GCSE Psychology will enable you to combine research and analytical tools, with an ability to become a better communicator. It can also help provide sound skills in how to resolve conflict. Studying GCSE Psychology online is ideal if you:

• Would like to increase your skill set – particularly in the areas of analytical research, team working, communication skills, handling data, statistics and problem solving.
• Have an interest in finding out more about how, and why, we behave as we do.
• Want to learn more about research methods and how they can be utilised.
• Aspire to progressing onto a science-based apprenticeship.

Future opportunities

• Studying other sciences, or Psychology, at A level.
• A range of careers in fields such as psychology (occupational, clinical, health, educational or high-intensity psychologist roles), advertising, psychotherapy, counselling, consultancy and advice work.

Section 1: Research methods, Part A

• Asking questions – developing a hypothesis
• Selecting participants
• Ethics in psychological research
• Describing and evaluating experiments

Section 2: Memory

• Process of memory – encoding, storage and retrieval
• Structures of memory
• Memory as an active process

Section 3: Perception

• Sensation and perception
• Visual cues and constancies
• Gibson’s direct theory of perception
• Gregory’s constructivist theory of perception
• Visual illusions
• Factors affecting perception

Section 4: Development

• Early brain development
• Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
• Piaget’s four stages of development
• Applying Piaget’s theory to education
• Dweck’s mindset theory of learning
• Learning styles and Willingham’s learning theory

Section 5: Research methods, Part B

• Designing research
• Natural and field experiments
• Questionnaires and interviews
• Case studies
• Observations
• Reliability and validity
• Correlation
• Types of data
• Data handling

Section 6: Social influence

• Conformity
• Obedience
• Prosocial behaviour
• Crowd and collective behaviour

Section 7: Language, thought and communication

• Language and thought
• Human and animal communication
• Non-verbal communication
• Explanations of non-verbal behaviour

Section 8: Brain and neuropsychology

• Structure and function of the nervous system
• Neuron structure and function
• Structure and function of the brain
• Introduction to neuropsychology

Section 9: Psychological problems

• Introduction to mental health
• Effects of mental health problems
• Characteristics of clinical depression
• Theories and treatment of depression
• Characteristics of addiction
• Theories and treatment of addiction

Study GCSE Psychology with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Our exam booking service
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Tracey who is just one of our first-class psychology tutors:

“Teaching distance learning students for over 15 years has given me a great deal of experience in supporting students and I always enjoy working with students who are keen, enthusiastic and enjoy their studying. They never fail to inspire and motivate me. Many NEC students work in their own homes and have to be disciplined to study like this, so it is always great to have enthusiastic students who work hard to complete their course. If you are thinking of studying by distance learning, think about your own life and the time you have available for studying, then make sure you take a course that you are really interested in and it is what you want to do. If you are interested in a topic and enjoying it, then studying it is so much easier. I love what I teach and hope my students do too.

“My qualifications include MSocSc and Diploma in Social Science and Social Work, Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Disability Studies, Post-graduate Certificate in Education, B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology. I am a former examiner for AQA and International Baccalaureate, and  I also write academic textbooks and courses.”

Exam board

• AQA 8182

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 120-150*  hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 150 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 150 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 4 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 10 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards your final grade

Resources

• No additional set texts required

Requirements

• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

Our course fees are clear and transparent to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• 24/7 access to learn@nec platform and resources
• Expertly designed online course materials (including ebook versions of textbooks where specified) that you need to complete the course and written to cover the carefully selected awarding body specification
• Support from our Student Services team
• Structured assignments to help you track your progress throughout your course
• Guidance from your tutor for up to 18 months from your date of enrolment
• Constructive feedback on your assignments from your tutor, to help you improve and prepare for exams
• Guaranteed exam place
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner template to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams

Your course fee does not cover:

• Any fees in relation to exam entries or assessments
• Centre Assessment Grades (CAG) in the event of exam cancellation
• Recommended textbooks for additional reading or set texts
• Equipment for core practicals

If you need more support, you can purchase:

• Online tutorials – if you need help with a specific topic you can arrange a 30 minute or 1 hour tutorial
• Additional past paper marking – to help with your exam preparation
• Revision tutorial –  to plan your revision and explore revision techniques
• Help with your UCAS application service

For further information on additional/optional support you can purchase, please visit our additional services page.

Exams (two):

• 50% of marks  (1 hour 45 minutes)
• 50% of marks (1 hour 45 minutes)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies.  In our experience, learning online works best when the parents are involved, so when you enrol your child with NEC, you’ll have a unique set of services to help you to support your child.

This includes:

• Your own log in to learn@nec to access the course so you can view the course materials and other information for yourself.
• Access to your child’s gradebook to help you to monitor progress and provide appropriate and timely intervention and support
• You’ll receive emails and forum posts so that you have all the examination and assessment updates/information provided by the NEC team
• Dedicated Progress Portal Pages and targeted blogs with updates/information/help and advice on many aspects of home education.

Read more about how we work with young students who are studying at home or through a school.