2026 VCE Psychology Exam: What to Learn From Last Year's Mistakes

2025 median exam grade: C+. VCAA does not publish an exact median mark.

Average: 64.35/120, or 53.6%. VCAA reports 128.7/240; this is converted to the exam's 120-mark scale.

15,520 students were assessed. 9.1% received an A+. The 2025 A+ cutoff was 186/240, equivalent to 93/120. That is last year's cutoff, not a prediction for 2026.

Figures: VCAA's 2025 grade distribution, written examination on page 3.

The question averages below come from the 2025 examiner report. Percentages are rounded. All questions below are from Section B. The examples show how to fix the mistakes, not complete model answers.

Where marks were lost in 2025

B2c(ii): Identifying the population

Average 0.1/1. 93% scored zero.

Where students went wrong. They wrote "people with Alzheimer's disease" and left out antibiotic use.

What they should have done. Identify people with Alzheimer's disease who are taking antibiotics.

The investigation was about antibiotic use and disease progression. Naming the disease alone left out the antibiotic use being studied.

B2c(i): Why a correlational study was more ethical

Average 0.5/3. 66% scored zero. Only 3% got full marks.

Where students went wrong. They discussed experimental risks without explaining why the proposed alternative avoided them.

What they should have done. Compare how the two methods would affect participants' treatment.

A controlled experiment could assign people with Alzheimer's disease to antibiotic and no-antibiotic conditions. That could mean giving medication unnecessarily or withholding medication someone needs. A correlational study could measure existing antibiotic use alongside disease progression without changing treatment. Explain how leaving treatment unchanged avoids those risks.

B7d(i): A benefit of between-subjects design

Average 0.2/1. 81% scored zero.

Where students went wrong. They named a feature or wrote "time efficient" without explaining the benefit.

What they should have done. Show why separate groups helped Arlo's investigation.

Arlo compared students who had learnt the stress appraisal model with students who had not. Separate groups meant nobody completed both conditions, so practice from the first condition could not affect their response in the second. Just saying "you can compare two groups" does not explain that benefit.

B1b: Neurotransmitters versus neuromodulators

Average 0.8/2. 41% scored zero. 20% got full marks.

Where students went wrong. They described one type only, compared unrelated features or repeated the same difference.

What they should have done. Make two direct comparisons of matching features.

For range, neurotransmitters act across a synapse, whereas neuromodulators can influence activity across a broader area. For duration, neurotransmitter effects are generally shorter, whereas neuromodulator effects generally last longer. Saying one acts across a synapse and the other lasts longer leaves both comparisons unfinished.

B4c: Learning avoidance from family and friends

Average 1.1/3. 34% scored zero. Only 4% got full marks.

Where students went wrong. They missed the observed consequence or labelled relief as positive reinforcement.

What they should have done. Apply attention, reproduction and reinforcement to the avoidance behaviour.

For example, someone watches their brother avoid a dog and notices his anxiety drop. They must be physically and psychologically able to copy that avoidance. If they avoid a dog and their own anxiety drops, removing that unpleasant feeling negatively reinforces avoidance, making it more likely next time. Relief removes something unpleasant; it does not add a reward.

B8: How LTP and LTD work together

Average 2.5/5. 14% scored zero. Only 12% got full marks.

Where students went wrong. They gave generic definitions or said the new grip simply replaced the old one. Generic answers were capped at 4/5.

What they should have done. Explain the neural changes behind the child's improving pencil grip.

Repeated practice co-activates pathways used for the improved grip. Long-term potentiation strengthens those connections, with sprouting supporting new connections. Less frequent use of the earlier grip means lower activation of its pathways. Long-term depression weakens those connections, with pruning removing some. Together, these changes make the improved movement more efficient. LTD involves reduced activity, not necessarily no neural firing at all.

B9: The 10-mark memory question

Average 4.8/10. Only 2% got full marks.

Where students went wrong. They defined the mnemonics without properly comparing them, using the diagram or explaining their judgments about aphantasia.

What they should have done. Compare how each method cues recall, use the house diagram and explain whether each could suit someone with aphantasia.

Both methods connect information with locations that can cue recall. In the diagram, objects are assigned to positions along a route through a house. Mentally revisiting each position helps retrieve its associated item in order.

Method of loci relies heavily on mental imagery. Aboriginal songlines also involve Country and cultural knowledge, using song, movement and story rather than visual imagery alone. A person with aphantasia may struggle to visualise the house and objects, making that version of method of loci difficult. Songlines offer other cues, such as rhythm and performed movement, so difficulty forming mental images does not automatically rule them out. Explain both judgments rather than just picking a winner.

Use the paper alongside this

I run ATARMAXXING. Our VCE Psychology hub has notes and extra practice if one of these topics needs work.

The 2025 official exam, examiner report and marking guidance are in the 2025 row of our past-paper index. These links open our index, then the official VCAA documents. Official past-paper links are free.

Try B2c, B7d(i) and B8 before reading their report sections. They total 10 marks. Check whether you explained the process the question asked for, or just named the right concept. If you want a second opinion on a written answer, AI marking for Psychology is free for every account until Sunday 1 November 2026, and the 2026 exam predictors sort official past questions by topic so you can find more of the same.

This post first appeared on r/ATARMAXXING.