A-level Psychology Exam Guide 2027: AQA Papers, Options and Plan

The papers at a glance (AQA 7182)

Paper	Content	Time and marks	Weighting
Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology	Social influence, memory, attachment, clinical psychology and mental health (24 marks each)	2 hours, 96 marks	33.3%
Paper 2: Psychology in Context	Approaches (24), biopsychology (24), research methods (48)	2 hours, 96 marks	33.3%
Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology	Issues and debates (24) plus one topic from each of three option groups (24 each)	2 hours, 96 marks	33.3%

What changed for 2027

AQA updated 7182 for first teaching in September 2025, with the first A-level exams in summer 2027. The paper structure is unchanged, but some content was removed or reworded. For example, the Paper 1 topic once called Psychopathology is now Clinical Psychology and Mental Health, conformity types are now compliance and internalisation, and biological rhythms are no longer in biopsychology. If you use older revision guides or past papers, check each topic against the current specification.

Pearson Edexcel and OCR also offer A-level Psychology with their own papers and content. If your school uses one of those boards, check its specification for paper lengths and topics.

Paper 3 options

Option 1 (Section B): Relationships, Gender, or Cognition and development.
Option 2 (Section C): Schizophrenia, Eating behaviour, or Stress.
Option 3 (Section D): Aggression, Forensic Psychology, or Addiction.
Options vary by school. Common combinations include Relationships or Gender, Schizophrenia, and Aggression. Answer only the sections you were taught.

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Question types and timing

Every section mixes multiple-choice, short-answer and extended-writing questions. With 120 minutes for 96 marks you have about 1 minute 15 seconds per mark. The 16-mark essays are the biggest single items; in most of them 6 marks are for description (AO1) and 10 for evaluation (AO3), so evaluation is where the marks are.

Across the whole A-level, at least 25 to 30% of marks assess research methods and at least 10% assess maths skills at GCSE level or above. A calculator is allowed. Our A-level Psychology practice questions cover all eight study areas.

Grades and grade boundaries

A-level grades run from A* to E, and E is a pass. AQA adds your three paper marks to a total out of 288 and sets grade boundaries on that total after each series. Boundaries change every year, so no fixed percentage guarantees a grade. Use the published boundaries from recent series only as a rough guide, and aim for about 70% in timed practice to give yourself a margin.

An 8-week revision plan

Week 1: Social influence and memory. Make flashcards of studies with their findings as numbers.
Week 2: Attachment and clinical psychology and mental health. Practise one 16-mark essay.
Week 3: Approaches and biopsychology. Draw and label the synapse and the brain's lobes from memory.
Week 4: Research methods: designs, sampling, reliability, validity and choosing statistical tests.
Week 5: Research methods calculations (sign test, percentages, standard deviation) and issues and debates.
Week 6: Your three Paper 3 options, one essay plan per specification bullet point.
Week 7: Full timed papers 1 and 2; mark them with the mark scheme and log every mistake.
Week 8: Full timed paper 3, then revisit your mistakes log and light flashcard review before the exams.

Exam dates

A-level exams run in the summer series between May and June, and results are released in August. AQA publishes the final timetable for each series on its website; check the 2027 timetable with your school once it is confirmed. There is no autumn resit series for A-level Psychology, so if you need to resit you take all three papers again the following summer.

Frequently asked questions

How many papers are there in AQA A-level Psychology?

Three written papers, each 2 hours long and worth 96 marks, so 288 marks in total. Each is worth a third of the A-level.

Is there coursework in A-level Psychology?

No. AQA A-level Psychology is assessed entirely by exams at the end of the course.

What changed in the AQA Psychology specification for 2027?

AQA reduced and reworded some content for first teaching in September 2025. The paper structure is the same, but topics such as clinical psychology and mental health and biopsychology have changed, so check revision materials against the current specification.

What percentage do I need for an A in A-level Psychology?

There is no fixed percentage. Grade boundaries are set after each series based on the total mark out of 288, so they change every year.

Can I use a calculator in A-level Psychology?

Yes. You will need it for calculations such as percentages, means and standard deviation, and for working with statistical tests.

Which Paper 3 options should I revise?

Only the ones your school taught. You answer one topic from each of the three option groups, and each is worth 24 marks.

Official sources

Practice tests for these exams

A-level