Short Answer & Application Questions

Short answer and application questions make up the majority of marks on both AQA GCSE Psychology papers. Mastering these question types is the single most effective way to improve your exam performance, because small improvements in technique across many questions add up to significant mark gains.

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Understanding Mark Allocations

Before writing anything, look at the number of marks available. This tells you exactly how much detail the examiner expects.

1-Mark Questions: Identify / Name / State / Give

For 1-mark questions, brevity is key. The examiner is looking for one specific piece of information. Do not write a paragraph — a single word, phrase, or short sentence is all that is needed.