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Welcome to QE Psychology Department!!
Below you can find out what our recent students have said about their time with us.
And further down this page, see what some of our former students were able to go on and do with their futures, well-equipped with their Psychology A Level!
What do our students think of A Level psychology at QE?
Robin Wileman - Yr 13
Taking A Level psychology has been an amazing experience, as it is a really interesting subject that teaches you skills and concepts you can take with you as you progress into further education or a career. The course is varied and there are lots of opportunities to gain extra psychology experience through trips and events in college.I personally loved the work we did in 2nd year, topics like criminal behaviour and schizophrenia. Psychology also compliments a lot of other subjects, from biology and law to history and philosophy, as it combines different areas of psychology and includes a lot of cross-curricular elements. Overall, I would definitely recommend considering taking psychology A Level because if you put in the time and effort, it's hugely rewarding as you can gain so much from the course.
Josh Cela - Yr 13
I chose A Level Psychology as I felt that it would be an interesting course to study. I particularly enjoyed the topic on Criminal behaviour as I also study A Level Law and it was not something I had the opportunity to study before QE Studying A Level Psychology has helped me develop my analytical and writing skills. I found that the large amount of content in A Level Psychology was a challenge at first. However, getting to grips with the large amount of content helped me develop revision strategies and along with the support from the psychology department I learnt some very effective ways to revise which helped me retain the amount of detail for the exams.I plan on becoming a solicitor, so my next step after leaving Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College is to study law at Newcastle University. Although the content of psychology does not exactly fit with what I want to do, the skills I have learnt through Psychology have definitely helped me in terms of improving my writing and my revision techniques.
Katie Easby - Yr 13
When coming to QE I knew that I wanted to take psychology even before I left school. My heart was set on taking psychology as one of my A-levels from looking around at open evening and bridging week. Within my first term I 100% knew that psychology was something I wanted to do at university and hopefully get a career in. I was constantly fascinated by what I was learning as there’s so much variation with what you’re being taught. Psychology has really helped me improve my essay writing skills but also within the research methods, I have really grown in confidence with the more mathematical aspect of the course. I have come out of my time at QE still wanting to do psychology at university as I made good progress in the subject which has helped me enjoy it even more.
Kieran Marsh - Yr 13
I chose to study A level Psychology as I felt it complimented my other subjects, in particular Geography, where you have to use similar analytical skills and essay writing techniques. Additionally the Psychology A level course offered to build on these skills whilst also developing an in-depth understanding of psychological functions and processes from a range of approaches. One part of the course I enjoyed was the application of the content linked to the real world. This built on the foundations learnt previously whilst allowing a comprehensive understanding of specific behaviors, For example, Criminal Behaviour. Sometimes the biological concepts were challenging at first but after using effective revision strategies, the content would usually be straightward. After college, I'm planning on going to Newcastle University to study Geography. The knowledge and skills gained from A level Psychology will prove useful and applicable due to the wide range of general skills learnt throughout the course, as well as subject specific skills.
Katherine Clements - Yr 13
I chose to study psychology at A-level because I was interested in why people behave the way we do, and what makes us different. During my two years of A-levels, we learnt about a wide range of behaviours and possible explanations with keen guidance from our teachers. While there is definitely a lot of content to go through, it is well structured so that you aren't rushed and always know where you are in the course; I found this incredibly useful! Another great thing about psychology is that it can apply to more or less any other A-levels, for example, sociology, health and social care, biology or law, just to name a few. Psychology at QE is an interesting and engaging subject as I know many people (including myself) who are planning on continuing the subject at university.
Alice Bell - Yr 13
I chose to study A level psychology because I wanted to study something that I knew I would find interesting and I can definitely say it was! During the course I particularly enjoyed learning about criminal behaviour, in particular, why certain people may have a predisposition to commit crime. Psychology definitely helped me improve my essay writing skills andI managed to be successful in this subject by taking the teachers advice and guidance. One thing I found challenging during the course was the amount of content there was to learn which can be quite overwhelming at first glance. However the teachers gave excellent advice on how to structure/section out the information which made it so much more manageable. After college I am hoping to go to university and take a degree in adult nursing. Therefore studying Psychology will benefit me as it made me more aware of how each individual thinks and reacts is unique to them. Also, I now understand the importance of positive thinking (by learning about the positive approach), and that it has an ongoing effect on someone's well being and their chance of recovery from an illness for example.
Mason Milburn - Yr 13
I chose A-Level Psychology because it allows you to develop a deeper appreciation of the human mind in all of it’s intricacies. One topic I specifically enjoyed was the ‘Controversies’ element. This is especially interesting as you are given an opportunity to prove your independence in researching 4 major disputed topics in psychology.O also found that the ‘Research Methods’ component of Psychology at QE has been effective at providing me with transferable skills in science subjects. A-Level Psychology has enhanced my abilities to think analytically and improved my essay writing skills significantly. After QE, I’m going to study Medical Sciences at the University of Leeds. The course is very neuroscience based and therefore psychology (especially the cognitive and biological approaches) will be directly useful to my learning. Alongside this, the development of my communication skills, critical mindset and drive to learn will positively benefit my integration into the university lifestyle.
