Track core areas, research methods and applications. Align with your chosen options and the latest 9990 syllabus for your exam series.
| Topic | Sub-Topic | Confidence (1–5) | Last Reviewed | Next Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research methods | Experimental, quasi-experimental and observational methods | |||
| Research methods | Sampling techniques and allocation to conditions | |||
| Research methods | Variables, operationalisation and controls | |||
| Research methods | Descriptive and inferential statistics | |||
| Research methods | Ethics in psychological research | |||
| Research methods | Peer review, reliability and validity | |||
| Biological psychology | Neurons, synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters | |||
| Biological psychology | Localisation of brain function and plasticity | |||
| Biological psychology | Scanning techniques and biological correlates | |||
| Biological psychology | Biological rhythms and sleep | |||
| Biological psychology | Stress: physiology and coping | |||
| Cognitive psychology | Models of memory and forgetting | |||
| Cognitive psychology | Eyewitness testimony and cognitive interview | |||
| Cognitive psychology | Attention and perception | |||
| Cognitive psychology | Language and thought | |||
| Cognitive psychology | Problem-solving and decision-making | |||
| Learning theories | Classical and operant conditioning | |||
| Learning theories | Social learning theory | |||
| Learning theories | Applications to behaviour change | |||
| Learning theories | Animal research and ethics | |||
| Learning theories | Comparing explanations of learning | |||
| Social psychology | Conformity and obedience | |||
| Social psychology | Minority influence and social change | |||
| Social psychology | Bystander behaviour and aggression | |||
| Social psychology | Prejudice and discrimination | |||
| Social psychology | Pro-social behaviour and attraction | |||
| Psychology and abnormality | Definitions of abnormality | |||
| Psychology and abnormality | Classification systems and diagnosis | |||
| Psychology and abnormality | Biological, cognitive and behavioural explanations | |||
| Psychology and abnormality | Therapies and treatments | |||
| Psychology and abnormality | Cultural and ethical issues in mental health |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for Psychology past papers.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official Cambridge A Level Psychology 9990 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. It is aligned to the A Level tier expectations. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
12–16 weeks of focused revision, working through one topic group per week with weekly past-paper practice, is a realistic target for most A Level students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 Cambridge A Level Psychology 9990 specification published by Cambridge. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.