A-Level Psychology past papers: AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas papers, 16-mark questions, 2027 dates and a plan

Key takeaways

• →Get A-Level Psychology past papers from your own board: AQA (7182), Pearson Edexcel (9PS0), OCR (H567) or Eduqas (A290QS). The newest papers are held back for teachers, so summer 2026 is not public yet.
• →AQA sets three 2-hour papers of 96 marks. Pearson Edexcel has 90, 90 and 80 marks, OCR has 90, 105 and 105, and Eduqas has three papers of 100 marks.
• →On AQA, each 16-mark answer is marked in four levels, and the top level is 13 to 16 marks. Describing a study is not enough: the top level wants thorough, effective discussion.
• →In summer 2027 all four boards use the same three days: Tuesday 18 May, Tuesday 25 May and Wednesday 9 June. AQA’s first exams on its updated content are in summer 2027, and OCR’s H567 ends after 2028.

1. A-Level Psychology past papers: get the real ones from your exam board

The best A-Level Psychology past papers are the ones your exam board publishes. They are the real papers, with mark schemes. Check the paper code on the front cover matches your course.

AQA (7182): use its Find past papers and mark schemes page. You choose a subject and a qualification, and it finds papers, mark schemes and reports.^[11]

Pearson Edexcel (9PS0): use its Past papers page. You pick the qualification family, subject and exam series.^[13]

OCR (H567): use its Past papers materials finder, which covers past papers, mark schemes, reports and practice materials.^[18]

WJEC Eduqas (A290QS): search for your subject on its Past papers page, which takes you to the past paper area.^[22]

The newest papers are held back for teachers. AQA lists summer 2026 papers for its public website on 9 July 2027, and most papers then stay online for three years.^[10]

Pearson puts May and June papers on its public site in August of the following year.^[14]

Its past papers page says padlocked papers are not for students, and gives both nine and 12 months for the lock. Ask your teacher.^[13]

OCR does the same in early August of the following year.^[17]

Eduqas publishes June papers between 1 and 31 July of the following year.^[23]

So the summer 2026 papers are with teachers for now. Ask your school before you hunt for them.

2. How the four A-Level Psychology courses are built

The four boards teach different content, so check the paper code before you start. A Pearson Edexcel paper is no use if you sit AQA.

AQA’s papers are a third of the A-Level each, and the total is 288 marks. The other boards weight their papers differently, so use the marks in the table.^[2]

3. AQA A-Level Psychology (7182): papers and topics

Paper 1 has four sections of 24 marks, one for each topic: social influence, memory, attachment, and clinical psychology and mental health.^[1]

Paper 2 has approaches in psychology (Section A) and biopsychology (Section B), 24 marks each. Section C is research methods, worth 48 marks, half the paper.^[1]

Paper 3 starts with issues and debates (24 marks). You then answer one topic in each of three more sections, 24 marks each. The options are relationships, gender, or cognition and development; schizophrenia, eating behaviour or stress; and aggression, forensic psychology or addiction.^[1]

AQA changed the subject content for teaching from September 2025, and the changes reach the first A-Level exams in summer 2027. It added no new topics, kept the Paper 3 options and cut some content. Paper design, question types and structure stay the same.^[3]

The June 2023 paper calls the fourth Paper 1 topic psychopathology, so older papers use the old name.^[5]

Ask your teacher which topics changed.

4. Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas papers

Pearson Edexcel Paper 1 covers social, cognitive, biological and learning theories, plus issues and debates (Section E, 20 marks, two extended-response questions). Paper 2 has clinical psychology (54 marks) and one option from criminological, child or health psychology (36 marks).^[12]

Paper 3 covers skills: research methods (24 marks), psychological studies (24 marks) and issues and debates (32 marks). Calculators are allowed, and formulae and statistical tables come in each paper.^[12]

OCR Component 01 is research methods: 20 multiple-choice questions, a research design section and a data analysis section. At least 30 of its 90 marks test maths.^[16]

OCR Component 03 starts with issues in mental health for everyone. You then choose two options from child, criminal, environmental, or sport and exercise psychology.^[16]

OCR is replacing this course. The final first teach was September 2026 and the final assessment is summer 2028. A new OCR A Level Psychology (H569) can be taught from September 2027.^[16]

The Eduqas qualification code is A290QS.^[21]

Eduqas Component 1 covers five approaches: biological, psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and positive. Component 2 covers research methods, including two personal investigations carried out beforehand. Component 3 covers applications to three of six nominated behaviours, and five controversies.^[20]

