AQA Psychology A-level: Research Methods (part 1) From specification 7181, 7182 - Psychology in context (paper 2) I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade! Includes The basis of experiments Variables and control Experimental methods Experimental design Non-experimental methods Sampling techniques Pilot studies, content analysis and ethical issues

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)

AQA Psychology A-level: Research Methods (part 2) From specification 7181, 7182 - Psychology in context - paper 2 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes Reliability and validity - measuring, improving, evaluation Extraneous variables Data handling - types of data, presentation/display of data, measures of CT, dispersion and standard deviation Probability and significance - statistical and inferential tests, type 1 vs type 2 errors Inferential tests Features of science, writing the scientific report, peer review and evaluation

AQA Psychology A-level: Cognition and Development From specification 7181, 7182 - Issues and options in Psychology - paper 3 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes Piaget’s theory of development, schemas, motivation to learn, assimilation/accomodation and evaluation 4 stages of intellectual development and evaluation of studies Vygotsky’s theory of development - language, zone of proximal development, scaffolding and evaluation Baillargeon and infant abilities - violation of expectation research (VOE), physical reasoning and evaluation Selman’s perspective-taking research, stages of perspective taking and evaluation Theory of mind - false belief tasks, eyes tasks, biological basis, role in ASD and evaluation Mirror neuron system - role of mirror neurons, relation to evolution, relation to ASD and evaluation

AQA Psychology A-level: Forensic Psychology From specification 7181, 7182 - Issues and options in Psychology - paper 3 (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 are my practice exam questions Includes: Outline and evaluate methods of measuring crime (16 marks) Outline and evaluate the top-down approach of offender profiling (16 marks) Outline and evaluate the bottom-up approach of offender profiling (16 marks) Outline and evaluate one or more biological explanation for offending behaviour (16 marks) Discuss Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality as an explanation for offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate cognitive explanations for offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate differential association theory as an explanation for offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate the psychodynamic explanation for offending (16 marks) Outline and evaluate custodial sentencing as a way of dealing with offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate behaviour modification as a way of dealing with offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate anger management as a way of dealing with offending behaviour (16 marks) Outline and evaluate restorative justice programmes as a way of dealing with offending behaviour (16 marks)

AQA Psychology A-level: Eating behaviour From specification 7181, 7182 - Issues and options in Psychology - paper 3 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes Evolutionary explanations for food preferences, taste aversion, neophobia and evaluation Role of learning - classical and operant conditioning, social influence; family, media, peer etc. and evaluation Cultural influence in eating - norms, meat-eating, learning and evaluation Neural mechanisms - dual-centre model of eating - Lateral hypothalamus and ventro-medial hypothalamus Hormonal mechanisms - role of ghrelin and leptin, studies and evaluation Explanations for anorexia nervosa (AN)* Genetic explanations - twin studies, candidate-gene and genome-wide associate studies and evaluation Neural explanations - role of serotonin and dopamine and evaluation Psychodynamic approach - Family Systems Theory (FST) and evaluation Social learning theory - modelling, vicarious reinforcement, media, Dittmar et al’s Barbie study (2006) Cognitive theory - cognitive distortions, irrational beliefs, cognitive inflexibility and evaluation Explanations for obesity Genetic explanations - family/twin studies, polygenic determination and ‘thrifty’ gene hypothesis Neural explanations -hypothalamus, leptin, serotonin and dopamine and evaluation Psychological explanations - restraint theory, disinhibition, boundary model and evaluation Success and failure of dieting - spiral model, ironic process theory, restrained eating and disinhibition Theory of hedonic eating Evaluation of success and failure of dieting with key studies Overview of key biological components in eating behaviour

AQA Psychology A-level: Approaches in Psychology From specification 7181, 7182 - Psychology in context - paper 2 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes Origins of psychology - introspection, Wundt, empiricism and evaluation Behaviourist approach - classical conditioning and Pavlov, operant conditioning and Skinner - evaluation Social learning theory - Bandura’s modelling, imitation, identification, meditational process and evaluation Cognitive approach - schema, computer models, cognitive neuroscience and evaluation Biological approach - genetic basis, genotype vs phenotype, evolution, biological structures and evaluation Psychodynamic approach - unconscious mind, structure of personality, defence mechanisms, psychosexual stages and evaluation Humanistic approach - free will, self actualisation, congruence and conditions of worth and evaluation COMPARISON OF APPROACHES (A03) - views on development, nature vs nurture, reductionism, determinism, views on abnormal behaviour

