How to plan a psychology 16-marker
The short answerIn AQA A level psychology, up to 6 of the 16 marks are for knowledge (AO1) and the other 10 are for applying it (AO2) and evaluating it (AO3). Plan a short description, then three or four evaluation points, each with evidence and a "so what". Finish with a one-line judgement. You have about 20 minutes, so spend two of them planning.
The 16-marker is the biggest single question on the paper, and most of its marks sit in the evaluation. Students who lose marks have usually described too much and evaluated too little. A two-minute plan fixes that before you start writing.
The method works for any essay that asks you to describe something and then weigh it up, so it's worth learning even if you don't take psychology.
How are the 16 marks split?
AQA's guidance for A level psychology says a 16-mark question has a maximum of 6 marks for AO1, with the other 10 divided between AO2 and AO3.
- AO1, knowledge and understanding: describing the theory, model or study accurately.
- AO2, application: using what you know on a scenario or example in the question.
- AO3, analysis and evaluation: weighing up strengths and limitations with evidence, and reaching a judgement.
When there's no scenario in the question ("Discuss the multi-store model of memory"), almost all of those 10 marks come from evaluation. That's why your plan should give evaluation more space than description.
The examiner marks the answer as a whole against level descriptors, so a few well-developed points beat a long list. AQA also says there's no set formula for the number of evaluation points.
How long should you spend on a 16-marker?
Each AQA A level psychology paper is 2 hours for 96 marks. That works out at about one and a quarter minutes per mark, or 20 minutes for a 16-marker. A good split:
| Part | Time | What you write |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | 2 minutes | Bullet points only |
| AO1 description | 5 to 6 minutes | One focused paragraph |
| AO3 evaluation | 10 to 11 minutes | Three or four developed points |
| Judgement | 1 minute | Two or three sentences |
How do you plan a 16-marker?
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Underline the command word and any scenario
"Discuss", "evaluate" and "outline and evaluate" all need description and evaluation. If there's a scenario, underline the details you'll need to use. Those are your AO2 marks.
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Write your judgement in one line
Decide what you think before you start. For example: "Strong evidence for separate stores, but too simple." Every evaluation point should feed into that line.
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Jot down your AO1 in key words
Three or four key terms or features you'll describe. Keep it tight: AO1 is capped at 6 marks however much you write.
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Pick three or four evaluation points
Mix strengths and limitations, unless the question asks for only one kind. Next to each point, write the evidence (a study, or a methodological issue) and a few words on what it means for the theory.
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Order them towards your judgement
Put your evaluation in the order that builds to your judgement, then write.
A 16-marker plan example
This is the kind of plan you could write in two minutes for a standard AQA question on memory, which is part of Paper 1. The studies are well-known ones from most A level textbooks.
- Question
- Discuss the multi-store model of memory. (16 marks)
- Judgement
- Strong evidence that short-term and long-term memory are separate stores, but the model makes each store and the role of rehearsal too simple.
- AO1: describe (about a third of your answer)
- Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968): sensory register, short-term memory (STM), long-term memory (LTM).
- Attention moves information to STM; rehearsal moves it to LTM.
- STM: about 7 items, lasts up to about 18 to 30 seconds without rehearsal, mainly acoustic coding.
- LTM: very large capacity, can last a lifetime, mainly semantic coding.
- AO3 point 1 (strength): different coding in each store
- Evidence: Baddeley (1966). Words that sound alike were harder to recall straight away; words with similar meanings were harder after a delay.
- So what: STM and LTM work differently, which supports separate stores.
- AO3 point 2 (strength, with a catch): brain damage case studies
- Evidence: after brain surgery, HM could not form new long-term memories, but his short-term memory still worked.
- So what: supports separate stores. But it's one person with brain damage, so it's hard to generalise.
- AO3 point 3 (limitation): STM isn't a single store
- Evidence: KF (Shallice and Warrington, 1970) had poor STM for verbal information but not for visual information.
- So what: STM seems to have separate parts, which the working memory model explains better.
- AO3 point 4 (limitation): rehearsal isn't the whole story
- Evidence: Craik and Watkins (1973) found that how long people rehearsed words didn't predict how well they recalled them later.
- So what: how deeply we process information matters as well as repetition, so the model is too simple.
- Judgement (end)
- Good evidence for separate STM and LTM, but later research shows each store is more complex than the model suggests.
In the exam, this would be a few lines of abbreviations on the answer booklet, crossed through afterwards. Written out like this, it also works as a revision card.
One note if you use the Essay Planner for a 16-marker: its word split is designed for standard essays and gives the introduction 10%. For a 16-marker, give your AO1 description about a third of your words instead.
Making evaluation points earn marks
An evaluation point earns marks when it says what the evidence means for the theory. Naming a study isn't enough. Build each point the PEEL way:
- Point: "One strength of the model is..."
- Evidence: the study or methodological issue.
- Explain: "This suggests that..." This is where most of the marks are.
- Link: "Therefore, the model..." and tie it back to your judgement.
A useful test: after each sentence, ask "so what?". If you can still answer it, keep explaining. The PEEL Paragraph Builder takes you through each part, with sentence starters like these, so you can practise writing evaluation paragraphs before the exam.
Planning application questions
Some 16-markers include a scenario, often a short story about a person or a situation. These need AO2: you have to use the theory to explain what's happening in the scenario as well as describing it.
In your plan, add one line for each detail in the scenario you'll use, and which part of the theory it links to. Then weave those links into your description and evaluation instead of tacking them on at the end.
Using this for other evaluation essays
The same plan shape works whenever a question asks you to describe something and weigh it up: a sociology or history essay, a Higher or Advanced Higher essay, or a university exam. Keep the description short and focused, spend most of your time on developed evaluation, and finish with a clear judgement. Check your own mark scheme for how the marks split, then plan the same way.
For longer essays with more time, see how to write an essay plan.
Questions students ask
How many words should a psychology 16-marker be?
AQA doesn't set a word count. You have about 20 minutes, and teachers often suggest around 400 to 500 words. A well-developed answer matters more than a long one.
How many evaluation points do I need?
AQA says there is no set formula. Three or four points, each fully explained, usually do better than six or seven that are only named.
Do I need a conclusion in a 16-marker?
A short judgement at the end helps show you've weighed the evidence. Keep it to two or three sentences and don't add new points.
How many studies should I include?
There's no set number. Use studies as evidence in your evaluation points, and explain what each one shows about the theory rather than describing it in detail.
Does this work for OCR or Edexcel psychology?
The planning method does. The mark totals and assessment objective splits are different, so check your own exam board's mark scheme and adjust how much you plan for each part.
Sources
- AQA AS and A-level Psychology FAQ webinar (mark split for 16-mark questions; no set formula for evaluation points).
- AQA A-level Psychology (7182) specification at a glance (paper length and marks; memory content, including the multi-store model, for exams from 2027).
- Atkinson, R. C. and Shiffrin, R. M. (1968) Human memory: a proposed system and its control processes.
- Baddeley, A. D. (1966) The influence of acoustic and semantic similarity on long-term memory for word sequences. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
- Shallice, T. and Warrington, E. K. (1970) Independent functioning of verbal memory stores: a neuropsychological study. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.
- Craik, F. I. M. and Watkins, M. J. (1973) The role of rehearsal in short-term memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior.