I provide Psychology (AQA) and Politics (Edexcel) A-Level revision notes by topic, both of which I have an A* in. These notes helped me get it and they can help you too! Although the Politics notes are the 2008 specification, the examples are all up to date and relevant for an assessment of American politics. I'm currently studying at Durham and I achieved 3A* at A level in Biology, Politics, and Psychology.
I provide Psychology (AQA) and Politics (Edexcel) A-Level revision notes by topic, both of which I have an A* in. These notes helped me get it and they can help you too! Although the Politics notes are the 2008 specification, the examples are all up to date and relevant for an assessment of American politics. I'm currently studying at Durham and I achieved 3A* at A level in Biology, Politics, and Psychology.
A* level notes on topic 6 (immunity and infection) covering infection, including:
the structure and function of bacteria and virus
similarities and differences between bacteria and virus
how viruses reproduce, how bacteria reproduce,
how bacteria share genetic material
the definition of infection, and physical barriers from infection
the non specific immune response - inflammation, production of interferons, phagocytosis, lysozymes, fever, histamines,
the specific immune response - lymphocytes, t-killer cells, b lymphpcytes, t cell activation, b cell activation, antibodies (role and structure)
immunity (including the secondary and primary immune response)
vaccination and its benefits (including natural/artificial, passive/active)
HIV - structure, function, how it causes AIDS, and evades our immune systems.
Tuberculosis - structure, function, the primary infection, how it evades immunity systems
split genes and post transcriptional changes
explaining why more than one amino acid sequence, so more than one protein, can be produced from a single gene with reference to antibodies.
A* level notes on topic 7 (muscles and respiration) covering the heart and ventilation, including:
a description of how the heart beats - from depolarisation to repolarisation, including details of the sino-atrial node, the atrioventricular node, the bundle of His, the Purkyne fibres,
description of cardiac output and how it would increase
how we measure electrical activity in the heart
a description of the P, QRS, and T waves and the relevant graphs.
ventilation and spirometery - how we measure ventilation, why the gas volume in the spirometer tank falls, how we interpret the reading
how we calculate tidal volume, breathing rate, ventilation rate, rate of oxygen consumption, inspiratory reserve volume, expiratory reserve volume, residual volume, vital capacity, total lung capacity
homeostasis and thermoregulation - vasoconstriction and vasodilation
core practical on investigating ventilation
A* level notes on Topic 6 (immunity and infection) covering the role and use of antibiotics, including:
how they kill or prevent the growth of pathogens
how they inhibit bacterial metabolism
comparing and contrasting bacteriostatic and bactericidal antibiotics
antibiotic resistance
why antibiotics cannot treat viral infections
hospital acquired infections (HAI’s) - when, how they are caught and how hospitals deal with them, including codes of practice.
core practical explaining the impact of antibiotics on bacterial growth, including the relevant aseptic techniques.
These are A* essay plans for the ‘Constitution and President’ unit in Edexcel Politics for all short answer questions ever asked, split into an analysis of each of the key principles of the US constitution, including concepts such as the Seperation of Powers, Checks and Balances, the Amendment Process. This also includes plans for questions about the President, such as assessing the Formal and Informal Powers of the president, the power of the veto, and methods the President has to influence legislation (with a plan for each method and an assesment of it) All are equipped with up to date examples from the 2016 election.
These are A* grade Paper Three notes for Eating Behaviour including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* essay plans for the ‘Elections and Voting’ unit in Edexcel Politics for all short answer questions ever asked, split into an analysis of: the nomination process (the invisible primary, the primaries, the national party conventions) the election campaign (key features, why Trump won, campaign finance issues, the impact of the Electoral College), and voter demographics (with an emphasis on latino voting, african american voting, LGBTQ voting). All are equipped with up to date examples from the 2016 election.
These are A* grade Paper Two notes for Approaches, including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* grade Paper One notes for attachment including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* grade Paper Three notes for Issues, Debates, and Approaches including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* grade Paper One notes for social influence including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
Including: conformity, variables affecting conformity, conformity to social roles, obedience, variables affecting obedience (both situational and dispositional), resistance to social influence, minority influence, and social change.
These are A* essay plans for the ‘Political Parties’ unit in Edexcel Politics for all short answer questions ever asked, split into an analysis and assesment of: how liberal the Democrats are, how conservative the Republicans are, the limited impact of third parties, the main ideas behind the Republican Party, the main ideas behind the Democrat party, the issues creating divisions between the two parties, how ‘Republican’ Trump is, and divisions within each party. All are equipped with up to date examples from the 2016 election.
These are all the topics covered in Paper three for the new psychology specification (obviously subject to the options I covered), Relationships, Eating, Addiction, and Issues in Psychology. Save 30% by buying them as one. I dropped just 3 marks in this paper, using only these notes.
A* level notes on topic 6 (Immunity and Infection) covering Forensics:
how we identify people (fingerprints, dental records, DNA profiling using short tandem repeats)
the uses of DNA profiling, and the process (how DNA is obtained and amplified, and definitions of each process and key words)
the process of PCR, through each cycle (1,2,3)
gel electrophoresis and the process
how we determine time of death (via temperature, via rigor mortis, via decomposition and the stages of succession of decomposing, and the roles of microorganisms in decomposition, forensic entymology)
These are A* grade Paper Two notes for Research Methods including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* grade Paper Three notes for addiction including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* essay plans for the ‘Congress’ unit in Edexcel Politics for all short answer questions ever asked, split into ‘Voting in Congress’, ‘Relationships in Congress’, ‘The Legislative Process’ and ‘Powers of Congress’ equipped with up to date examples from the 2016 Election.
These are A* grade Paper One notes for Psychopathology including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
Including: Definitions of abnormality, including deviation from social norms, failure to function adequately,
statistical infrequency and deviation from ideal mental health, The behavioural, emotional and cognitive characteristics of phobias, depression and obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD), The behavioural approach to explaining and treating phobias: the two-process model, including classical and operant conditioning; systematic desensitisation, including relaxation and use of hierarchy; flooding. The cognitive approach to explaining and treating depression: Beck’s negative triad and Ellis’s ABC model; cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), including challenging irrational thoughts.The biological approach to explaining and treating OCD: genetic and neural explanations; drug therapy.
These are A* grade Paper Two notes for Biopsychology including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.
These are A* grade Paper One notes for social influence including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references. This is the additional content which is now covered in the A-level paper, along with the other notes.
These are A* grade Paper Three notes for Relationships including A01 and A03 equipped for 16 mark essays and short answer questions. Each essay topic is covered with 4 evaluation points in P-E-E style and references.