Stephanie

I’m an experienced A Level Psychology examiner and teacher (for both AQA and Edexcel), currently working in a top school that achieves outstanding results.

Tutoring Experience

I’m now in my 11th year of teaching A Level Psychology and cannot imagine doing anything else.

Examiner experience: I’ve been an Edexcel A Level Psychology examiner for approx. 6 years now (having worked alongside one of their Principal examiners) and I’ve also been an AQA Psychology examiner for 1 year, with a view to continue working with both exam boards.

Expertise: I know both the AQA and Edexcel specifications inside out. I have an A Level, BSc degree and PGCE in Psychology, and I’ve also completed a human brain dissection course as part of an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience. My experience and knowledge gained from the latter course has hugely complemented and advanced my teaching.

Where I’ve taught: Every school I’ve worked at has achieved fantastic Psychology A Level results. I have experience of teaching Psychology in different institutions (e.g., one college, as well as state, grammar and private schools), with my current employment being at an outstanding independent school in the Midlands. Previous schools I’ve worked at include Alcester Grammar School in Worcestershire (4 years) and John Taylor High School in Staffordshire (2 years) - the Psychology department at both schools had an outstanding reputation, and my experience of working alongside a Principal examiner at one of these schools gave me an astute awareness of how students can achieve a top grade in Psychology.

Other relevant experience: I have always been a form tutor as well as a Psychology teacher, with my tutor group each year comprising of A Level students who I write UCAS references for. I am also well experienced in reading and marking draft versions of students’ UCAS personal statements, and would be happy to offer this as part of my service.

Tutoring Approach

Psychology A Level is content-heavy and a new subject for the vast majority of students who choose to study it. Some students are surprised to find that Psychology is harder than they first anticipated; whilst a very interesting subject, it involves learning about some tricky scientific concepts, research methods that are unfamiliar, and some statistics/maths. What’s more, many students find that it is often poor exam technique, rather than subject knowledge, that holds them back from performing well.

Therefore, to boost confidence in the subject early on, I use my examiner experience to teach the most essential exam techniques needed, as soon as possible, so that these can be practised, embedded and perfected. Learning the content is the fun/easy bit (albeit time-consuming), but I have seen first-hand how mastering the essential skills early on can help take the pressure off when revising the content. My approach will enable students to feel confident in applying their knowledge and understanding to all sorts of questions, so that they will feel more than ready for their exams!

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to learning, so aside from teaching essential skills, I will always try to ascertain which revision and teaching methods will work best for each individual I teach. I am able to gauge quickly when a particular approach is not effective, so I will endeavour to meet each student’s needs however and as soon as I can.