Current syllabus · first assessment 2028
A-Level Psychology AS Study Guide & Review
Study Cambridge International AS Level Psychology 9990 by connecting precise core-study evidence with methodology, issues and debates, then apply and evaluate it confidently across Paper 1 and Paper 2.
- 01Learn concepts
- 02Practise questions
- 03Review mistakes
How to study Cambridge International AS Level Psychology 9990
Cambridge AS Psychology is not a list of 12 summaries. Use the AS syllabus map to connect each biological, cognitive, learning or social study to its aim, sample, procedure, results, conclusion, methodological choices, ethics, strengths, weaknesses and relevant issues or debates. Organising the same evidence through these lenses makes it usable for precise description, comparison, evaluation and application instead of producing vague memorised paragraphs.
Reconstruct the psychological idea and study logic in Concept, then retrieve named evidence and methodological vocabulary in Mastery without notes. Apply them through the Question Bank and identify the first missing link: study detail, method, scenario transfer, comparison criterion or supported judgement. Repair that link and retry a nearby Paper 1 or Paper 2 task, including a workable plan when the prompt requires one.
Practise AS Psychology by evidence decision
Use distinct routines to organise core studies, compare and evaluate evidence, apply methodology to novel scenarios and construct valid Paper 2 plans.
Build one core-study evidence record
Background, aim, sample, procedure, results, conclusion, ethics, method and debate links
Create one compact record that links the investigated psychology to named procedural and result evidence. Add the method, sampling, controls, ethics, validity, reliability and one relevant debate, so the same study can support description, application and evaluation without separate memorised essays.
Practise core studiesCompare and evaluate with evidence
Approaches, issues and debates, strengths, weaknesses and study comparisons
Choose one shared criterion before comparing, such as method, sample, validity or explanation, and address both studies against it. For evaluation, make a judgement, cite a precise procedural or result detail and explain why that evidence changes the quality or usefulness of the conclusion.
Practise issues and debatesApply research methods to novel scenarios
Experiments, self-reports, observations, case studies, correlations and longitudinal studies
Identify the method, variables, design, controls, sampling, data type and ethical or validity issue from the scenario rather than reciting definitions. State how one feature operates in that exact context, then support a limitation or improvement with the details supplied in the prompt.
Practise research methodsPlan and repair Paper 2 investigations
Procedure, variables, controls, measurement, data collection, validity and reliability
Specify a workable procedure using the requested method, including operationalised variables, controls, design, setting, materials or questions and data collection. Evaluate only practical or methodological features, validity and reliability; do not add aims, hypotheses, ethics, sampling or generalisability when Cambridge does not require them for this plan.
Practise methodological conceptsWhere to start
Start from a known approach or methodology weakness, or diagnose whether the repeated problem is evidence retrieval, application, evaluation or planning.
Choose your starting point
- Browse the AS syllabus
I know the weak Topic
Open the exact approach, issues and debates, research-method or methodological-concept destination and identify the missing evidence or answer decision.
- Start a diagnostic
I do not know what is weak
Use mixed core-study and scenario questions to separate recall gaps from application, comparison, evaluation or research-planning failures.
Choose the right AS Psychology starting point
- Review a Concept
Explain the study and method
Reconstruct the psychological background, aim, procedure and conclusion, then explain how the chosen methodology produced the evidence.
- Check Mastery
Retrieve named evidence
Reproduce precise procedural details, findings, methodological concepts and debate links without notes or a prepared essay beside you.
- Practise questions
Apply, judge and repair
Answer a novel scenario or comparison, support each judgement with study-specific evidence and rewrite the first unsupported claim.
Cambridge AS Level Psychology 9990 assessment
AS candidates take Papers 1 and 2 in the same series. Both are 60 marks and 50% of AS, but Paper 1 prioritises core-study knowledge and evaluation while Paper 2 prioritises methodological application and planning.
SourceCambridge International · Cambridge International AS & A Level Psychology 9990 syllabus9990 · Version 1 · exams 2028, 2029 and 2030
Cambridge AS Level Psychology 9990 questions
Know the investigated psychology, background, aim, procedure and methodology, ethics, results, conclusions, strengths and weaknesses. You must also connect each study to relevant approaches, issues and debates. Cambridge's reference list states that candidates should read all 12 studies in detail and may be asked about any aspect of them.
Paper 1 uses core studies to assess approaches, issues, debates, comparison and evaluation, with a stronger AO1 emphasis. Paper 2 assesses research methods through short answers, novel scenarios and a planning task, with a stronger AO2 emphasis. Both still require knowledge, application and supported evaluation, so neither is a recall-only paper.
Give a workable procedure suited to the stated method and scenario. Relevant detail can include operationalised variables, controls, design, setting, question or observation format, materials, measurement and data collection. Cambridge does not expect aims or hypotheses, and does not require evaluation of ethics, sampling or generalisability in this planning task.
No. The AS course contains the 12 compulsory core studies, four approaches, five issues and debates, and AS research methodology assessed in Papers 1 and 2. Clinical, consumer, health and organisational specialist options belong to A Level Papers 3 and 4 and should not be added to AS revision.