Everything you need to prepare for IB Psychology at SL and HL: a paper-by-paper strategy for the Paper 1 approaches, scenario and concept-framed essay, the Paper 2 research-methods and unseen-study essay, and the HL Paper 3 data analysis, a 6-week revision timeline, a unit checklist, and links to free notes and flashcards. The redesigned course is built around six cross-cutting concepts, and studies are illustrative only — the marks are in explaining a mechanism accurately and then evaluating it, not in listing studies. This guide shows you how to practise exactly that.
Psychology marks are won and lost on the command term — it tells you how much explanation and how much evaluation to show. The papers reward doing psychology: explaining a mechanism accurately, then evaluating it against the concepts and reaching a supported judgement. Three are worth knowing cold before you sit the exam.
Explain
Give a detailed, accurate account of a psychological mechanism — the process, the reasoning behind it, and how the parts connect (AO1/AO2). Use a study only to illustrate the mechanism, not as the answer itself. A distorted or study-listing account undermines everything that follows; this is the necessary set-up before you evaluate, not the whole answer.
Discuss
Offer a balanced, considered review of a mechanism or claim from more than one perspective, weighing competing explanations before reaching a reasoned position. Bring in the concepts — bias, causality, measurement, perspective — and take the opposing view seriously rather than knocking down a caricature. Conclude rather than sit on the fence.
Evaluate
Appraise the strengths and limitations of an explanation or study, raise the strongest methodological and conceptual objections, and reach a supported judgement (AO3). This is the top-band skill: examiners want genuine critical engagement against the concepts — causality, bias, measurement, generalisability — not a list of pros and cons. Commit to a position and defend it.
Not sure what you need on Paper 1 to push your overall grade to a 7? Use our interactive grade calculator to enter your mock or target percentages for each paper and the internal assessment, and see how they translate into final IB grades based on historical grade boundaries.
What grade are you on track for?
Enter your marks per paper and see the grade boundaries you are aiming at.
The biggest revision mistake is studying content but ignoring format. Know exactly what each paper asks for before you start practising.
Paper 1SL & HL2 hours50% (SL) · 35% (HL)
Worth 35 marks across three sections. Section A is short-answer questions on the biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches. Section B asks you to apply the approaches to an unseen scenario set in a named context (health and well-being, human development, human relationships, or learning and cognition). Section C is a concept-framed essay. Every section rewards explaining a mechanism accurately, then evaluating it against the concepts.
Section A: explain the mechanism accurately — use a study only to illustrate, never to replace, the explanation
Section B: apply the approaches to the specific unseen scenario and its named context, not a memorised model answer
Section C: frame the essay through one or more of the six concepts and reach a judgement
Across all sections, evaluate — the top band is critical engagement, not description of studies
Paper 2SL & HL~2 hours25% (SL) · 25% (HL)
Worth 35 marks in two sections. Section A is on the research methods of your OWN class practical — design, sampling, measurement and ethics. Section B is a 15-mark essay discussing an unseen study, evaluating it against the six concepts (causality, bias, measurement, generalisability). This paper tests whether you can think like a researcher, not recall content.
Section A: know your own practical cold — its design, sampling, measurement decisions and ethical safeguards
Section B: evaluate the unseen study against the concepts — causality, bias, measurement, sampling
Judge methodology explicitly: what does the design let the study claim, and what does it not?
Discuss and evaluate — do not just summarise the unseen study
Paper 3HL only1 hour 45 minutes20% (HL)
HL only, worth 30 marks. A source-based data-analysis paper on one HL extension topic — culture and psychology, motivation, the influence of technology, or data analysis and interpretation. You interpret a stimulus (quantitative or qualitative data) and evaluate the methodology and conclusions against the concepts.
