OCR Psychology A Level Refresh - FAQs

We answer some of the most frequently asked questions about our plans to redevelop our Psychology A Level.

Why are you refreshing your specification?

We have conducted a detailed review of our existing specification. This involved gathering and analysing feedback from stakeholders including teachers, examiners, and representatives from the Association for the Teaching of Psychology and British Psychological Society. 

Our findings showed that, while our specification is well regarded, there is a need to revisit our qualification to alleviate some of the pressure students and teachers face, and to ensure it continues to be relevant to today. 

When can I start teaching the new specification?

We are currently working to update our specification and will share this with Ofqual, the regulator, for their review and potential accreditation for teaching in late spring 2024. 

It is our aim to have the qualification accredited and ready for first teach in September 2025 (subject to Ofqual approval). We will keep you informed throughout the process – sign up for our email updates to stay in the loop. 

What are the planned changes?

Teacher and stakeholder feedback has informed and shaped every planned change. You can read more about this process and our proposals in our blog by Subject Advisor Nicola Heath. 

However, in summary, we aim to refresh our content to: 

  • reduce the statistical calculations (to just one test) 
  • reduce the number of core and key studies to help manageability 
  • update and extend our mental health topic and include criminal psychology as a compulsory option, reflecting their significance 
  • include new studies on racial bias and artificial intelligence. 

Additionally, we are planning to revise our assessment approach to ensure it’s more accessible. This includes: 

  • using fewer mark tariffs  
  • making our command terms and mark schemes more consistent 
  • reducing the mark allocation, while retaining the 2-hour time limit of exams to support students’ time management. 

 

You can download a draft mapping guide on our webpage to see how our draft specification compares with our existing one.

What could the assessment model look like?

We are looking to improve the consistency and accessibility of our assessments while maintaining their familiar feel.

Our current proposals include: 

  • Keeping three two hour long examined components but reducing the number of marks to 80 
  • Reducing the number of command terms used and using them consistently across all components 
  • Ensuring consistency of how similar question types are marked across components
  • Applying updated accessibility principles to ensure questions are easily understood by students and it is clear how to respond to them. 
Will there be a textbook?
We plan to have new textbooks available ahead of the first teach in September 2025 (subject to accreditation).
What support can I expect?

Whether you're new to OCR or have been teaching with us for a while, we will offer a range of free support and resources to help you deliver our A Level Psychology with confidence: 

  • expert subject advisors to advise you, share updates and resources  
  • sample assessment materials and guides to help you navigate our exams 
  • curriculum planners and schemes of work, supporting planning and delivery 
  • a range of professional development courses 
  • endorsed textbooks, and teaching and learning resources from third parties 
  • a wide range of freely available planning, teaching and learning resources from OCR, accessed via Teach Cambridge* 
  • access to Active Results: our free results analysis service  
  • candidate exemplars, practice papers and access to ExamBuilder: our free question-building platform that helps you to build your own tests as our bank of past live-series questions grows. 

 

*You will be able to access the OCR resources available on our secure platform, Teach Cambridge.  

 If you already have a Teach Cambridge account, you will be able to log straight in. If you do not currently have access to the platform, please visit our website for guidance on how to gain it. 

I don’t teach OCR Psychology now, but I am interested in moving to the new specification. How do I switch?

If your school or college is an approved OCR centre, teaching other qualifications with us, you can simply download our specification once it is accredited and start teaching from September 2025*.  

Let us know if you're planning to teach the qualification by filling in this form. 

Please feel free to contact us on 01223 553998 or at psychology@ocr.org.uk if you have any questions. 

If your school or college doesn’t offer any OCR qualifications currently, you may need to register with us. Please get in touch with our Customer Development Team, who can guide you through the process: customerdevelopment@ocr.org.uk.  

 

*subject to accreditation

I’m teaching OCR’s existing Psychology A Level. What do I need to do?

For now, all you need to do is explore our draft resources and make sure you are signed up for our email updates to receive the latest news about our Psychology A Level. 

Once we are accredited, we will let you know by email. You can then download and start teaching our new specification from September 2025*.  

Let us know if you're planning to teach with us by filling in this form. 

You can contact us on 01223 553998 or at psychology@ocr.org.uk if you have any questions.  

 

*subject to accreditation