That’s right it’s another exam acronym – TAMPA. It’s a city in Florida and the secret to writing awesome answers in Question 4 (Paper 2)! Question 4 will ask you to explain how an alternative research method could be used to study the same topic as you wrote about in Question 1. Because they’re mirror image questions, I originally thought we could …
Six Concepts in Six Words
When explaining concepts in relation to your class practical you need to know key terms. The following advice is offered as a starting point for this exam question, not a final destination. The secret to success in Paper 2 is knowing your research terminology. After all, conceptual understanding is built on content knowledge and key terms are the building blocks of …
Test Yourself – Paper 2, Question 2Concepts and Class Practicals Question Wheel
There are 24 possible questions for the concepts-practicals questions in Paper 2. Once you think you’re ready for this exam question, spin the wheel below and test yourself. Here’s how… Remember the full question will look like this: Explain the concept of (concept) in relation to the (research method) used in your class practical. To score full marks, you nee …
4 Example Answers on the Class PracticalsRAM-PAC in Paper 2, Question 1
After analysing the IB’s marked answers and writing my own, I created this acronym: RAM-PAC. Will it work? Let’s put it to the test. This four mark question tests your knowledge of research methods. Read on and you’ll find four example answers – one for each method. These are hypothetical practicals that I’ve chosen deliberately – you cannot use these answers in …
How to Answer Paper 2, Question 1Describing the Class Practical
There’s no excuse not to get top marks for this first question in Paper 2 – you know exactly what to expect. In this post, I explain the acronym that might help you write top-level answers for Question 1 in Paper 2. Paper 2 assesses your knowledge of research methods. You will write about one of your class practicals: Experiment Observation Questionnaire …
7 sentences for a 7?IB Example Answers - SAQs
Just how much do we need to write for the SAQs? This is a common question. Thankfully, the IB’s provided marked example answers to give us guidance. I was quite surprised to see that one such answer scored 3/4 (75%) with just 7 sentences. Let’s see how such a brief answer scored so well. The question: “Describe how one chemical …
How to Study for Paper One EssaysQuestion Wheels and Concept-Die
There are almost 40 different essay topics in the four contexts. Combine this with six different concepts and we have over 200 possible essay questions in Paper 1, Section C. How can you prepare for that? Here’s one idea. The Paper 1 essays combine one topic with one concept. The IB has said only the “Area of study” (i.e. topic …
How to write an ASAQApplied SAQs - Paper 1, Section B
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 …
Sociocultural Approach SAQsExam Question Bank
This post explains what sociocultural approach SAQs to expect in Paper One. Jump to… IB’s Example SAQs Practice SAQs Revision Tips Some Examples Study Tips Teacher Tips The Topics The short answer questions (SAQs) in Paper 1, Section A are based on the three approaches. You will be asked two SAQs. One of these might be from the sociocultural approach. The possible …
Paper Three Overview (HL Only)IB Psychology (May 2027)
Let’s give a quick rundown of Paper 3. This is an HL-only exam, so if you’re studying SL you can skip this post. Paper Three tests your understanding of psychological research methods (just like Paper Two). You will be given a booklet with summaries of findings from several studies. These will be a combination of different graphs, tables and paragraph …
Improve your IB Exam ScoresSAQ Tips
The first step in getting a 7 in Paper 1 is to smash your SAQs. But every year the IB examiner reports that students are “too descriptive.” To score higher marks, students need more analysis and application. What does this mean? In this post, I’ll explain what it means and a simple way to improve your SAQs. For teachers, this …
FOUR Practicals, ONE TopicClass Practicals Made Easy
The IB’s recommended a different practical for each of the four contexts. However, they recently confirmed that this is only a suggestion. There’s nothing stopping us from running the four practicals on the same topic and context. In this blog post, I’ll outline one potential idea for running four practicals on one topic – technology and attention (Learning and Cognition). …
The SAQ Pitfall…...and how to avoid it.
