How to Write for the IB Exams!

Why so much writing? No one ever tells students why they should write something.  "Well, you have to do this assignment…get this grade..." No!  You need to learn to think. Thinking allows you to act effectively in this world. Writing allows you to think and it allows us to mimic the exams you'll take part in. 

Format of the assessment

• Higher Level will complete the four essays in Paper 1 and will complete one extended response question in Paper 2 on our option- Abnormal Psychology.

The IB Psychology assessment is divided into three papers. On the first day of the exam, students will write a total of four essays-- three mandatory short answer essays and one extended essay. Day two of the exam, students will write on the optional topics that we covered during the course. HL-students will select two topics to write about. Lastly, HL-students will write complete paper 3.  (Juniors, you will have mock exams. IB Exams are ONLY taken your senior year!)

Paper 1 | Section A

You will have three essays that you will need to write on the biological, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches to psychology, which assesses your understanding of the "core" of the curriculum. These essays are in the short answer question (SAQ) format; so, they are approximately 300-400 words long (about 1.5-2 pages). You will have 20 minutes to answer each of the questions. 

Tips on writing the SAQs

Because these essays are short answer, you will not need to include a traditional introduction and conclusion. You are able to jump directly into addressing the prompt with minimal planning.  I would suggest taking these steps:

Read the question carefully, making certain to also identify what the command term is asking you to do. Double check that you understand what the prompt is asking you to do. However, remember that we are using EXPLAIN for these SAQs

Begin your SAQ by directly answering the question. For example, if the prompt asks you to explain one methodology used to understand the cognitive approach, you will state...A methodology used to understand the cognitive approach to psychology is ___ (experiments, for example).

Define any and all terms that are pertinent to your essay. (Example: An experiment shows causation as one variable is manipulated by the researcher between two conditions.)

You will need to address one piece of research that helps you answer the question. Show your understanding of the research by citing the aim, procedure, and results - at a minimum! Remember our A-M-P-R-C-E method to evaluating a study. (We are now using "APRIL" acronym.  

 You will not need to incorporate statistics, but it is suggested that you are able to state the name of the psychologist who conducted the study.

Lastly, you will need to link back to your study!

I also suggest underlining any psychological research that you include. 

Note that you will be asked to answer all THREE of the prompts. You will have plenty of time to complete this, so go slowly and be certain to include everything needed for an excellent essay.

Examples of Paper 1.A (more will be posted soon, but here is an example)

Paper 1 | Section B

You will select ONE of three essay prompts on the biological, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches to psychology, which assesses your analysis of the "core" of the curriculum. This essay is in the extended response question (ERQ) format; so, they are approximately 800-1000 words long (about 3-4 pages). You will have 60 minutes to answer one question. The questions can be different for HL because HL has extension topics for the "core" topics.

Tips on writing the ERQ (I will post our high-marks essay format soon!  Here is an example of an ERQ)

First, read all three prompts. Select the one that you can discuss with specific psychological research. It is best if you write down the research that you can use. Identify the command term and what it is asking you to do!

Write an introduction which addresses the prompt and the command term and present a claim that you will defend.

Address your first piece of research that supports your claim. For each study or theory, you will want to state the aim of the research, the methodology and details of the research, the findings, and the strengths and limitations. Simply summarizing the research will result in a low score- you MUST ANALYZE and show critical thinking. We will practice this!

In the next paragraph, you will want to analyze another study that either supports or refutes the aforementioned research. State how it supports or refutes using your psychology words-- method, sampling, ethical considerations, generalizability, validity, credibility, and bias. Again, you will want to analyze the research. 

Try to include a few more studies if possible and follow the guidelines above. More studies are amazing, but you will need at least TWO.

Provide a conclusion that shows your claim is valid.

Paper 2 | The options

This paper will be written on day two of your exams, usually in the morning. The requirements HL are different.

HL paper 2

You will have to select ONE of the prompts from TWO of the optional topics-- abnormal, health, human relationships, and developmental. Therefore, you will write a total of two essays. I highly suggest that in your revision, you select TWO of the FOUR options to focus on-- usually we cover abnormal and human relationship psychology. These essays are in the extended response question (ERQ) format; so, they are approximately 800-1000 words long (about 3-4 pages). You will have 120 minutes to answer two questions. For a list of possible questions, you will want to consult the ERQ PROMPT LIST (review "Exam Prep" and how we will prep abnormal topic of "Etiology of abnormal psychology" and relationship topic of "personal relationships").

See Paper 1 | Section B tips above for details on how to write this ERQ.

Paper 3 | HL only (Which means Seniors in pSYCH. ii)

Paper 3 will happen on the second day of exams, after you complete paper 2. You will receive a stimulus of actual research and are required to analyze the research through a series of six questions shown below:

• Each stimulus will have these questions (9 marks):

1. Identify one method used and outline its characteristics.

2. Describe the sampling method used in the study.

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

• And asked these questions (6 marks):

4. Describe the ethical considerations that were applied in the study and explain if further ethical considerations should be taken.

5. Describe the ethical considerations in reporting the results and explain ethical considerations that could be taken into account when using the results of the study.

• Finally, ONE of the following questions will be asked (9 points):

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

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

8. Discuss how the researcher in the study could avoid personal and/or methodological bias.

Sample extended essay questions

(Source: Adapted from Mrs. Greene, broughton H.S.)