{"id":15657,"date":"2026-02-19T12:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/?p=15657"},"modified":"2026-02-19T12:44:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:44:52","slug":"improve-your-ib-exam-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themantic-education.com\/ibpsych\/2026\/02\/19\/improve-your-ib-exam-scores\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve your IB Exam Scores<\/br>SAQ Tips<\/font>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 can help planning.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The InfoGraphic<\/h2>\n
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In your written paragraphs, the reason will go after the effect. I like to put it visually like this because it’s usually in this order in real-life – something happens, there’s a flow on effect (reason) and then this produces the behaviour (effect).<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s misleading to say answers are “too descriptive.” This isn’t the problem. A descriptive answer is one with lots of information and facts. The problem? There’s nothing else. The answer doesn’t use the information described to explain<\/em> anything. That’s why I like this simple infographic. (Download: Cause Effect Planner<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This will elevate your answers so they’re beyond descriptive and have full analysis. For example, many students will write about testosterone influencing aggression or serotonin influence depression. They describe facts about these neurotransmitters and the related behaviours, but they don’t explain\u00a0why\u00a0<\/em>changes in levels of these chemicals influences behaviour. Do they affect brain function? Cognition? What is the reason?<\/p>\n

However…<\/h2>\n

The above infographic is really helpful for cause-effect topics<\/strong>. If you look at the full list of SAQ exam topics below, you’ll see they fit into three nice categories:<\/p>\n