Psychology

Paper 1 examines what is commonly referred to as the core content, which all students will have to study. There's three different approaches to psychology that fall under the "umbrella" of core content. There's the biological approach, the sociocultural approach, and the cognitive approach. Within each approach, there are multiple subtopics, which serve to categorise the content which students have to learn. HL students are required to learn one HL extension in each approach.

• The biological approach examines the biological aspect of psychology. Students learn about the effect of these biological factors, such as brain structure and neurotransmission, on all sorts of behaviours, such as learning, memory, and stress, to name a few.

• The cognitive approach examines the cognitive aspect of psychology. Students learn about how cognitive processing affects various behaviours, such as decision-making, and how various factors can influence cognition, such as emotion.

• The sociocultural approach examines the sociocultural aspect of psychology. Students learn about how various sociocultural factors, such as culture and social groups, influence a variety of behaviours, such as conformity and aggression.

The Paper 1 exam tends to make up most of a student's grade. It consists of a total of 6 questions. 3 are worth 9 marks each, and are commonly referred to as SAQs, or short answer questions. The other 3 are worth 22 marks each, and are commonly referred to as ERQs, or extended response questions. Each question will ask about one subtopic from each approach, such that there are 2 questions- one worth 9 marks, and the other worth 22 marks- which examine students on content they have been taught as part of a certain approach. If a student takes HL, at least one of the ERQs will ask about content covered as part of the HL extension of a certain approach. Students will have to answer all 3 SAQs, but are allowed to choose which ERQ they want to answer.

All students will have to study at least one option. There are four option topics available: abnormal psychology, human relationships, developmental psychology, and health psychology. Each option examines the topic from a biological, sociocultural, and cognitive perspective. HL students study two options, whereas SL students study one option. Each option is broken down into 3 subtopics. 

The Paper 2 exam is the second exam, and consists of 12 questions, all of which are ERQs. There are 3 ERQs given for each topic, each examining content covered in a different subtopic. SL students pick one question to answer from the option they've studied, whereas HL students pick two questions, one from each of the options they have studied. 

Paper 3 is taken by HL students only, and examines students' ability to analyse research. HL students are required to learn about research methods used in psychology, both quantitative and qualitative. In this exam, students are presented with an excerpt of a passage from a piece of research they likely will have never seen before, and are asked 3 questions about it. These questions are almost always the same. 

Question 1 is comprised of 3 separate sub-questions of sorts, each worth 3 marks. Students will always be asked these three questions.

• Identify the method used and outline two characteristics of the method.

• Describe the sampling method used in the study.

• Suggest an alternative or additional research method giving one reason for your choice.

Question 2 is worth 6 marks. Students will be asked one of the following questions.

• Describe the ethical considerations that were applied in the study and explain if further ethical considerations could be applied.

• Describe the ethical considerations in reporting the results and explain ethical considerations that could be taken into account when applying the findings of the study.

Question 3 is worth 9 marks. Students will be asked one of the following questions. 

• Discuss the possibility of generalizing the findings of the study.

• Discuss how a researcher could ensure that the results of the study are credible.

• Discuss how the researcher in the study could avoid bias.

This is a mandatory part of the course, to be completed by all students. A Psychology IA is a replication of a study which a student has encountered previously in the course, and consists of a written report outlining how they have conducted the aforementioned study. The IA has a marking criteria separate to that of the exams, and specifics regarding marking, execution, and writing of an IA are usually taught in class.