Are you ready for the exams? Roll the dice and see for yourself.

Travis DixonUncategorized

Using dice to mimic the unpredictability of the IB essay questions on concepts is a great way to study.
The following is based on the new curriculum first exams 2027

 

The following strategy will test your readiness for the essay question in Paper 1, Section C of IB Psychology. To review, there will be two essay questions, both from different contexts. The question will combine an area of study (topic) with one of the six concepts (bias, perspective, measurement, causality, change, and responsibility). With 38 topics and 6 concepts, that makes 228 possible essay questions minimum. However, this simple strategy can be a good way to prepare for any question. 

Strategy

  1. Find a six-sided die
  2. Match each concept with a number (e.g. 1 = bias, 2 = causality and so on).
  3. Write down each area of study and the context it comes from on individual cards (see table below).
  4. Put them in a hat.
  5. Roll the die to find your concept and draw a card to find your essay topic.
  6. Write an essay plan based on this combination.

I don’t recommend writing out the complete essay, but just simply a plan of what you could write about to cover the topic and the concept. A few practice runs and you’ll see why I recommend the triple cheeseburger essay structure for these questions.

You could use a small box and write the concepts on each side or make a box from an online template.

Examples

  • Compliance techniques in human relationships + causality
  • Environmental factors in health and well-being + bias
  • Psychological treatment for one disorder + measurement

It might help to add the bold sub-themes under each context to your review cards. For example: “Environmental factors + mental health disorders in Health and well-being.”

The Essay Topics

Using a die to replicate the unpredictability of the exams will help build your confidence going into Paper 1.

Every “area of study” in bullet points could be an essay topic in Paper 1.

 

In time, I’ll create a downloadable set of cards that you can print and cut out to make this easier. I’ll also make videos of me playing this same game so you can see how I’d answer various essay questions.