AQA A-level Psychology (7182): Paper 2 – Biopsychology – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

This practice set covers Biopsychology in AQA A-level Psychology (7182), from the AQA AS and A-level Psychology (7181, 7182) specification, Version 1.4 (1 September 2025), for teaching from September 2025. Biopsychology is section 4.2.2, topic 6, and is assessed on Paper 2: Psychology in Context, where sections are described as “multiple choice, short answer and extended writing”. All people and data below are fictional.

Learn the content first with the Biopsychology study guide and Biopsychology revision notes. For other topics, see the AQA A-level Psychology hub and AQA A-level Psychology checklist.

Questions

1. Which one of the following carries messages from the central nervous system to muscles? [1]

A. Relay neuron B. Sensory neuron C. Motor neuron D. Sensory receptor

2. Which one of the following ways of studying the brain has the best spatial resolution in a living person? [1]

A. Electroencephalogram (EEG) B. Event-related potentials (ERPs) C. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) D. Post-mortem examination

3. Outline the process of synaptic transmission. [4]

4. Read the scenario.

Kemal is walking home at night when a dog suddenly barks and runs towards him. His heart pounds and he starts to run.

Explain Kemal’s reaction with reference to the fight-or-flight response and the role of adrenaline. [4]

5. Distinguish between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. [2]

6. Read the scenario.

After a stroke, Mrs Ruiz can understand what people say to her but struggles to produce words, speaking slowly and with great effort.

Identify the brain area most likely to have been damaged and explain your answer. [3]

7. Outline one strength and one limitation of event-related potentials (ERPs) as a way of studying the brain. [4]

8. A researcher studied six split-brain patients. A word was flashed to either the left or right visual field, and the number of words each patient named correctly out of 10 was recorded.

Patient	Right visual field	Left visual field
1	9	1
2	10	0
3	8	2
4	9	0
5	10	1
6	8	2

(a) Calculate the mean number of words named correctly for the right visual field. Show your working. [2]

(b) Explain what these results suggest about hemispheric lateralisation. [3]

9. Describe the function of the endocrine system, with reference to two glands and the hormones they release. [6]

10. Discuss plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma. [16]

Answers

1. C. Motor neuron.

2. C. fMRI, which locates activity to within a few millimetres. EEG and ERPs have poor spatial resolution, and a post-mortem cannot be carried out on a living person.

3. Up to 4 marks, one per accurate step. The action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal (1). Synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft (1). The neurotransmitter diffuses across and binds to receptor sites on the postsynaptic neuron (1). Depending on whether it is excitatory or inhibitory, it makes the postsynaptic neuron more or less likely to fire; the neurotransmitter is then broken down or taken back up (1).

4. Up to 4 marks; must be applied to Kemal. The barking dog is detected as a threat by the amygdala, which signals the hypothalamus (1). The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system (1), which stimulates the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline into Kemal’s bloodstream (1). Adrenaline increases his heart rate (the pounding heart) and diverts energy to muscles, preparing him to run (flight) (1).

5. Up to 2 marks. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles and carries sensory information (1). The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions such as heart rate and digestion, through sympathetic and parasympathetic branches (1).

6. Up to 3 marks. Broca’s area (1), in the left frontal lobe (1). Broca’s area is involved in speech production, so damage causes slow, effortful speech while comprehension, which relies on Wernicke’s area, stays largely intact, as in Mrs Ruiz’s case (1).

7. Strength (up to 2): ERPs have excellent temporal resolution, measuring activity within milliseconds (1), so researchers can link brain activity to a specific stimulus or cognitive process (1). Limitation (up to 2): the signal is small and must be averaged over many trials to separate it from background EEG activity (1), and it is hard to locate the source of the activity precisely, so spatial resolution is poor (1).

8. (a) Total = 9 + 10 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 8 = 54 (1). Mean = 54 ÷ 6 = 9 words (1).

8. (b) Up to 3 marks. Words in the right visual field are processed by the left hemisphere (1). Patients named far more words from the right visual field (mean 9) than the left (mean 1) (1), suggesting language production is lateralised to the left hemisphere; with the corpus callosum cut, information in the right hemisphere cannot reach the language centres (1).

9. Up to 6 marks (AO1). The endocrine system is a network of glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream (1). Hormones travel to target cells that have the matching receptors (1), so the system acts more slowly than the nervous system but its effects last longer (1). Up to 3 marks for two glands, for example: the pituitary gland, controlled by the hypothalamus, is the “master gland” that releases hormones such as ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal cortex (1-2); the adrenal glands release adrenaline from the medulla in the fight-or-flight response and cortisol from the cortex (1-2). Also credit the thyroid (thyroxine, metabolism), the pineal gland (melatonin, sleep) and the ovaries or testes (oestrogen, testosterone).

10. Level-based, 16 marks (6 AO1, 10 AO3). 13–16: accurate, detailed knowledge; thorough, effective evaluation; clear, coherent and focused, with specialist terminology used effectively.

AO1 indicative content: plasticity as the brain’s ability to change with experience; synaptic pruning and the creation of new connections with learning; functional recovery after trauma, with undamaged areas taking over; mechanisms such as axonal sprouting, denervation supersensitivity and recruitment of homologous areas on the opposite side of the brain; Maguire et al. (2000) taxi drivers.

AO3 indicative content:

• Maguire et al. support plasticity, but the correlation does not show the job caused the change; people with larger hippocampi may choose the job.
• Real-world application: understanding recovery supports rehabilitation, such as physiotherapy after stroke, which has value for patients and the economy.
• Individual differences: recovery tends to be better in younger people and may relate to educational attainment, so findings do not apply equally to all.
• Negative plasticity: not all change is beneficial; for example, phantom limb sensations are linked to reorganisation after amputation.
• Animal research has informed this area, which raises generalisation and ethical issues.
• Plasticity challenges strict localisation, supporting a more holistic view of brain function.

Where marks are usually lost

• In question 4, describing fight or flight without linking to Kemal’s pounding heart or running.
• In question 6, naming Broca’s area without explaining why it fits the symptoms.
• In question 8(b), not stating which hemisphere processes the right visual field.
• In question 10, spending most of the answer on description and offering only one evaluation point.

Next steps

Revisit any weak area in the Biopsychology study guide, then practise the maths and methods skills with the Research methods practice questions.

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Psychology (7181, 7182) specification, Version 1.4 (1 September 2025), section 4.2.2 Biopsychology and the Paper 2 assessment summary — aqa.org.uk.

Frequently asked questions

Which paper assesses biopsychology? Paper 2, Psychology in Context (2 hours, 96 marks, 33.3% of the A-level), alongside approaches and research methods. In the AS (7181), only the nervous system, neurons and synaptic transmission, the endocrine system and fight or flight are assessed.

Are biological rhythms still on the specification? Check the current version: section 4.2.2 of Version 1.4 lists the nervous and endocrine systems, fight or flight, ways of studying the brain, localisation, lateralisation, split-brain research and plasticity.

How long should a 16-mark answer be? About 400 to 500 words: roughly 6 marks of description and 10 of evaluation, with each point linked back to the question.