New specification for A Level Psychology

We are pleased to announce that our new A Level Psychology (H569) qualification is now accredited for first teaching in September 2027.

This updated qualification has been shaped by teacher feedback and collaboration with key organisations, including The British Psychological Society and The Association for Teachers of Psychology. With a streamlined specification, straightforward, consistent assessments and updated content, it’s designed to support teachers and ensure all students can demonstrate their true ability and achieve the results they deserve.

From September 2027, you must teach the new A Level Psychology (H569) specification. This new specification will be first examined in June 2029.

Withdrawal of the current A Level Psychology H567

Due to the accreditation of the new A Level Psychology (H569), we will withdraw the current A Level Psychology qualification (H567).

The final assessment opportunity for the current A Level Psychology (H567) qualification will be June 2028.

Students wishing to resit the A Level Psychology (H567) qualification after its final assessment opportunity will need to take the new A Level Psychology (H569) qualification.

What has changed in the new specification?

Our new specification is contemporary, relevant and covers the topics students care about. It includes:

• modern content and new studies, including the use of AI and racial bias in mental health
• a contemporary approach to the evaluation of studies, and papers featuring recent examples of research, articles and topics
• unique topics in environmental psychology, and sport and exercise psychology
• an up to date, extended mental health topic, and compulsory criminal psychology one – both highly relevant and consistently popular with students.

Some of the other improvements include:

• a reduced number of core and key studies, so there’s less content to cover
• naming which studies to teach in the specification, so there is no need to research which studies to teach yourself
• a consistent, straightforward assessment approach, so you can spend less time on exam technique and more on supporting your students and consolidating their learning. This includes:
• a consistent structure across all papers
• familiar question types and a maximum mark tariff of 12
• a clear and consistent set of command terms
• clear signposting and visual indicators throughout to guide students through the paper
• requiring students to complete just one statistical test, with clear guidance in the specification on what’s expected.

We believe that these changes will help create a positive experience for all students.

You can view and download the new specification from the A Level Psychology qualification page on our website and Teach Cambridge.

How we are supporting you

Resources

We’re confident you’ll have all the support you need to plan, teach and prepare for exams with confidence. You will have access to a named subject advisor, whether you need support about the specification, the assessment process or resources.

To help you navigate the new qualification, we will also create and share:

• practical planning tools, including curriculum planners and schemes of work for every component and option
• assessment resources to build confidence, such as candidate exemplars and practice papers
• everything you need to plan, teach and assess all in one place: our secure online platform, Teach Cambridge
• Active Results: our free results analysis service to help you review the performance of individual students or whole school
• ExamBuilder: our free question-building platform that helps you to build your own tests as our bank of past live-series questions grow.

Webinars

We’re running a series of 30-minute Introducing our new A Level Psychology webinars, giving you the perfect opportunity to explore the new qualification. Join us to learn more about the specification, assessments and support available, you’ll also have the chance to ask questions – book your place now!

Any questions?

We have provided FAQs to help with common queries, but if you’d prefer to speak to someone we're happy to help. You can call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998, or email us at psychology@ocr.org.uk.

Qualification

• Psychology - H167, H567 (from 2015)
• Psychology - H569