Vicky Ward - Yr 13
I chose to study A Level Psychology due to personal reasons. I have family members with behavioural disorders, addictions and mental health issues and I really wanted to understand more about this and eventually work in a profession where I can help other people with these problems. I have particularly enjoyed learning about addictive behaviour and I loved learning about positive psychology as it’s very different to other psychological approaches and was very interesting to me. I took Health and Social Care as another subject, so Psychology was also very helpful for this course due to completing units on psychological disorders for example. These 2 courses were very complimentary. I did find Psychology challenging at times. For instance, I struggled remembering brain structures when studying biological psychology and explanations, however, using flashcards and revising really helped. Practice really does make perfect and it pays off. I am going to University in September to study Psychology and I hope to become a counsellor or educational psychologist in the future.
Anya Lord - Yr 13
Studying Psychology at A Level has been an amazing experience. Not only do you learn valuable essay and research skills that you can also apply elsewhere, but the course is very interesting. I'm going on to study Psychology at university so I am very interested in all the topics that we covered. But my favourite area of the course was criminal and addictive behaviours. I found it interesting to learn about different psychological explanations of these behaviours including social and biological. It is fairly content heavy, but well worth it if you are interested.
Lorraine Walker - Yr 13
Having never studied psychology before A level, I chose the subject due to how interesting it sounded and because of the wide range of topics studied in the course. This is an aspect I’ve hugely enjoyed. My favorite has probably been the biological side as I just find it so fascinating, all the different parts of the brain working together and the impact of changes or abnormalities in the brain. Surprisingly psychology has actually helped me in media A level, as we study social explanations to behaviour. We also learn about similar things in media, eg. why certain colours are used, or certain TV characters used to make us feel or act in a certain way. I think I’ve managed to be successful due to the teaching, which I can not praise enough. The content is taught in a variety of ways and I feel this has prepared me well for university too, where similar teaching styles will be used. The teachers are also great on a one to one level and nothing is too much trouble for them. I’ve found the biological side the most challenging, with me not being very good at science at school I was worried about this side of it, but I think the fact that the content is so interesting it’s been fun and rewarding to push myself into an area I’m not as comfortable in. I now plan on going to university in Liverpool to study psychology after discovering my love for it at QE, I will get my degree here, do a year abroad, go on to a masters in psychology then hopefully go into forensic psychology.
Lauren Nesbitt - Yr 13
I chose to study A Level psychology because, from looking at what to study, it seemed the most interesting course to me. After studying psychology for two years, I found this to be absolutely true. Whilst all of the components that we learn in both first year and second year are challenging, it keeps you eager to learn because of just how fascinating the content is. Not only is the course itself enjoyable, lessons are made appealing through the many ways of learning and also the passion for psychology that the teachers themselves have. My plan for the future is to study Midwifery at university and psychology will help me to do this.
Sophie Richmond - Yr 13
Psychology at QE for me personally was the best and most interesting of my three courses. Not only did it broaden my horizons in this specific subject area but it also tied in well with my other subjects; biology and media studies. In terms of course content there is a lot to learn, but the course is taught in manageable sections to ensure that your workload is never too heavy and that the work you are set for one side of the course compliments the other nicely. There was not one element of the content that left me feeling bored or uninterested. I would like to mention that the staff in the psychology department are some of the nicest people you will meet at QE, they will do everything in their power to help and support you in any way possible. Although, as much as they are nice, they also know when to challenge and push you to achieve your academic best. I have found that psychology can be applied to a wide variety of career paths even if you have no idea what you want to do after you leave college then it is a versatile option and may open doors and provide opportunities for you in any future course or career. I believe that A level psychology at QE is an incredibly rewarding course so long as you are willing to put in the effort. I have a place at the University of Lincoln to study Psychology with Forensic Psychology. I believe it’s fair to say that my future would be different had I not studied psychology. For this reason I highly recommend that anyone deciding which courses to take should definitely consider A level psychology as part of their journey at QE.Where do our students go with A Level psychology?
"My name is Danielle Young and I left QE in summer 2017. I studied English Language, Psychology and Sport and Leisure. I’m currently finishing my third year at the University of Liverpool where I do an integrated Master’s course in clinical and health psychology! I’m really enjoying it and I hope to one day go on to do my doctorate in chartered clinical psychology!"
Danielle Young
"After I left QE I studied to become an Operating Department Practitioner at Teesside University.
I now work at Darlington Memorial as an anaesthetic practitioner, in which we care for patients under going elective and emergency surgery. As an anaesthetic practitioner we assist the anaesthetist with ensuring all the airway equipment is there and ready to be used as well as assisting with the drawing up of drugs. As an anaesthetic practitioner we always solely recover patients after their surgery, ensuring they are comfortable and giving pain relief if needed. Although a lot of operations we do are elective and routine, we have a lot of emergency surgeries that we have to prepare for in a moments notice. At this time of covid-19 we are being used in intensive care and looking after patients on ventilators and the most vulnerable patients."
Katie Branch
Psychology, English language and film studies.
Left in 2015.
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