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 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: 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: 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

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 Economics A-level: International Economy, 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* Globalisation: characteristics and causes of globalisation Role of MNCs - benefits and drawbacks (evaluation) Costs and benefits of globalisation (evaluation) Trade: static vs dynamic gains, changing patterns of UK trade and World Trade Organisation (WTO) Theory of competitive advantage, assumption, sources, absolute advantage Specialisation and division of labour Trade in developing countries - advantages and risks UK membership of EU evaluation - arguments for and against Policies to improve trade in the long run vs short run and supply side policies Protectionism: graphs and evaluation of tariffs, quotas, export subsidies and dumping Arguments against protectionism The balance of payments and current account - components Factors influencing current account deficit and balance of payment deficit Impact of trade imbalances (evaluation) Policies to reduce deficit - expenditure-reducing and expenditure-switching Exchange rates - determinants, fluctuations, depreciations etc Exchange rate equilibrium, excess demand vs excess supply Effects of currency fluctuations on growth, inflation, employment etc. Benefits and limitations of weaker currency Evaluation of a devaluation - Marshall Lerner, J curve Currency systems, free-floating, managed floating and fixed (and evaluation of each) Global influence of currencies, brexit impact Benefits and drawbacks of currency unions Economic growth and development, indicators of development Objectives of development, barriers to development Private sector and development Role of trade/aid in development

AQA Psychology A-level: Attachment From specification 7181, 7182 paper 1 (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 my example essay practice questions Includes: 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: Memory From specification 7181, 7182 - paper 1 (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 my exam practice questions Includes: 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)

AQA Psychology A-level: Social Influence From specification 7181, 7182 - paper 1 (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 my exam practice questions Includes: 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 Psychology A-level: Psychopathology From specification 7181, 7182 - paper 1 (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 my practice exam questions Includes: 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)

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: Biopsychology From specification 7181, 7182 - 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!) These are my exam practice questions Includes: Describe the structure of the nervous system, with reference to the central and peripheral nervous systems (16 marks) Describe the structure and role of the endocrine system, with reference to the flight or fight response (16 marks) Describe the role of neurons and the process of synaptic transmission (8 marks) Outline and evaluate research into the localisation of function (16 marks) Discuss research into hemispheric lateralisation and split-brain study (16 marks) Outline and evaluate research into brain plasticity (16 marks) Outline and evaluate research into functional recovery (16 marks) Outline and evaluate ways of studying the brain (16 marks) Outline and evaluate research into circadian rhythms (16 marks) Discuss research into infradian and/or ultradian rhythms (16 marks) Outline and evaluate research into endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers (16 marks)

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!) Here are my exam practice questions Includes: Outline and evaluate Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (16 marks) Outline and evaluate Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (16 marks) Outline and evaluate Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development (16 marks) Discuss Baillargeon’s research into early infant abilities (16 marks) Outline and evaluate Selman’s stages of perspective-taking (16 marks) Outline and evaluate research into Theory of Mind (16 marks) Discuss research into the role of the mirror neuron system in social cognition (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!) Here are my exam practice questions Includes: Outline and evaluate evolutionary explanations for food preferences (16 marks) Outline and evaluate the role of learning in food preferences (16 marks) Outline and evaluate neural and hormonal explanations for food preferences (16 marks) Outline and evaluate one or more biological explanation for anorexia nervosa (16 marks) Outline and evaluate one psychological explanation for anorexia nervosa (16 marks) Discuss social learning theory as an explanation for anorexia nervosa (16 marks) Discuss cognitive theory as an explanation for anorexia nervosa (16 marks) Outline and evaluate one or more biological explanation for obesity (16 marks) Outline and evaluate one or more psychological explanation for obesity (16 marks) Outline and evaluate explanations for the success or failure of dieting 16 marks)

AQA English Literature A; Love through the ages (7711, 7712) Tennesse Williams -** A Streetcar Named Desire *I sat my A-levels in June 2018 and achieved an A grade in English Lit Includes essay plans for: Examine the view that ‘men in A Streetcar Named Desire are most despicable, it is the women who show nobility of character’. Examine the view that A Streetcar Named Desire fails because Blanche is unable to achieve true tragic dignity. Examine the role of deception in the action of A Streetcar Named Desire. Examine the view that in A Streetcar Named Desire, Stella symbolises the plight of women in 1940s American society, where life without the support of a man is inconceivable. Examine the view that 'We do not sympathise enough with Blanche to make this play truly tragic' Also includes templates for your own attempts at essay plans and practice questions!

AQA Economics A-level: specification 7135, 7136 I sat my Economics exam in summer 2018 and achieved A star (A) grades across all three papers. Here is a collection of some A* grade exemplar essays. Complete written essays included: • Discuss the possible contribution of supply-side reforms to achieving an improvement in the UK balance of trade in goods (25 marks) • Assess the importance of a floating exchange rate to a country trying to achieve macroeconomic stability [25 marks] • Explain how interdependence and uncertainty affect the behaviour of firms in oligopolistic markets? (15 marks) • ‘Increased protectionism could be damaging as the UK is placing much of its hopes for export success on the growing Chinese market’. Evaluate the view that the use of protectionism is inevitably damaging to economies (25 marks) • Explain three characteristics of recession (15 marks) • Discuss the view that monetary policy has been the most important factor behind the recovery of the UK economy in recent years (25 marks)