CAIE A-Level Psychology answers, written to the spec
8 topics · specification 9990 · explanations and examiner marking in CAIE’s own language
Studying CAIE A-Level Psychology? Pick your board once and every answer, mark and flashcard elid gives you follows that specification. Free to start, no card needed. Open elid →
This is the full CAIE A-Level Psychology specification, code 9990, as elid holds it — 8 topics, each with the terminology CAIE marks against. Every explanation and every mark elid gives you is written against this list, not a generic A-level one, because the same question answered in AQA, Edexcel or OCR language loses marks it should have earned.
The CAIE A-Level Psychology specification, topic by topic
Biological
Assessed in Paper 1, 2
Investigating the biological basis of behaviour, focusing on neurobiology and genetics.
Specification terms elid matches
REM sleep
NREM sleep
EEG (electroencephalogram)
EOG (electrooculogram)
dream recall
ultradian rhythms
sleep stages
sex differences
socialisation
play behaviour
role of hormones
testosterone
rhesus monkeys
toy preference
Named studies and theories
Dement and Kleitman
Hassett et al.
Hölzel et al.
Maguire et al. (2000)
Alexander and Hines (2002)
Jouvet (1967)
Davidson et al. (2003)
Sperry (1968)
Cognitive
Assessed in Paper 1, 2
Exploring internal mental processes including attention, memory, and perception.
Specification terms elid matches
attention
memory
information processing
input-process-output model
schema
reconstructive memory
working memory model
central executive
phonological loop
visuospatial sketchpad
episodic buffer
theory of mind
mind-blindness
social sensitivity
Named studies and theories
Andrade
Baron-Cohen et al.
Pozzulo et al.
Loftus and Palmer (1974)
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
Steventon et al. (1989)
Brewer and Treyens (1981)
Simon and Chabris (1999)
Learning
Assessed in Paper 1, 2
Examining mechanisms of learning, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning theory.
Specification terms elid matches
social learning theory
observational learning
modelling
imitation
vicarious reinforcement
aggression
Bobo doll
operant conditioning
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
primary reinforcement
secondary reinforcement
shaping
successive approximations
Named studies and theories
Bandura et al.
Fagen et al.
Saavedra and Silverman
Pavlov (1897)
Skinner (1948)
Watson and Rayner (1920)
Patterson et al. (1989)
Capafóns et al. (1998)
Social
Assessed in Paper 1, 2
Understanding how social contexts and interactions shape human behaviour.
Specification terms elid matches
obedience
obedience to authority
destructive obedience
agentic state
autonomous state
moral strain
dispositional Hypothesis
situational Hypothesis
social pressure
confederate
bystander apathy
diffusion of responsibility
cost-reward model
pluralistic ignorance
Named studies and theories
Milgram
Perry et al.
Piliavin et al.
Latane and Darley (1968)
Hall (1966)
Burger (2009)
Meeus and Raaijmakers (1986)
Levine et al. (2001)
Clinical Psychology
Assessed in Paper 3, 4
Focusing on the diagnosis, explanation, and treatment of mental health disorders like schizophrenia and depression.
Specification terms elid matches
persecutory ideation
virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET)
bipolar affective disorder
serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT)
polymorphism
diathesis-stress model
dopamine Hypothesis
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
opiate antagonists
naltrexone
pathological gambling
impulse control disorders (ICDs)
blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia
applied tension
Named studies and theories
Freeman et al.
Oruč et al.
Grant et al.
Chapman and DeLapp
Lovell et al.
Gottesman (1991)
Paul and Lentz (1977)
Beck (1979)
Ost (1992)
Griffiths (2005)
Consumer Psychology
Assessed in Paper 3, 4
Studying psychological factors influencing consumer behaviour and decision making.
Specification terms elid matches
musical style
classical music
background music
consumer spending
table spacing
Personal space in dining
physical environment
atmospheric cues
choice blindness
self-justification
introspection
packaging design
color associations
taste perception
Named studies and theories
North et al.
Robson et al.
Hall et al.
Becker et al.
Snyder and DeBono
Mehrabian and Russell (1974)
Kahneman (2011)
Petty and Cacioppo (1986)
Areni and Kim (1993)
Johansson et al. (2005)
Health Psychology
Assessed in Paper 3, 4
Exploring the psychological, behavioural, and cultural factors that contribute to physical health and illness.
Specification terms elid matches
practitioner consulting style
patient-centered style
doctor-centered style
compliance
adherence
immunization rates
community-based interventions
monetary prompts
pain assessment
visual analogue scale (VAS)
faces pain scale
observer-rated pain
breast cancer
relaxation techniques
Named studies and theories
Savage and Armstrong
Yokley and Glenwick
Brudvik et al.
Bridge et al.
Shoshani and Steinmetz
Byrne and Long (1976)
Ley (1988)
Wong and Baker (1988)
Seligman (2000)
Selye (1936)
Organisational Psychology
Assessed in Paper 3, 4
Applying psychological principles to workplace environments, leadership, and job satisfaction.
Specification terms elid matches
intrinsic motivation
extrinsic motivation
self-determination theory
cash rewards
organizational justice
managerial positions
gender roles
transformational leadership
transactional leadership
electronic performance monitoring (EPM)
spatial working memory
supervisory control
human-automation interaction
accident monitoring
Named studies and theories
Landry et al.
Cuadrado et al.
Claypoole and Szalma
Swat
Giacalone and Rosenfeld
Deci and Ryan (1985)
Bass (1990)
Locke and Latham (1990)
Herzberg (1959)
Hackman and Oldham (1976)
How the papers are weighted
elid uses these weightings when it decides which topics deserve your revision time first.
Paper
Share of the qualification
Paper 1
25%
Paper 2
25%
Paper 3
25%
Paper 4
25%
Marked the way CAIE marks it
Paste an answer you have written and elid marks it point by point against the CAIE scheme: which marking points you hit, which you missed, and the sentence that would have earned each missing one. It is the difference between being told an answer is “good” and being told exactly where the marks went.
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