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 …
Is an essay with studies better?
Do we need studies or not? This is an interesting dilemma in the new IB Psychology course. In my previous post, I wrote an example essay with no studies. I found it difficult, but not impossible. It didn’t surprise me, however, that I found it hard to talk about the concept. The Big Six are all about research. Or maybe …
An essay without studies: Is it possible?
I’ve just sat down to write an example essay for the new Paper 1. Then I thought to myself, “Do I need to use studies?” My first instinct was to follow my cheeseburger essay format, since this makes the most sense to me. However, I thought I’d challenge myself . Is it possible to write an essay without studies? Let’s see. The …
Tips for Teaching “The Concepts” in IB Psychology
One of the biggest changes in the new IB Psychology curriculum (first exams May 2027), is the introduction of six concepts: bias, measurement, causality, perspective, change and responsibility. These concepts are the basis of critical thinking in Paper 1 essays and analysis of an unseen study in Paper 2. With suggested key terms only, how do we teach students these …
The HL Advantage: Why HL IB Psych is easier to teach than SL
Is Higher Level IB Psychology now easier than SL? Perhaps it’s not for the students, but in this post I’ll explain why I’d much rather teach HL than SL in this new course. We’ll break down the distinctions and how we can make the most out of the extra HL time. In my previous post, I outlined the dramatic increase in content …
Teaching Tip: Why you’re struggling to keep up with the new curriculum...and what to do about it.
Do you feel like you’re just skimming over the surface of the content in the new IB Psych curriculum without enough time for each topic? In this post I’ll explain why it feels this way and provide some (hopefully) helpful tips. If you’re new to IB Psych, this feeling of flying through content to “cover everything” while your students tread water …
Depression in the Real World: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been quite open about his bouts of depression over the years. He said his “…struggles with his mental health began years ago, but he didn’t always have the words to express how he was feeling.” Johnson’s first battle with depression was during his days at college when he was playing American football. Johnson wanted to …
Need ideas for HL Only Classes? Here’s a simple unit plan for Paper 3
By next year (2026) all the teacher support packs will be ready with complete lesson plans, workbooks, etc., but in the meantime you might be looking for a simple unit plan that requires little planning. The following ideas were devised in collaboration with Paul Wright. Paul and I were working through what to do with HL-only classes once a week. …
Travis’s Course MapFor those planning on teaching with the textbook - IB Psychology A Student's Guide (2nd Ed.)
Content, contexts and concepts – planning for this new course can make your head spin. Once you get into it, it’s actually quite straightforward. The following course map might be helpful even if you’re not planning on teaching with our new textbook. It could give you some ideas. I often joke that 90% of my teaching is marketing. It’s not …
Timeline of TSP Release – New IB Psychology Course
The following timeline is provided to give teachers an idea of when to expect the release of each Teacher Support Pack (TSP) that supports each chapter in our new textbook. Pre-order complete set of Teacher Support Packs and SL eBooks (Link) Sample Course Outline Please bear in mind it takes approximately 2-4 hours of work per lesson to create these materials. …
Are you ready for the exams? Roll the dice and see for yourself.
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, …
Mr Dixon’s SAQ Learning Outcomes for IB Psychology
Learning outcomes guide teaching and learning. For teachers, they tell us what we need to teach. For students, they guide revision for the exams. While writing exam tips for IB Psychology, I found the IB’s learning objectives in the guide quite misleading in some ways (read more here). This is why I wrote my own. I’m posting here in case …
The (many) questions I have about the new learning objectives in IB Psychology
Learning objectives tell teachers what to teach and students what to learn. It’s nice to see them back in the new IB Psychology Guide. But…they’ve put me in a quandary – do I use them? What’s the problem? Let’s take the approach objectives to begin with. You’ll see below the learning objectives for the sociocultural approach. At first glance, the …