“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” The same goes for exams – if you don’t know what’s in the exams then you won’t know how to prepare. To be a successful IB Psychology student (or teacher), you’ll want to plan backwards from the assessment. With this in mind, this post outlines the contents and requirements of IB Psychology: Paper Two.
Paper Two is all about research methods. The first section tests your understanding of research methods by asking you about one of your class practicals. The second section tests your ability to analyse and evaluate an unseen study using the six concepts.
Jump To In This Post:
Content on this page has been adapted from our textbook, Chapter 16: Revision
Paper 2 Overview
The following table gives you a quick overview of Paper 2. 
Paper 2 is worth 35% of the total mark for SL students and 25% for HL.
Section A: Class Practicals
You will be asked to write about one of your practicals: questionnaire, interview, observation or experiment. There are four questions to answer. These are static questions, meaning they stay the same every exam. The only things that change are the research methods used in the questions and the wording may change slightly.
- The Practical: Describe how a (insert one of four research methods) was used in your class practical and its aim and procedure. [4]
- Concept: Explain the concept of (insert concept) in relation to the (research method) in your class practical. [4]
- Comparison: Compare and contrast the research methodology of (research method) used in your class practical with the research methodology of (insert alternative research method). [6]
- Alternative: Design a research study using (insert an alternative research method) to investigate the same topic you investigated in your class practical. [6]
The four methods you need to know are:
- Questionnaire/survey
- Experiment
- Observation
- Interview
If you can remember 3 to 5 key characteristics for each method, it will help you with all four questions in Section A.
- It can guide your summary of the procedures so you include the key parts.
- It will give you something to link to the six concepts.
- It will help you find similarities and differences between methods.
- It will guide your summary of how it could be used to investigate the topic.
The big six concepts in IB Psychology are all about research methods, which is why they’re in Section A and B of Paper 2.
Section B: Unseen Study
In this section, you’ll be given a summary of a study that is relevant to one of the four contexts. The study will use one of the six research methods listed in the IB Psychology Guide:
- Experiment
- Observation
- Survey/questionnaire
- Interview
- Correlational study
- Case study
You will be asked to discuss the research study using two (or more) concepts. You will be given four concepts to choose from.
The question will look something like this: Discuss the following study with reference to two or more of the following concepts: (insert four or more concepts).
Here’s an example…
Taken from “IB Psychology A Student’s Guide” (pg. 387).
Specimen Paper
Section A: Class Practicals
The following four questions are from the IB’s Specimen Papers (available on MyIB).
Describe how you used an interview or focus group in your class practical and its aim and procedure. [4]
Explain the concept of bias in relation to the interview or focus group in your class practical. [4]
Compare and contrast the research methodology of an interview or focus group used in your class practical with the research methodology of an experiment. [6]
Design an observation to investigate the same topic you investigated in your class practical. [6]
Section B: Unseen Study
I won’t reproduce the IB’s Section B question here because it may violate copyright. Your teacher can access it via MyIB and you can see a similar example above.
A sample of the kinds of flashcards we’ll be making for IB Psychology revision.
Study Tips
Section A: Class Practicals
- Question 1:
- Flashcards: Make four flashcards for the aim of each method in the practicals. This should be a one sentence statement. Make another series of flashcards with 3-5 key terms or characteristics of each method. You should be able to explain how your practical used each of these characteristics. For example, you should know what the IV and DV were in your experiment.
- Question 2:
- Rule of Threes: Prepare three concept-relevant points for each class practical. Order these most to least relevant (always start an answer with your strongest points). For example, you should have 3 points ready to make about responsibility in relation to your observation. Do the same for the other three practicals. This will mean you’ll have 24 combinations of methods and concepts. While this seems like a lot, this will also prepare you for Section B (see below).
- Question 3:
- Rule of Threes: Aim to make three comparison and three contrasting points (six in total). Here are three things to consider:
- Experimental or non-experimental methods?
- Quantitative or qualitative methods?
- The Six Concepts: Can you find any similarities or differences based on the six concepts? Consider the role of change, what’s measured, and causality.
- Rule of Threes: Aim to make three comparison and three contrasting points (six in total). Here are three things to consider:
- Question 4:
- 5 Ws and an H: You could use this classic newspaper reporting framework to guide your planning for this answer…
- What: method are you going to use? Write a definition and include some key characteristics.
- Where…would the study take place?
- When…would the study take place?
- Who…would be your sample and how would you find them?
- Why…would this be a useful method?
- How…would you use this method? This is the most important one! Include the key characteristics you revised for Question 1.
- 5 Ws and an H: You could use this classic newspaper reporting framework to guide your planning for this answer…
Making comparative tables like this will help you remember the key similarities and differences in the methods (pg. 272 of IB Psychology A Student’s guide).
Section B: Unseen Study
- Flashcards: the more terminology you know the easier you’ll find Paper 2. I recommend making flashcards that include key terms and characteristics of the six methods that might be used for the unseen study. These are the four methods of the practicals plus correlational studies and case studies.
- Rule of Threes: Yes, once again I love the rule of threes for exam answers. You should aim to have a minimum of three paragraphs, but you’ll probably have more. You have to write about at least two concepts, so aim to make 2-3 points per concept.
- Rehash Section A: We have no idea what the study will be, but we do know there will be concepts. In my advice above, I recommended pre-planning key points that link each method with each concept. If you have done this, it’s still relevant for this question. For example, if you planned to write about causality in relation to your experiment, then this has also helped you plan for this section.
Example Answers
Example student responses and examiner marks are available on MyIB.
Section A: Class Practicals
- Mr Dixon’s examples Coming soon…
Section B: Unseen Study
- Mr Dixon’s examples Coming soon…
Video
Travis Dixon has been teaching for over 20 years and is an experienced IB Psychology, History and English teacher, author, workshop leader and examiner