FAQs - exams and the IA
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Most frequently asked questions over the past month have concerned the formulation of exam questions or the required elements of the IA research proposal. There are InThinking teacher pages regarding these topics, and I have pulled together the information here to address some of these questions directly. Links to the InThinking materials have been provided.
Exam questions
Can you explain the essential differences between the questions asked in the three sections of Paper 1?
Section A - Two compulsory very short-answer questions on the content terms from the biological, cognitive and/or sociocultural approaches. (Worth 4 marks each). Each of them will be from a different approach. Questions will be taken from the column headed “psychological terminology”, the left-hand column of Tables 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 (Psychology guide, p 24-26). A context will not be specified, and while students may use a study, they are not required to do so. Knowledge of the details of studies is not assessed.
The command terms will be from assessment objectives (AO)1 and 2 (Psychology guide, p 61). They are most likely to be “describe” or “explain”, as seen on the specimen paper, and here.
Section B - Two compulsory short-answer questions, again based on the content terms from the biological, cognitive and/or sociocultural approaches. (Worth 6 marks each). However, this time, each question will require the application of this knowledge to one of the four contexts in an unknown situation. A different context will be chosen for each question.
The command terms will be from AO2. See the specimen paper, and here.
Section C – Two questions that require short essay responses, but students only need to answer one. (Worth 15 marks). They will be concept-based, framed within a context, and will use as their basis one “area of study” of that context. A different context will be used for each question. Again, knowledge of specific details of research studies is not assessed.
The command terms will be from AO3. See the specimen paper, and here.
Is Paper 3 (HL only) purely qualitative research?
No, the sources used for the data in Paper 3 will be from both quantitative and qualitative research.
IA research proposal questions
For the IA, can the student propose any research method they like?
The method in the IA proposal must be one of the four methods used for the class practicals. These are:
- True or quasi-experiment
- Structured, semi-structured or focus group interviews
- Naturalistic or controlled observations (overt or covert, participant or non-participant)
- Survey/questionnaire
For the data collection tool, how many questions should it contain, and what if it is an interview schedule or an observation tool?
Regardless of the type of collection tool, it should contain a minimum of five items. If it is an observation, then these would be the categories on which the researcher is focusing. If it is an interview schedule, then the five key points for the interview.
Do students need to design an informed consent form?
No, only the data collection tool is needed. There is no requirement for an informed consent form or standardized instructions.
Upcoming post - HL extension - Motivation
The next blog post will look at motivation. This is a new topic for those of us who have been teaching the current curriculum, and some may be wondering how to approach it. If you have any questions about this, or any of the other topics from the blog posts, please keep them coming in.