Edexcel GCSE Psychology guide FAQ (1PS0)
Guide overview All 11 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
Edexcel GCSE Psychology: questions and answers
Specification 1PS0. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
I only do two of the optional topics. Is the rest wasted?
No. Paper 2 is research methods plus two of criminal psychology, the self, perception, sleep and dreaming, and language, thought and communication, chosen by your school.
All five are in the guide as separate topics. Work your two and skip the rest.
What are the compulsory topics?
Development, memory, psychological problems, the brain and neuropsychology, and social influence. All five are examined on Paper 1, which is 55 per cent.
What are the debates questions?
Paper 1 ends with two extended questions on debates in psychology: nature and nurture, reductionism and holism, and the ethical and social implications of research. They draw on the five compulsory topics, so they reward knowing those studies precisely.
Is there maths?
Yes, in Section A of Paper 2. Means, medians, modes, ranges, percentages, fractions and ratios, reading graphs and tables, and the choice of an appropriate display. It is inside the research methods topic.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps. Topics run from 63 to 137 questions.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. The marks are for naming the study, the sample and the finding, and step 2 is where a vague version gets replaced. The method page sets out the evidence.
When should I start?
Any point in Year 10 or Year 11. Both papers are sat at the end of Year 11. Research methods runs through the whole course and repays starting early.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. Past papers train applying research methods to an unfamiliar study and the nine-mark evaluations. Pearson publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 891 exam-style questions covering the whole of Edexcel GCSE Psychology including all five optional topics, with the answers printed after each topic.
My child says they only do two of the five options.
That is correct. Paper 2 has two optional topics chosen by the school from five, so all five are in the guide and three are skipped.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. Edexcel GCSE Psychology is 1PS0.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for the whole specification including all five options. A GCSE Psychology textbook is usually £20 to £30.
How much time does it take?
55 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 18 hours for everything, and closer to 14 once the unused options are skipped.
What else does my child need?
Past papers, free from Pearson, a calculator, and their own notes.
Edexcel GCSE Psychology Active Recall Guide
891 questions with their answers, 55 subtopics, one file.