Practise interpreting both quantitative and qualitative data from an unseen source
Evaluate the methodology behind the data — sampling, measurement, causality, bias
Link the data to the HL extension topic and the six concepts explicitly
Argue from the source — analyse and evaluate the data, do not just describe it
A hypothetical research proposal of roughly 2,200 words. You identify a research question, justify a method and design, and consider sampling, measurement and ethics — demonstrating that you can plan sound research rather than run it.
Choose a research question that a realistic method can actually investigate
Justify every design decision — sampling, measurement, controls — against the concepts
Address ethics seriously: consent, deception, debriefing, and protection of participants
Keep it a coherent proposal — link the question, method and analysis throughout
Starting 6 weeks out gives you enough time to go through all 11 units, identify weak spots, and do meaningful exam practice.
6+ weeks before
Foundation
Work through the notes for the biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches — use the topic index on /ib-psychology
Map how each of the six concepts (bias, causality, change, measurement, perspective, responsibility) applies across the approaches and contexts
Make flashcards for the key mechanisms, illustrative studies and evaluation points across all your topics
4–5 weeks before
Practice
Begin spaced flashcard review across the approaches, contexts and (HL) extension topics
Drill the Paper 1 skill: explain a mechanism accurately, then evaluate it against a named concept
Write and mark one timed short-answer question (SAQ) and one essay against the criteria
2–3 weeks before
Consolidation
Complete a full Paper 1 (Sections A, B and C) and a Paper 2 under timed conditions
Paper 2: rehearse Section A on your own class practical, and evaluate an unseen study against the concepts
HL: practise Paper 3 data-analysis questions — interpret an unseen source and evaluate its methodology
1 week before
Final push
Review mark schemes — see exactly how the bands reward evaluation over describing studies
Skim every topic summary and your concept maps — reinforce, don’t re-read in full
Continue daily flashcard review (due cards only)
Day before
Light review only
Quick scan of the three approaches, the six concepts, and your own practical for Paper 2
Check command terms: explain, discuss, evaluate, to what extent
Prepare your equipment, review Paper timings, and get 8 hours of sleep
11
Units
Revise by unit
The three approaches are tested in Paper 1; research methods and your own practical in Paper 2; the contexts run through both. HL students also study the extension topics and sit Paper 3 as a source-based data analysis. Each unit links straight to free notes and flashcards.
1
The six concepts
Exam weight: Paper 1 & 2 framing — the cross-cutting lenses every answer is evaluated against
Start dedicated Psychology revision about 6 weeks before the exam. Because the marks are in explaining a mechanism accurately and then evaluating it — not in recall — you need time to map how the six concepts apply across the approaches, and, most importantly, to write and mark timed short-answer questions and essays. The explain-then-evaluate skill only improves with practice, so start early and write often.
Is IB Psychology hard?+
Psychology is demanding in a specific way: there is a lot of content, but the top marks come from thinking, not memorising. The challenge is evaluating — appraising a mechanism or study against the concepts of causality, bias and measurement rather than describing it. Students who can argue and weigh evidence tend to thrive; the biggest trap is treating the course as a pile of studies to recall, when studies are only illustrative.
What is the difference between SL and HL Psychology?+
SL and HL share the three approaches, the four contexts, Paper 1, Paper 2 and the internal assessment. HL studies the extension topics — culture, motivation, the influence of technology, and data analysis — and adds Paper 3, a source-based data-analysis paper on one of those topics. HL also covers more content across the year and weights Paper 1 differently (35% at HL versus 50% at SL).
How do you get a 7 in IB Psychology?+
Evaluate, don’t describe. The top band rewards explaining a mechanism accurately and then critically appraising it against the six concepts — causality, bias, measurement, generalisability — reaching a supported judgement. Use studies only to illustrate a point, never as the answer. Master the command terms, know your own Paper 2 practical cold, practise Paper 1 scenario application, and always leave time to weigh the strongest objection before you conclude.
First topic free
Turn your Psychology revision plan into results
Aimnova builds a personalised study plan around your exam date — it tracks your progress, surfaces the mechanisms and evaluation points you keep getting wrong, and schedules exactly what to review each day.