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Syllabus

The Path to Success Guided by Studylon: Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology Curriculum Review

As Studylon, we are conscious of how critical it is for our students to understand human nature, thought processes and social behaviours while raising them as the leaders of the future.

The Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Psychology curriculum is a fascinating programme that investigates the workings of the human mind, combines fundamental psychological theories with real-world scenarios and teaches scientific research methods.

In this article, we examine the details of this visionary curriculum, which provides students with academic depth and develops their analytical thinking skills, through the Studylon difference.

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Basic Structure and Operation of the Exam

The Pearson Edexcel GCSE Psychology qualification consists of two externally assessed written exams taken at the end of the course:

Paper 1
Paper 2

The exams are graded on a numerical scale from 9, the highest grade, to 1, the lowest grade.

Since psychology is a scientific discipline, research and data analysis are highly important.

Therefore, at least 10% of the overall exam marks require the use of mathematical and numerical skills.

These skills include reading graphs and analysing data.

The use of calculators is permitted in the exams.

Exam Sections and Assessment Criteria

Foundations of Psychology

Paper 1 – 1PS0/01

This core exam covers 55% of the total GCSE grade.

The exam lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes.

It is assessed out of 98 marks.

In this section, five compulsory core topics at the heart of psychology are covered:

Development: how human intelligence and moral understanding develop.
Memory: how the brain processes and stores information, and why we forget.
Psychological Problems: the causes and treatments of mental health issues such as depression and addiction.
Brain and Neuropsychology: the structure and functions of the brain, and the impact of the nervous system on behaviour.
Social Influence: behaviours of people within groups, and the concepts of obedience and authority.

Applications of Psychology and Research Methods

Paper 2 – 1PS0/02

This exam covers 45% of the total GCSE grade.

The exam lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes.

It is assessed out of 79 marks.

This exam consists of three sections:

Section A
Section B
Section C

It offers choices to students and schools on specific topics.

Section A

Either Criminal Psychology or The Self is chosen.

Criminal Psychology focuses on criminal behaviour and punishment.

The Self focuses on personality development.

Section B

Either Perception or Sleep and Dreaming is chosen.

Perception focuses on how we perceive the world and visual illusions.

Sleep and Dreaming explores the psychological and biological reasons for dreaming.

Section C: Research Methods

This section is compulsory for all students.

It tests how psychological experiments are designed, and how data is collected and analysed.

Core Skills Developed

Scientific Research and Data Analysis

Students develop the ability to design valid and reliable psychological experiments to measure behaviours.

They also learn to read statistical data and interpret results.

Critical Evaluation

Students develop the ability to critique different psychological approaches and famous past experiments from ethical, methodological and scientific perspectives.

Examples include the Milgram and Piaget studies.

Real-Life Application

Students learn to use theoretical knowledge to solve problems in real-world scenarios.

These scenarios may include education, healthcare, crime prevention or daily human relationships.

GCSE Psychology Preparation with Studylon

As the Studylon family, we enable you to explore the complex world of the human mind with our expert education coaches during your GCSE Psychology preparation process.

Unlock your potential with us to analyse past psychological case studies, present strong critical arguments in long essays and achieve the outstanding grades you aim for.

Specification PDF