I’ve been writing a few SAQ revision resources lately and I’ve discovered a potential pitfall. In this post, I’ll explain the pitfall and one simple idea that might help. The Pitfall Every SAQ needs an explanation of the topic and a supporting example. I think some students might get caught in a trap – they’ll explain their example in the topic itself …
Cognitive Approach SAQsExam Question Bank
This post explains what to expect in Paper 1 Section A – the SAQs. We’ll focus on the Cognitive Approach. Jump to… IB’s Example SAQs Practice SAQs Revision Tips Some Examples Study Tips Teacher Tips The Topics The short answer questions (SAQs) in Paper 1, Section A are based on the three approaches. You will be asked two SAQs. One of these …
Three Types of SAQsCategorising the Approaches in IB Psychology
There are 27 SAQ topics from three approaches. Next to each topic in the IB Guide there’s a learning objective. If your confident in knowing what to study (or teach) for each topic, then skip this post. If you’d like another perspective on this then read on. In the SAQs in Paper One, “only the first column of each table …
Paper Two OverviewIB Psychology (May 2027)
“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 …
Biological Approach SAQsExam Question Bank
This post explains what to expect in Paper 1 Section A – the SAQs. Jump to… IB’s Example SAQs 9 Practice SAQs Revision Questions Some Examples Deeper Analysis Study Tips Teacher Tips The Topics The short answer questions (SAQs) in Paper 1, Section A are based on the three approaches. You will be asked two SAQs. The possible topics from the biological …
Who’s better?A-SAQ Practice Questions
The applied SAQs (A-SAQs) in Paper 1, Section B are challenging. In this post, I’ve devised an example question and written my own answer. I also asked ChatGPT to write an answer as well. Can you tell whose is whose? Which one do you think would score better? The Question: Context: Human Development Prior research has shown differences in the …
Methadone: An effective treatment for substance abuse?Health and Well-being
The opioid crisis has cost the health and lives of millions of people around the world. In 2019 alone, there were 150,000 opioid overdose deaths (WHO). Psychologists observe these alarming trends and ask – “how can we prevent this?” Ironically, the most common treatment for opioid abuse is…taking different opioids. In this post, we’ll look at methadone as one treatment …
One Treatment, Two TopicsTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Paper 1 in IB Psychology is hard. There are 27 approach topics and 39 context topics. Throw in the six concepts and the combination of content and contexts in Section B and it’s a lot. One way to study smarter not harder is to find topics that overlap. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a perfect example. Jump to… TMS in Addiction …
An unforeseen curveball in the new curriculum?IB Psychology
In writing exam overviews and essay guides, I’ve stumbled across an unforeseen curveball we’re all going to face in this new curriculum. In the old curriculum, students had two styles of questions in Paper 1 and 2: SAQs Essays. It was simple. It wasn’t easy, but it was simple. That meant two rubrics, two types of questions, two styles of answer they …
Example Essay: Prevalence of Health Problems (Responsibility)IB Psychology Paper 1 Essays
IB’s made it deliberately impossible to memorise pre-written answers for the essay questions (thankfully). But that doesn’t make them impossible to prepare for. The following advice and examples in this post are designed to help both students and teachers gain confidence despite the uncertainties in Section C. The IB Psychology essays are tough. They require the ability to combine concepts with …
An Etic Approach in PsychologyIB Psychology Sociocultural Approach
In this post you’ll learn: What is an etic approach? How is it used in psychology? Why is it used in psychology? Practice Questions Exam Tips What is an etic approach? An etic approach to research is when psychologists study cross-cultural similarities (and differences) in behaviour. They are interested in what’s true for all humans around the world, not just …
Example ASAQPaper 1 for IB Psychology (May 2027 curriculum)
The new Paper 1 ASAQs (pronounced A-sacks, as I like to call them) are simple in nature but difficult to predict. They combine one of the approach content topics (biological, cognitive or sociocultural), with one of the context’s “areas of study.” This post provides one example answer and some tips on how to answer these ASAQs. The rationale behind this …
Paper One Overview in IB PsychologyFor exams starting May 2027
This post outlines the contents and requirements of IB Psychology: Paper One. Each year I’ll update this with a sample of the exam questions asked in the May and November exams so a combination of IB Past Papers for IB Psychology can be accumulated. However, due to copyright reasons I can’t replicate them all. Jump To In This Post: Section …