The first SAQs in Section A are predictable. They’re designed to be “quick wins” that test your knowledge of the topics. The A-SAQs, on the other hand, are unpredictable. While they still test your knowledge they also test your ability to apply that knowledge to an unseen situation. In this post, I’ll outline some ideas on how to answer ASAQs and how to prepare for them.
To review, SAQs and A-SAQs are based on the three approaches – biological ,cognitive and sociocultural. Whereas the SAQs will simply ask you to explain or describe the topic, the ASAQs are based on a summary of a situation. Let’s look at one example from the IB’s specimen paper:
Example question from the IB.
To score full marks (6/6) in this question, you need to:
- Have accurate and detailed knowledge and understanding of the topic.
- Apply relevant knowledge in a well-developed manner.
This means you can’t just “knowledge dump” on the page – that’s when you write down everything you know about the topic. But you also need to use “detailed knowledge” to apply to the situation. How do we do this? Consider the following:
My favourite exam advice is to use the rule of threes – two key points in your answer might not be enough and four might take too long. Three is the sweet spot. That said, there’s nothing stopping you writing more.
ASAQ Structure
- Introduction
- Define the topic term and outline answer
- Three key points
- Make a key point about the topic and then use this point to address the situation.
- Repeat three times in total.
- Brief conclusion (optional)
By following this structure you’ll strike a nice balance between showing your knowledge of the topic and applying that knowledge to the situation.
Example Answer
The following example answers the social learning A-SAQ above.
Social learning theory was proposed by Bandura and the main claim is that people learn through observation and imitation.Three key parts of SLT are based on the processes of attention, retention, and motivation.
SLT claims that observational learning is more likely to happen if the observer pays attention to the model. This could be used in a strategy to promote empathy. A TikTok video could be made that would grab the students’ at my school’s attention, since they’re more likely to watch a TikTok video than listen to a lecture. The video could also show some popular celebrities giving to charity–an example of prosocial behaviour that hopefully students would want to imitate.
The second process is retention–the observer has to remember what the model did in order to later imitate the action. The TikTok video I would produce to encourage prosocial behaviour would need to be simple in order to be memorable. Having celebrities would help, but also making the charity relevant to students at my school would be important.
The third key claim is motivation–Bandura’s SLT claimed that if the observer sees the model rewarded for their actions, they’re more likely to imitate the action, whereas if they get punished they’re less likely. Therefore, my TikTok video would need to show the celebrity getting rewarded. Because my school’s an all boys school, and lots of boys play rugby, I could ask a local pro rugby player to star in the video. The reward for their giving to charity is getting more fans and being more popular (perhaps also going viral–which is something lots of kids want to do these days).
In summary, SLT could be used to design a TikTok video starring a popular rugby player that would be attention grabbing, memorable and motivational for students to imitate. This could help encourage prosocial behaviour.
The above answer isn’t perfect – it’s realistic. To gain a 7 in Paper 1, you’re aiming for a 5/6 for both A-SAQs (read more on how to get 7s).
Travis Dixon has been teaching for over 20 years and is an experienced IB Psychology, History and English teacher, author, workshop leader and examiner