Making assessment straightforward in our refreshed A Level Psychology
11 May 2026
Nicola Heath, Psychology Subject Advisor
Our refreshed A Level Psychology (H569) qualification is now accredited for first teach in September 2027. Throughout the development, we’ve focused on one guiding principle: making assessment straightforward, so that exams reward real understanding and application.
What does ‘straightforward assessment’ mean for our refreshed A Level Psychology? What’s changing in practice, and what does it mean for teachers, centres and your students?
A clear assessment structure
One of the central aims of our review was to simplify the assessment structure without reducing demand. To support this, we have:
- reduced the number of marks for each exam to 80 marks, but kept the time at 2 hours to support time management
- ensured students will see familiar question types across papers.
This structure helps students focus on demonstrating their knowledge, understanding and skills, with clear expectations across the assessment experience.
Command words used with precision and clarity
We know that command words matter and we have explored which ones work best for the qualification and what assessment objectives and skills they relate to.
By reducing the number of command words, we have:
- made expectations clear and consistent for students, ensuring they can focus on the content of the question
- supported focused teaching and exam preparation.
Each command term is clearly defined, with associated Assessment Objective weightings set out in the specification (page 40). This supports shared understanding and makes the assessment approach straightforward to navigate.
Simplified mark tariff approach
Another major change is simplifying the range of mark tariffs used in exam papers. In the refreshed assessments, we have:
- reduced the number of different mark tariffs we will use
- set the highest mark tariff at 12 marks.
This gives students clear guidance of what is expected in the exams. It also supports consistent mark schemes that help prepare students for future assessments. Reducing tariffs to a maximum of 12 marks supports student confidence and enables a fairer assessment experience with fewer marks allocated for any one particular topic.
Clear links to assessment objectives
Clarity around assessment objectives is central to fair and meaningful assessment. We have made explicit links between command words and the assessment objectives they target. To make that connection, we have:
- set out clearly which assessment objectives are targeted by each command term
- provided information on the weightings of assessment objectives within those command words.
This information is in the specification (page 41) and supports more confident teaching and clear exam preparation, helping students understand how their skills and knowledge are rewarded.
Consistency across all three papers
A Level Psychology has three exam papers, so consistency is key. While papers should sample different content and skills, students should encounter familiar structures and expectations throughout. We have ensured:
- familiar question types are used consistently
- mark schemes and levels of demand are aligned
- a shared assessment approach running through the qualification.
This helps build student confidence and ensures fairness, while still allowing each paper to play a distinct role in assessing the different aspects of the specification.
Putting accessibility at the heart of design
Accessibility has been a central consideration throughout this work. Our aim has been to ensure that all students can engage fully with the assessments, without unnecessary barriers. Accessibility considerations include:
- clear and concise language
- logical progression and sequencing
- careful management of cognitive demand
- consistent layout, signposting and visual indicators.
By embedding accessibility from the outset, assessments remain appropriately challenging while supporting all students in demonstrating their understanding.
A reaccredited qualification, designed for the future
This qualification has been developed through a full reaccreditation process, resulting in a new specification code (H569). This has played an important role in assessment for the future because:
- H569 is treated as a brand-new qualification
- we are not restricted by questions previously used in H567
- a wider range of question types and topics can be explored over time.
Reaccreditation has been a worthwhile step, ensuring the qualification is well-positioned for the future and supports engaging, meaningful assessment across its lifetime.
A structured specification that supports teaching
Making assessment straightforward is not just about the exam papers, it also starts with the specification. Alongside the changes to assessment design, we have taken care to make sure that the specification is well structured and detailed enough to provide clear support for teaching and learning.
The specification sets out clearly:
- what content needs to be taught
- how that content is organised
- the named studies students are expected to know.
By naming the required studies directly, the specification removes uncertainty and supports consistency across centres. Everyone (teachers, students, and examiners) is working from the same shared understanding of what is required.
What this means for teachers and students
Taken together, these design decisions support a clear, confident and consistent assessment experience.
For students, this means:
- clear expectations
- confidence approaching exam questions
- a familiar exam experience.
For teachers and centres, it means:
- strong alignment between teaching and assessment
- clear guidance on how learning is rewarded
- confidence in preparing students for assessment.
Ultimately, the aim is to ensure that assessments genuinely reflect learning, understanding and application.
Looking ahead
If you’d like to explore this qualification in more detail, please download the specification and sample assessment materials from our website. Together, they provide the clearest picture of how we have made assessment straightforward, how the qualification works and how students will be assessed.
Stay connected
If you have any questions, you can email us at psychology@ocr.org.uk or call us on 01223 553998.
You can also sign up for subject emails to make sure you get the latest news, information and resources.
If you are considering teaching any of our qualifications, please do let us know using our online form , so that we can make sure you get all the support you need.
About the author
Nicola joined Cambridge OCR in 2022 as the Subject Advisor for Psychology. Before that, she taught psychology for over 10 years and has had various other responsibilities in that time, including being Head of Year, SENDCo and Subject Leader for PSHE. Nicola has a personal interest in mental health and wellbeing and enjoys reading, baking and spending time outdoors to relax.
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