How to answer A2 psychology essays (unit3-4) exam tips + short cuts

For unit 3 you need to pick 3 topics to study. I did Sleep, aggression, and
relationship.
Under each topic, there are roughly around 6-7 possible exam questions. You can
figure it out what they are by just looking at past exam questions. (Can be found
on AQA website, or Loopa)
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-a2180/past-papers-and-mark-schemes
http://www.loopa.co.uk/aqa-psychology-a-level-past-questions-psya4/
http://www.loopa.co.uk/aqa-psychology-a-level-psya4-media-psychology-pastquestions/
http://www.loopa.co.uk/aqa-psychology-level-past-questions-psya3/
So if you do the maths 3x7=21. 21+ possible questions for unit 3.
For Unit 4 youll have to pick 2 topics. Again, 7-8 possible questions for each
topic + (Research Methods)
After listing all the possible questions, now your job is to plan your model essays
for each question. (No time restriction). After writing/planning them out, make
sure to give it to your teachers to mark, Correct/improve it until you have the top
grade answer. Once you have the perfect answer its only a matter of
memorising+ repetition.
If you are too lazy to write out your own essays, its absolutely fine to find model
essays online. As long as you can recall them in the exam. Personally, I think its
easier to memorise your own essays.
A few free model essays website: (check it with your teacher. Make sure they are
appropriate)
http://a2psychologyunit3.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Aggression
http://survivingpsychology.blogspot.co.uk/
https://marcotheman.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/discuss-biological-explanationsof-schizophrenia-24-marks/
Now, lets move on to the memorising part. There are several techniques that
you can use, it was in the AS curriculum. But you can search the techniques on
how to memorise, find your preferred technique.
My personal favourite is the METHOD of Loci/ memory palace. (You can use it to
memorise practically anything from shopping lists to numbers)
If you dont know what is it, or how to use it, simply search it on Google/YouTube.
(Its very easy to learn)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=method+of+loci
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=memory+palace

http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/how-toimprove-your-memory7.htm

Let me give an example on how I memorised an essay under 2hours: (but some
people can do it in shorter period of time)
Underneath is extract of a model essay answer that I found.

Discuss one theory of the

+ 16 marks)

maintenance

of romantic relationships. (8 marks

Social exchange theory claims that in relationships, partners will have an

expectation of profit; i.e. that the rewards gained from the relationship will be
greater than the costs. These rewards can include being cared for,
companionship or sex. Commitment to a relationship is dependent on its
profitability, with more profitable relationships being more likely to succeed.
Costs in a relationship can include effort, financial investment and wasted time.
For a relationship to succeed, costs should be minimal & should certainly be
fewer than the profits. Relationships with greater costs than profits will be likely
to break down.
The comparison level (CL) is used as a standard to judge the quality of our
existing relationships. Our CL is determined by our experiences of previous
relationships & our observations of others relationships. If the profitability of our
current relationships exceeds the CL, the relationship is judged as worthwhile. If
the profit is lower than our CL, the individual will be dissatisfied with their
relationship & may choose to end it.
An individual may also develop a comparison level for alternatives (CLA).
They will weigh up the profitability of their current relationship with that of
potential future relationships. If the expected potential profitability of a new
relationship is higher than that of their current relationship, this can result in the
individual ending the current relationship and entering a new one.
Research has demonstrated the importance of CLs in relationships. Simpson et
al. found that participants in existing relationships rated people of the opposite
sex as less attractive than participants not in relationships. This suggests that
people judge prospects of new alternative relationships as less profitable if they
are already in a committed relationship.
The CLA may provide an explanation as to why many women choose to stay
in abusive relationships. If investments in the relationship are high (e.g.
children, financial security) & alternative prospects are bleak (e.g. poverty,
homelessness), then a woman may see staying in the abusive relationship to be
more profitable than leaving it.

Step1) read the essay at least twice, getting a good understanding of the overall
structure of the essay, and what each paragraph is talking about. (Most
importantly, understand the essay.)
Step2) read the first paragraph again and find a Keyword that could prompt you
the content of the rest of the paragraph. If one keyword isnt enough to make
you recall the entire paragraph, its fine to have 2-3 keywords. (For bigger
paragraphs). Its usually a word from the first line of the paragraph. (In this case,
I have underlined all my keywords).
Step3) turn each keyword into a PICTURE or MOTION. Preferably an item.
(Something you can see and touch) E.g. my first keyword is Social Exchange, the
first picture that came to my mind are SOCKS, and so Id turn this into a motion
picture Im wearing a smelly giant sock on my head, having a socks fight
with giant moving socks. Throwing socks around. (Try to come up with your own
pictures, make it ridiculous, big, illogical, funny, adding the smell if you want to.
Which aid memory recall.
Step4) Find a location. (E.g. Your home, your friends house, school, Coffee shop
etc. anywhere that you are familiar. Make sure the location you choose its
related to the question. (In this case, the question is Maintenance of
relationship the first location I thought its my schools maintenance room.) If
question asking for the Breakdown of relationships. Id recommend the place
where you and your Ex broke up. Another example: the influence of childhood
on adult relationship --- you can have your childhood home or favourite
playground or primary school as a location. Anyways,you get the idea right? The
purpose of this is that when you see the question, you can instantly find the
location where you stored the item.
Step5) store the pictures that you have just created onto a smaller
location/place, (could be an object, monument, preferably big.) So the first thing
I see after opening the maintenance room door, is the Stairs. Therefore I store
my pictures on the stair case. Simply combining the two things together. Eg.
Imagining me standing at the top of the staircase, still wearing my giant sock
hat, fighting off giant socks monster that are running up the stairs. (Again, make
it funny, ridiculous, stupid, colourful.)
Now repeat step 3.4.5 for the next paragraph. --- turn the new keyword into a
picture, find the second location, (in order) then combine the two things
together.
Step 6) take an imaginary tour around the locations, and try to recall/write the
entire essay without taking a peak.
Make sure the locations are in order. (For example, the second thing I see after
waking down the stairs.)

For Unit 4 research Methods questions, there isnt really a short cut, my advice is
practice tons of exam paper questions, I prefer marking it myself having a mark
scheme next me. The mark scheme answers are pretty much self-explanatory.
Only the questions/answers that I dont understand, Ill ask my teacher. (This is
much more efficient for me and my teacher.)

Research methods past paper + mark schemes 2010-2014

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/psychology/as-and-a-level/psychology-a2180/past-papers-and-mark-schemes
http://www.plantsbrookschool.co.uk/HTML_files/resources/social
%20sciences/alevel%20past%20papers.html
http://www.loopa.co.uk/aqa-psychology-a2-psya4-research-methods-revision/

Time Management
Youll be given 1.30h for unit 3For each 24 markers, ideally you want to
spend 30 minutes on each one. Two and half sides ideally, therefore 10 mins for
each side (practice your writing speed) however if youre aiming for QUALITY
answer, you can probably get away with 2 sides. . Lastly try practice your
essays under timed conditions.

Peace out..