IB Psychology SLTopic 6 — The Exam PapersPaper 1Exam skill~10 min read
What Paper 1 Asks For
Paper 1 is three sections that ask three different things of you. Section A wants what you know. Section B wants you to use it on a scenario you have never seen. Section C wants you to think like a psychologist for fifteen marks. Knowing which is which before you start writing is worth more than any extra fact.
📘 What you need to know
Paper 1 is taken by both HL and SL, lasts 1 hour 30 minutes and is worth 35 marks.
It is weighted at 35% for SL and 25% for HL.
Section A: two compulsory SAQs from two of the three content areas, 4 marks each.
Section B: two compulsory SAQs from two of the four contexts, 6 marks each, with a scenario given.
Section C: one ERQ chosen from two options, worth 15 marks, framed around a key concept.
Section A questions do not specify a context. Section B questions always do.
You are never required to use named research studies. Hypothetical or everyday examples are acceptable.
The shape of the paper
Look at the last line before you plan your time. Section C alone carries 15 of the 35 marks, so it deserves close to half the paper.
Section A: short-answer questions
Two questions, no choice, four marks each. They are drawn from two of the three content areas: the biological approach, the cognitive approach and the sociocultural approach.
The important detail is that these questions do not give you a context. You will not be handed a scenario. You are being asked what you know about a topic and whether you can develop it with an example.
Content area
Topics you could be asked about
Biological approach
Animal models, biological reductionism, brain imaging, chemical messengers, diathesis-stress, genetics, localisation of function, neuroplasticity, neurotransmission
Cognitive approach
Anchoring bias, classical conditioning, cognitive load theory, cognitive models, confirmation bias, dual process model, operant conditioning, schema theory
Sociocultural approach
Cognitive dissonance, compliance techniques, conformity, cultural dimensions, emic and etic approaches, enculturation, acculturation, social identity theory, social learning theory
Two questions from two of three areas. That means one area will be missing from Section A every year, and you have no way of knowing which. Revise all three.
Section B: applying to a scenario
Two questions again, no choice, six marks each. These come from the four contexts: health and wellbeing, human development, human relationships, and learning and cognition.
The difference is that a scenario is given to you. A short description of a study or situation appears in the question, and your job is to use it. Every command term here is AO2, which means application. You are not being asked to recite what you know; you are being asked to attach it to something new.
You do not need to bring your own research studies to Section B. The study is already in the question. Students who ignore it and write out a memorised answer lose most of the marks even when everything they wrote is true.
Section C: the extended response
Two ERQs are offered, drawn from two of the four contexts, and you answer one. Each is worth 15 marks, and the questions are built around the six key concepts: bias, causality, change, measurement, perspective and responsibility.
Examiners are looking for three things: breadth and depth of knowledge using studies and theory, a balanced evaluation covering strengths, limitations, counterarguments and applications, and a clear structure.
The assessment objectives
Underline the command term before you write anything. It is the single most reliable instruction in the whole paper.
Planning your ninety minutes
🧩 A timing plan that matches the marks
5 minutes reading. Read Section C first, even though you will answer it last, so your brain works on it while you write the others.
15 minutes on Section A. Roughly seven minutes per 4-mark answer. Do not overwrite these.
25 minutes on Section B. About twelve minutes each, including time to read the scenario properly.
40 minutes on Section C. Five minutes planning, thirty writing, five checking.
5 minutes spare for the question you underestimated. There is always one.
Worked examples
WORKED EXAMPLE
Work out what a question is testing before you answer
“In a study, MRI scans were used to determine grey matter density. With reference to this study, explain the use of brain-imaging techniques in understanding human behaviour. [6 marks]” What section is this, and what does it demand?
Clue 1: the marks
6 marks means Section B, not Section A.
Clue 2: “with reference to this study”
A scenario has been provided, and you are told to use it.
Clue 3: the command term
“Explain” is AO2, so the marks are for application, not for a recital of what MRI is.
Section B, apply your knowledge to the given scan studyevery paragraph should mention the scans, not brain imaging in the abstract
WORKED EXAMPLE
Choose between the two ERQs
Section C offers: (a) “In the context of human development, evaluate one or more strategies used to measure theory of mind” and (b) “In the context of learning and cognition, discuss the role of responsibility in the effect of brain damage on memory”. How should you choose? [15]
Step 1: Identify the concept in each
(a) is a measurement question. (b) is a responsibility question.
Step 2: Ask what evidence you have
Pick the one where you can name two or three studies you actually understand.
Step 3: Check the command term
“Evaluate” wants strengths and limitations. “Discuss” wants more than one viewpoint. Choose the one you can balance.
Choose on evidence and command term, not on the topic you likeanswer one only — if you write both, only the first is marked
💡 Exam tip
Underline the command term and the marks before writing. Those two things define the answer.
If the question hands you a scenario, every point you make must touch it.
Do not write a Section C essay for a Section A question. Four marks means four developed points, not four pages.
Read both ERQ options fully. The one that looks harder is often the one you have better evidence for.
Answer only one ERQ. Writing both wastes time and only the first is credited.
Hypothetical examples are allowed everywhere. A clear invented example beats a half-remembered study.
⚠️ Common mix-up
Content areas and contexts. Approaches (biological, cognitive, sociocultural) are content areas. Health, development, relationships and learning are contexts.
Thinking Section B needs your own studies. It does not. The study is given.
Treating all SAQs the same. Section A is 4 marks with no context; Section B is 6 with one.
Assuming the ERQ is optional to prepare for. It is worth 15 of 35 marks.
Confusing SL and HL weightings. Paper 1 is 35% for SL and 25% for HL.
Ignoring the command term. “Describe” and “evaluate” are marked against completely different criteria.
Up next: What Paper 2 Asks For — the paper built entirely out of your own class practicals and one study you have never seen.
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