AQA A Level Psychology (7182) Past Papers 2026
Download free AQA A Level Psychology 7182 past papers, mark schemes. 11 exam sessions from 2016–2026.
June 2024
Latest Session
11
Sessions
2016–2026
48
Question Papers
63
Mark Schemes
131% coverage
0
Inserts
6
Specimen Papers
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 7182/1 Introductory topics in psychology (Social Influence, Memory, Attachment, Psychopathology) | 96 | 2h | 0.80 | Moderate |
| Paper 2 | 7182/2 Psychology in context (Approaches, Biopsychology, Research Methods) | 96 | 2h | 0.80 | Moderate |
| Paper 3 | 7182/3 Issues and options in psychology (Issues & Debates plus three optional topics) | 96 | 2h | 0.80 | Moderate |
Component structure extracted from 6 official AQA documents (2022–2023). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
Topical Past Papers
AQA Psychology questions organised by specification topic — perfect for targeted revision.
How is AQA A Level Psychology (7182) examined?
AQA A Level Psychology is examined through 3 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
Paper 1
96 marks7182/1 Introductory topics in psychology (Social Influence, Memory, Attachment, Psychopathology)
Duration: 2h
Paper 2
96 marks7182/2 Psychology in context (Approaches, Biopsychology, Research Methods)
Duration: 2h
Paper 3
96 marks7182/3 Issues and options in psychology (Issues & Debates plus three optional topics)
Duration: 2h
What AQA examiners say about Psychology
Verbatim quotes from 6 official AQA examiner reports (2022–2023). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things AQA markers flag year after year.
Evaluating the original study instead of addressing the…
Many students produced evaluation of the original studies (Milgram, Lorenz, Harlow), without linking that explicitly to the AO3 requirements in the questions.
Application that just paraphrases or copies phrases from…
The application given by some students did not extend much beyond directly quoting from the stem, which made their answers limited.
Skipping or misreading the statistics / research methods…
It is important to note that a significant number of students failed to attempt Questions 15 and 17, potentially indicating a lack of preparation for the statistics element of the exam.
Most Common Mistakes — Psychology (7182)
Based on analysis of 6 official AQA examiner reports (2022, 2023). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Evaluating the original study instead of addressing the question's AO3 requirement
Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3 · Recurrent across both years, especially in 16-mark essays
Application that just paraphrases or copies phrases from the question stem
Paper 2 · Major discriminator on Paper 2 across both years
Skipping or misreading the statistics / research methods questions
Paper 1, Paper 3 · Repeated across Paper 1 and Paper 3 stats items
Confusing closely-related research-methods terms
Paper 2 · Pervasive on Paper 2 Research Methods section
Citing knowledge from a different theory or specification area than the question demands
Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3 · Visible on every paper
Topics Students Struggle With Most
Methods of investigating capacity and duration of short-term memory
Questions 05 and 06 (ways of investigating capacity and duration of short-term memory) did pose problems for some students.
Paper 1
Working memory model components and the episodic buffer
There was also occasional confusion as to the role of the episodic buffer, which was sometimes confused with episodic memory.
Paper 1
Behavioural categories — observable, measurable, specific
Most students did not understand that a behavioural category needs to be observable, measurable and specific.
Paper 2
Time sampling vs event/duration recording
Students struggled with this question due to a poor understanding of what time sampling meant. They missed out on the point of sampling being completed at set time intervals during the five minutes. Many students described time sampling as timing how long a behaviour lasts.
Paper 2
Cognitive neuroscience as a distinct topic
For those who had a more limited understanding of cognitive neuroscience, responses often lacked focus, concentrating on ways of studying the brain, the cognitive approach, or the biological approach.
Paper 2
Content analysis vs thematic analysis
A significant minority of students described thematic analysis instead of content analysis. Students must be able to outline what a content analysis entails and understand the distinct differences between this and thematic analysis.
Paper 1
Theory of mind in autism (cognition and development)
Despite the focus of the question, relatively few students provided effective definitions of theory of mind, and fewer still were able to make convincing links between the central concept and those deficits typically seen in cases of autism.
Paper 3
Cue reactivity as a learning theory of addiction
Many students seemed to be unaware that cue reactivity is a behaviourist/learning theory. They could only talk very generally about examples of possible cues. There was much confusion with biological theories of addiction.
Paper 3
AQA A Level Psychology (7182) — Full Archive 2016–2026
This page contains all 146 AQA A Level Psychology (7182) past papers available for free download — 11 exam sessions from 2016 to 2026. Each session includes question papers (QP), mark schemes (MS), and where available, insert materials (INS). No registration or payment required.
AQA A Level Psychology is graded A*–E. The A* grade requires achieving an A on the overall qualification and 90%+ on the A2 units. AQA is the UK's largest exam board, making these past papers the single most relevant resource for your revision.
AQA A Level Psychology has no tiers — all students sit the same papers. Papers are split into components (Paper 1, Paper 2, etc.), each testing different areas of the specification. Focus on components where you score lowest to maximise grade improvement.
AQA mark schemes use a clear notation: M marks are for method (your working), A marks are for accuracy (correct answer), and B marks are awarded independently. Understanding this system helps you maximise marks even when you don't reach the final answer — showing clear working can earn method marks. After attempting each Psychology past paper under timed conditions, mark it against the official scheme and categorise every dropped mark as a knowledge gap, method error, or misread question. Target your remaining revision at the category where you lose the most marks.
Psychology 7182 at other levels
Questions, answered.
PapersDaddy provides 146 free AQA A Level Psychology (7182) past papers from 2016–2026. Download question papers and mark schemes as PDF — no registration needed.
We have 146 papers across 11 exam sessions for AQA A Level Psychology (7182). This includes question papers and mark schemes, plus 6 specimen papers.
AQA filenames follow the pattern AQA-[CODE]-[TYPE]-[SESSION]. For example, AQA-71811H-QP-JUN19 means: specification 7181, Paper 1, Higher tier, Question Paper, June 2019. QP = Question Paper, W-MS = Mark Scheme, INS = Insert, SQP = Specimen Question Paper.