Computer Science

Politics

Politics is a ‘living subject’; students must have a keen interest in current affairs and contemporary politics in both the United Kingdom and the USA. You will need to be able to analyse critically, evaluate evidence and write in a fluent and developed manner. You will learn how to present an issue and how to defend a view and challenge the opposing argument.

Students will be expected to read British and American newspapers, watch the news and programmes such as 'The Andrew Marr Show' and 'Question Time'.

Politics is well-regarded as an A-level subject and provides good preparation for degrees such as History, Law, Economics and Philosophy. Politics combines well with a variety of subjects.

Component 1 - UK Politics

Written examination: 2 hours

Content overview

■ Political Participation, students will study:

Democracy and participation, political parties, electoral systems, voting behaviour and the media.

■ Core Political Ideas, students will study: Conservatism, liberalism, socialism.

Assessment overview

Section A: Political Participation: two 30-mark questions Section B: Core Political Ideas: one 24-mark question

Component 2 - UK Government

Written examination: 2 hours

Content overview

■ UK Government, students will study:

The constitution, parliament, Prime

Minister and executive, relationships between the branches.

■ Optional Political Ideas, students will study:

One idea from the following: anarchism, ecologism, feminism, multiculturalism, nationalism.

Assessment overview

Section A: UK Government: two 30-mark questions Section B: Optional Political Ideas: one 24-mark question

Component 3 - Comparative Politics

Written examination: 2 hours

Content overview

■ The USA, students will study:

The US Constitution and federalism, US

Congress, US president, US Supreme

Court, democracy and participation, civil rights.

Assessment overview

Section A: 12-mark question Section B: 12-mark question Two 30-mark questions

Psychology

Examination Board: Edexcel

What does studying Psychology involve?

Psychology is the scientific study of people; how they think, how they act, react and interact. Psychology is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivations behind it. Psychologists and psychological research have a big impact on all aspects of public life; particularly in areas such as education, health, the economy, industry, the media and government.

Studying Psychology will not only provide you with a clearer picture into the science of human behaviour and attempts to explain it, but it will help you to investigate some of the following practical problems:

■ How can the courts ensure that eyewitness testimony is reliable?

■ How can we help people overcome eating disorders, depression, stress or phobias?

■ How can we speed up recovery from brain injury?

■ Why do some people suffer addictions?

■ Is intelligence innate or acquired through experience?

How will I know if I will be successful?

Psychology is ideal for students who have a very sound ability in Science, English and Mathematics. There is a large amount of research to investigate and become familiar with; therefore, a capacity to engage enthusiastically with the reading material is essential. There is a large scientific emphasis within the A-level, so students will need to be confident scientists. 10% of the exam tests pure mathematical skills students are taught throughout the course. Students will be expected to calculate MannWhitney, Spearman’s Rho, Chi-Squared and Wilcoxon statistical tests.

What topics will I study?

During the first year, students will be introduced to four scientific approaches to study human behaviour: Social (how we behave based on the group), Cognitive (how we process information), Biological (how our genes, brain structure and hormones influence our behaviour) and Learning (how we learn from our environment). During the course, students will be critically analysing the research methods used to investigate behaviour. During the second year, students will examine two applied topics in Psychology; Clinical (examining abnormality), and Criminal Psychology (factors contributing to criminal behaviour) which bring together explanations from different approaches and engages students in issues and debates in contemporary Psychology.

This qualification consists of three externally examined papers at the end of the two-year period.

Qualification aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Psychology are to enable students to: ■ Develop essential knowledge and understanding of different areas of the subject and how they relate to each other ■ Develop and demonstrate a deep appreciation of the skills, knowledge and understanding of scientific methods ■ Develop competence and confidence in a variety of practical, mathematical and problem-solving skills ■ Develop interest in and enthusiasm for the subject, including developing an interest in further study and careers associated with the subject ■ Appreciate how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society.