Current syllabus · first assessment 2028

A-Level Psychology A2 Study Guide & Review

Complete Cambridge International A Level Psychology 9990 through your two specialist options, precise evidence selection, supported Paper 3 evaluation and context-specific Paper 4 application, research planning and design evaluation.

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  1. 01Learn concepts
  2. 02Practise questions
  3. 03Review mistakes

How to study Cambridge International A2 Psychology 9990

Cambridge A2 Psychology is built around two specialist options, not all four groups visible in the catalog. Use the A2 syllabus map to open only your centre's Clinical, Consumer, Health or Organisational pair plus the A Level methods group. For each Topic, connect the explanation or application to required evidence or a Key Study, relevant methodology and an issue or debate, then distinguish named evidence from examples that support understanding.

Reconstruct the specialist explanation and context in Concept and retrieve precise Key Study and method evidence in Mastery without a prepared essay. Apply it through the Question Bank and label the first weakness as content, scenario transfer, unsupported evaluation or research-design detail. Repair that link, then retry either a Paper 3 describe/evaluate task or a Paper 4 application and planning task for the same chosen option.

Practise A2 Psychology by required output

Use separate routines for specialist evidence, Paper 3 description and evaluation, Paper 4 scenario application and replicable research planning.

Build an option-specific evidence matrix

Explanation, application, Key Study, example evidence, method and issue or debate

For every Topic in your two options, link the psychological explanation or application to precise evidence, the Key Study's design and findings, one methodological decision and a relevant issue or debate. Label example studies separately so they support understanding without replacing required Key Study knowledge.

Practise your options

Write Paper 3 description and evaluation

Six-mark description, ten-mark evaluation, approaches, issues and debates

Separate the two commands. First retrieve accurate specialist content and evidence for description; then make each evaluation point a judgement supported by a named theoretical, methodological or study detail. Explain why that evidence changes the explanation's validity, usefulness or application instead of listing generic strengths.

Practise Paper 3 evidence

Apply specialist knowledge in Paper 4

Clinical, consumer, health or organisational scenarios and research-method decisions

Identify the exact feature of the unfamiliar scenario, select relevant specialist theory or evidence and explain the connection in context. For method questions, state how the variable, design, measure or limitation operates in this investigation rather than reciting an abstract definition.

Practise scenario application

Plan and evaluate a replicable study

Experiments, self-reports, observations, correlations, case studies and longitudinal designs

Follow the named method and specialist context. Specify aim or hypothesis when required, sample, procedure, variables, controls, ethics, data and method-specific details sufficiently for replication, then evaluate practical and methodological decisions, validity and reliability using the actual design rather than a memorised template.

Practise A Level methods

Where to start

Start from one Topic inside your chosen option pair, or diagnose whether the repeated failure is evidence, application, evaluation or research planning.

Choose your starting point

  1. I know the option and weak Topic

    Open the matching specialist group and identify whether explanation, Key Study evidence, application, issue or methodology is missing.

    Browse your A2 options

  2. I do not know what is weak

    Use mixed questions from your two options to separate content gaps from Paper 3 evaluation or Paper 4 application and planning failures.

    Start an A2 diagnostic

Choose the right A2 Psychology starting point

  1. Explain the specialist content

    Reconstruct the theory, explanation or application and connect it to the exact option context and supporting evidence.

    Review a Concept

  2. Retrieve evidence and methods

    Reproduce Key Study details, examples, methodological concepts and relevant issues or debates without notes or a model essay.

    Check Mastery

  3. Apply, judge and repair

    Answer an option-specific evaluation or planning task, identify the first unsupported decision and rewrite it with contextual evidence.

    Practise questions

Explore the Cambridge A2 Psychology specialist options

Choose the two specialist-option groups taught by your centre from Clinical, Consumer, Health and Organisational Psychology, then use the shared A Level options, issues and methods destination. The 5-group, 25-Topic map is a complete option catalog, not a requirement to study all four.

5
syllabus groups
25
mapped topics

3.2 A Level content overview and methods

Open unit questions
A Level options, issues and methods

Specialist Option 1: Clinical Psychology

Open unit questions
Clinical Psychology overview and key studies1.1 Schizophrenia1.2 Mood (affective) disorders: depressive disorder (unipolar) and bipolar1.3 Impulse control disorders1.4 Anxiety disorders and fear-related disorders1.5 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Specialist Option 2: Consumer Psychology

Open unit questions
Consumer Psychology overview and key studies2.1 The physical environment2.2 The psychological environment2.3 Consumer decision-making2.4 The product2.5 Advertising

Specialist Option 3: Health Psychology

Open unit questions
Health Psychology overview and key studies3.1 The patient-practitioner relationship3.2 Adherence to medical advice3.3 Pain3.4 Stress3.5 Health promotion

Specialist Option 4: Organisational Psychology

Open unit questions
Organisational Psychology overview and key studies4.1 Motivation to work4.2 Leadership and management4.3 Group behaviour in organisations4.4 Organisational work conditions4.5 Satisfaction at work

Cambridge A Level Psychology 9990 A2 assessment

A2 completion uses Papers 3 and 4, taken together and based on the same two studied options. Staged candidates carry forward Papers 1 and 2 under current rules; linear candidates take all four papers together.

Paper / componentQuestionsTime% of grade
Paper 3 Specialist Options: Approaches, Issues and DebatesFour questions for each of the two studied options60 marksFor each option, three structured short-answer questions total 14 marks, followed by a structured essay with a 6-mark describe part and a 10-mark evaluate part. The component profile is 26% AO1, 26% AO2 and 48% AO3.How to prepare: Practise retrieving accurate option content separately from evaluation. Build each 10-mark judgement around topic-specific theory, Key Study, methodology or issue-and-debate evidence, and explain why that evidence changes the quality or usefulness of the psychological account.1 hour 30 minutes25% of the full A Level
Paper 4 Specialist Options: Application and Research MethodsSection A on both options; one Section B planning question60 marksSection A has two structured questions per studied option, worth 18 marks each. Section B offers one planning question per option; candidates choose one, earning 10 marks for the plan and 14 for structured evaluation. The profile is 26% AO1, 44% AO2 and 30% AO3.How to prepare: Apply specialist evidence and methodology to the exact scenario, then design a replicable investigation for the named method. Include general and method-specific details and evaluate practical decisions, validity and reliability in relation to the actual plan rather than a universal checklist.1 hour 30 minutes25% of the full A Level

SourceCambridge International · Cambridge International AS & A Level Psychology 9990 syllabus9990 · Version 1 · exams 2028, 2029 and 2030

Cambridge A2 Psychology 9990 questions

You study two options chosen from Clinical, Consumer, Health and Organisational Psychology, normally according to what your centre teaches. The Course map displays all four valid options so every route is accessible, but an individual learner should open and revise only the two groups in their registered course.

Yes. Cambridge assumes AS approaches, issues and debates, and research methodology in Papers 3 and 4. However, the 12 AS core studies are not the direct focus of A2 questions. A2 applies those foundations to specialist-option theories, evidence, Key Studies, scenarios and investigation planning.

Staged candidates normally take Papers 1 and 2 together first, carry the marks forward under the rules for their examination series, then take Papers 3 and 4 together. Linear candidates take all four papers in one series. Papers 3 and 4 are the A2 completion-stage components, not a separate A2 qualification.

Cambridge expects detailed knowledge and evaluation of Key Studies, including context, explanation, aims where stated, design, methods, findings, conclusions and discussion. Example studies support understanding and may strengthen an answer where appropriate, but they are not directly assessed as named-study recall in the same way.