (25 marks)
Evaluate the view that imposing a tax is the most effective government policy for reducing the market failure arising from overconsumption of unhealthy food and drink (25 marks)
Using the extracts and your economic knowledge, assess whether you agree that fixing a maximum price for energy that is sold households is the best way of dealing with market failure in the UK energy industry (25 marks)
Using the extracts and your economic knowledge, assess the view that inequality is ‘good for us all’ (25 marks)
9 and 15 mark essays:
With the help of a diagram, explain how export subsidies may help promote economic growth in India (9 marks)
Explain how government policies can reduce the natural rate of unemployment (15 marks)
Explain why, in a free market, sugary drinks may be overconsumed (15 marks)
Essay plan
To what extent do you agree that expansionary monetary policy is always effective in creating economic growth? (25 marks)