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!) Includes 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

AQA Psychology A-level: Memory 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!) Includes: The Multi-store model of memory - Atkinson and Shiffrin - detailed explanation of components and evaluation The Working Memory model - detailed explanation of central executive, visuo-spatial sketchpad, phonological loop and episodic buffer and evaluation Types of long-term memory (Tulving 1985) Procedural vs declarative memory, episodic vs semantic memory and evaluation Explanations for forgetting - interference theory and evaluation and retrieval failure and evaluation Eye witness testimony - impact of misleading information through leading questions, post-event discussion and evaluation of misleading information Effect of anxiety on EWT (positive and negative effect plus studies) and evaluation Improving the accuracy of EWT - The Cognitive Interview and evaluation

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! 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

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: Forensic Psychology From specification 7181, 7182 - Issues and options in Psychology - paper 3 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes Defining crime - cultural/historical issues, measuring crime using official statistics, victim/offender surveys Evaluation of measuring crime Top-down approach - organised vs disorganised offenders, stages of top down approach and evaluation Bottom-up approach - investigate psychology, forensic awareness, geographical profiling, circle theory, criminal geographical targeting (CGT) and evaluation Biological explanations for offending - atavistic form, Lombroso, environmental influence and evaluation Genetic explanations for offending - twin studies, candidate genes and evaluation Neural explanations for offending - pre-frontal cortex, limbic system, brain injury, mirror neurons and evaluation Psychological explanations - Eysenck’s criminal personality, role of socialisation and evaluation Cognitive explanations - distortions; hostile attribution bias, minimalisation, moral reasoning and evaluation Differential association theory - crime as learned behaviour, pro-criminal attitudes, reoffending and evaluation Psychodynamic explanation - inadequate superego, maternal deprivation and evaluation Dealing with offending behaviour Custodial sentencing, psychological effects and evaluation Behaviour modification; reinforcement and conditioning, Hobbs and Holt’s token economy and evaluation Anger management - stress inoculation model, Keen et al and evaluation Restorative justice - RJC, features of process and evaluation

AQA Economics A-level: Fiscal and supply-side policies, specification 7135, 7136 I achieved an A in Economics A-level in 2018, across all three papers. These notes helped form an understanding of economic theory and a critical evaluation of it* Fiscal policy Expansionary vs deflationary fiscal policy Fiscal stabilisers - automatic vs discretionary UK data for post-recession fiscal policy Impact of fiscal policy on macro objectives and aggregate supply (evaluation) Spending and taxation Reasons for government spending Types of taxation; progressive, proportional and regressive UK data for taxation and evaluation Arguments for and against indirect taxation (evaluation) Budget deficit and national debt Debt vs deficit, types of deficit: cyclical and structural Factors influencing size of budget deficit, benefits and costs of deficit (evaluation) Types of national debt - causes and consequences Supply-side policies Macro impacts of supply-side policies on growth, inflation, employment and trade Free market supply side policies vs interventionist supply side policies Influence of policies on natural rate of unemployment Evaluation of supply side policies

AQA Psychology A-level: Biopsychology From specification 7181, 7182 - Psychology in context - paper 2 (I achieved an A* in Psychology A-level in 2018, across all three papers. I prioritised revision on evaluation, necessary for accessing higher grade!) Includes: Nervous system - Division of nervous system - CNS and peripheral nervous system; somatic vs autonomic Endocrine system - glands, pituitary gland; anterior vs posterior, flight/fight response; appraisal, HPA/SAM Types of neurons, synaptic transmission, EPSP and IPSP Localisation of function- motor/somatosensory areas, visual centres, auditory centres, language centres Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area and evaluation Lateralisation and split-brain study - Sperry and Gazzaniga (1967) and evaluation Brain plasticity - Boyke et al, Kuhn et al, Davidson et al and evaluation Functional recovery - stem cells, neural unmasking, animal vs human studies and evaluation Ways of studying the brain - FMRI and evaluation, EEG and evaluation, ERPs and evaluation, post-mortem and evaluation Biological rhythms - circadian rhythms, sleep-wake cycle, Siffre’s cave study, Folkard et al and evaluation Ultradian rhythms and evaluation - BRAC and sleep stages Infradian rhythms and evaluation - weekly, monthly and annual rhythms Endogenous pacemakers; SCN, pineal gland and melatonin and evaluation Exogenous zeitgebers; light, social cues, jet lag studies and evaluation

