IB Standard/Higher Psychology

For IB Psychology Standard there are two external exams - Paper 1 and Paper 2.

For Higher students there are three exams, Paper 1, 2 and 3.

Paper 1 is comprised of the 3 key levels of analysis - biological, cognitive and sociocultural. For both standard and higher the ideas are similar, however there will be different questions for both.

This paper is 2 hours in length, for both tiers, and the percentage of the total grade is 50% for Standard, and 35% for Higher.

The paper has 2 sections, worth 44 marks overall. 

Section A has 3 compulsory questions. Each question is 8 marks each in total.

Section B has 3 questions, however only 1 is to be answered. This question is worth 20 marks, and is answered in essay form.

Paper 2 is comprised of 5 areas of psychology - abnormal, developmental, health, sport and human relationships. Higher students will have covered more areas than standard.

The paper is 1 hour in length for Standard, and 2 hours for Higher. The percentage of the total grade is 25% for both tiers.

The paper has 1 section, with 22 marks for Standard, and 44 marks for Higher.

There are 15 questions in total, presumably 3 for each topic area. 

For Standard, 1 question is to be chosen from an area studied, and is to be answered in essay form.

For Higher, 2 questions are to be chosen to be answered, and are to be answered in essay form.

This paper is for Higher Tier ONLY.

The paper is 1 hour in length, and is worth 20% of the total grade.

It contains 3 compulsory questions on an unseen text, based on Qualitative Methodology. 

Each question is 10 marks, equating to 30 in total.

These may seem obvious, but they are essential to remember.

Read the questions, especially the operative words. If the question asks about one area of psychology only, then ONLY mention that area. If it asks for an analysis in comparison to other areas, or asks something like 'To what extent can xyz be explained in relation to cognitive analysis' then DO mention other areas as well. Remember what the question is asking - it's all well and good to quote loads of studies and think critically, but if you don't answer the crux of the question then you will not get full marks.

Observe the total timing and marks and divide it appropriately. If one section is worth half the total marks within the paper, then spend approximately half the total time on it.

Make a plan first (if you find this helps). Divide into sections what you want to write, note down the key experiments to mention, and any critical thinking.

Don't rush, if you run out of things to say then think of critical ideas, mention other areas if applicable. Good luck :)