This year’s Higher psychology exam was “a delight” because the wording was so clear and unambiguous, said Marj Adams, principal teacher of the subject at Forres Academy.
“I would commend whoever set the paper for its straightforwardness. The language was from the Plain English Society and there was no doubt about what the candidates were being asked,” she said.
It was “an exceedingly fair paper” which sampled all course areas.
Candidates have to cover a lot of ground, as it is effectively a crash course in a new subject for most.
The first section, on “understanding the individual”, dealt with early socialisation. All four questions were straightforward. In the same section, the 20-mark essay was on memory, which delighted Mrs Adams’
pupils. One even asked her if she was psychic, as the class had covered memory on a special study session before the exam.
The eight questions in the second section, on “investigating behaviour”, were also “straightforward”. Nor did she have any complaints about the third part (on the individual in the social context) - the only section of the exam to contain a small element of choice.