AQA Psychology A-level: Psychopathology 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!) Includes Definitions for abnormality and evaluation of each Phobias - types of phobia, behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias Behavioural explanations for phobias - two-process model, Watson and Rayner (1920) and evaluation Alternative explanations - biological preparedness Seligman (1970)/ Ohman et al (1975) and social learning theory and evaluation Behavioural approach to treating phobias - systematic desensitization, flooding and evaluation OCD -behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of OCD Biological explanations of OCD - genetic basis (candidate genes) and neural basis (neurotransmitters/brain structures) and evaluation Biological approach to treating OCD - drug therapy, SSRIs and SNRIs and evaluation Depression - categories, behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of depression Cognitive explanation for depression - Beck’s Negative Triad and Ellis’ ABC model and evaluation Cognitive approach to treating depression - CBT, Beck’s cognitive therapy, REBT and evaluation

AQ Economics A-level: MACRO Economic performance, specification 7135, 7136 Economic growth Short run vs long run economic growth, determinants of long run economic growth Costs and benefits of economic growth, overall sustainability of growth The economic cycle, trend growth, output gaps and stages Explanations of cycle: multiplier/accelerator cycle, inventory cycle, asset price bubbles, animal spirits, herding etc. Employment Definitions of unemployment rate, participation rate and labour force Measuring unemployment - claimant count vs labour force survey Types of unemployment - cyclical, structural, frictional, classic, voluntary Table of cause of unemployment, impact and supply side policies to overcome Natural rate of unemployment Costs and benefits of unemployment (evaluation) Policies to reduce unemployment - demand side vs supply side (and evaluation) Inflation Measuring inflation with CPI, RPI, PPI Demand-pull inflation vs cost-push inflation, comparison of causes Quantity theory of money Impact of commodity prices/global economy Controlling inflation, demand-side policies vs supply-side policies (and evaluation) Costs and benefits of inflation (evaluation) Deflation vs disinflation - benign vs malevolent deflation Benefits and consequences of deflation Policies to avoid deflation Conflicting macroeconomic objectives Output gaps Phillips curve - short-run vs long-run and implications for policy makers NAIRU explained Overview of potential conflicts arising from economic objectives

AQA Economics A-level: Aggregate demand and supply, specification 7135, 7136 Aggregate demand, relationship between price and quantity Factors influencing AD Evaluation of consumption, investment, government spending, net exports Marginal propensity to consume, marginal propensity to save, multiplier and accelerator effect Short-run aggregate supply and factors influencing SRAS Long-run aggregate supply and factors influencing LRAS Keynesian AS curve Macroeconomic equilibrium - short run, long run and economic shocks

AQA Economics A-level: The national and international economy, specification 7135, 7136. Macroeconomic performance Government objectives for economic performance Conflicts in performance - e.g. growth vs inflation Macroeconomic indicators - GDP, GNP, GNI, CPI, RPI National income data and evaluation, purchasing power parity Circular flow of income - leakages, withdrawal and equilibrium

AQA Economics A-level: Financial Markets, specification 7135, 7136 *I achieved an A in my Economics A-level in 2018, across all three papers. These are the notes I used for theory-based learning of the specification Includes: Functions of money and the money supply The role of financial markets - capital vs money, foreign exchange Debt vs equity Market interest rates and bond prices Commercial vs investment banking - objectives of each Central banks and monetary policy - contractionary vs inflationary and evaluation The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and considerations - evaluation of the MPC The transmission mechanism of monetary policy Bank of England and monetary supply - QE and Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) Regulation of financial markets - PRA, FPC, FCA Why banks fail - moral hazard, liquidity vs capital ratios, systemic risk Implications of intervention, evaluation of regulation

AQA Economics A-level (specification 7135, 7136) Includes: Difference between income and wealth Determinants of income inequality and wealth inequality Measuring inequality - Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient Evaluation of income and wealth inequality UK income and wealth statistics Problem of poverty - relative vs absolute poverty, causes and impact Policies to alleviate poverty and evaluation