5. The 16-mark questions on AQA

In the June 2023 Paper 1, three questions are worth 16 marks: Question 3 on social influence, Question 7 on memory and Question 10 on attachment. Section D, the fourth topic, has none.^[5]

In the June 2023 Paper 3, Question 4 on issues and debates is worth 16 marks. So are the three Section C questions, one for each option: schizophrenia, eating behaviour and stress.^[7]

AQA’s specimen Paper 2 has one, in Section A on approaches.^[8]

The mark scheme splits the 16 marks by assessment objective (AO), the skills AQA rewards. Questions 3 and 7 give 6 marks to AO1 and 10 to AO3. Question 10 gives 6, 4 and 6 to AO1, AO2 and AO3, and adds a short case to apply your knowledge to.^[6]

Answers are marked in four levels. Level 4 is 13 to 16 marks, Level 3 is 9 to 12, Level 2 is 5 to 8 and Level 1 is 1 to 4. Examiners judge the overall quality of the answer, not small weaknesses, and you do not need every point on the content list for the top level.^[6]

At the top level, knowledge is accurate and generally well detailed, and discussion is thorough and effective. At Level 2, the focus is mainly on description. Going by these descriptors, the discussion carries more marks than the facts.^[6]

Pearson Edexcel sets 20-mark extended responses instead: Paper 1 Section E and the clinical psychology response in Paper 2. Use Pearson’s own mark schemes to see how they are marked.^[12]

OCR’s specification gives no mark value for extended responses. It says their marks are built into the marking criteria.^[16]

Describing a study is not enough on a 16-mark question. The top level asks for thorough, effective discussion.

Think in marks, not minutes: An AQA paper is 96 marks in 120 minutes, which is 1.25 minutes a mark. So a 16-mark answer deserves about 20 minutes, including a short plan.

6. A-Level Psychology dates: summer 2027

AQA’s timetable (version 1.2) has Paper 1 on 18 May, Paper 2 on 25 May and Paper 3 on 9 June 2027. Each is a 2-hour morning paper, and morning papers start at 9.00am.^[9]

Pearson’s final timetable has the same days, in the morning, at 2 hours 15 minutes, 2 hours 15 minutes and 2 hours.^[15]

OCR’s final timetable has the same days, each 2 hours.^[19]

The Eduqas final timetable has the same three dates, each 2 hours 15 minutes. We could not confirm the time of day, so check your own timetable.^[24]

AQA names Wednesday 23 June 2027 as a contingency day, a spare day kept in case exams have to be moved. Students must stay available until then.^[9]

Dates can move: We checked these timetables at the start of November 2026. Use your school’s personal timetable nearer the time.

7. How to use past papers for A-Level Psychology

Start with topics, not whole papers. When you finish a topic in class, answer exam questions on it and mark them with the official mark scheme.

Do whole papers later, to time. AQA’s June 2023 Paper 1 cover says you may use a calculator.^[5]

Practise research methods every week. On AQA it is at least 25 to 30% of all the marks.^[2]

Write long answers in full, to time, then mark them against the level descriptors. Ask which level the whole answer fits, and what would lift it to the next.^[6]

Use older papers with care. Some content has been cut, and AQA says its original sample papers are no longer suitable as practice papers. Ask your teacher which questions still fit, and for the new sample papers AQA said it was preparing.^[4]

Keep an error log. For every lost mark, write one line: what went wrong and what to do next time. Redo those questions days later.

8. A revision plan to Paper 1

Work back from Paper 1 on Tuesday 18 May 2027. This plan is our suggestion, not a board rule. Check which board and qualification you are sitting before you choose papers.

9. How Brainhub can help

A tutor can spot which topics keep costing you marks and set practice at the right level. Brainhub teaches one-to-one, live online across the UK. Online A-Level lessons start from £40 an hour, and a qualified teacher with a PGCE costs £10 an hour more. Every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment.

Students who join us by Year 12 most often finish with A*/A (Brainhub student records, 2021–2026). That figure is our own data, not independent research, and every student is different.

1. 1. How long is each AQA A-Level Psychology paper, and how many marks is it?

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2. 2. How are AQA’s 16-mark psychology answers marked?

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3. 3. When are the summer 2027 A-Level Psychology papers?

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Your next steps

• Check the paper code (7182, 9PS0, H567 or A290QS), then open your own board’s past papers page.
• Put 18 May, 25 May and 9 June 2027 in the calendar and work back from them.
• Book a free 45-minute assessment to see which topics to practise first.

Subject guides to go with this

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