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IB Psychology SL Study Guide & Review

Connect psychological content, concepts, contexts, research evidence and class practicals, then prepare deliberately for unseen application and evaluation in the current IB Psychology SL course.

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  1. 01Learn concepts
  2. 02Practise questions
  3. 03Review mistakes

Syllabus knowledge tree

Explore the IB Psychology SL syllabus

The current IB Psychology SL syllabus integrates six concepts, biological, cognitive and sociocultural content, research methodology and four contexts. Use the live three-group, nine-destination map without importing the HL extensions as required SL content.

3
syllabus groups
9
mapped topics

Preview the course map

Explore the course units and topics. Sign in to open the full mastery workspace and see your progress.

1. Concepts
1.1 Key concepts
2. Content
2.1 Biological approach
2.2 Cognitive approach
2.3 Sociocultural approach
2.4 Research methodology
3. Contexts
3.1 Health and well-being
3.2 Human development
3.3 Human relationships
3.4 Learning and cognition

How to study IB Psychology SL

IB Psychology SL is not a list of studies to reproduce. Use the syllabus map to integrate content, concepts and contexts: identify the behaviour, select a biological, cognitive or sociocultural explanation, frame it through bias, causality, change, measurement, perspective or responsibility, apply it to the situation and evaluate the claim. Store each study as a flexible evidence record—claim, method, finding, concept link and limitation—rather than a memorised essay.

Use Concept to rebuild explanations, Mastery to retrieve evidence and methods, and the Question Bank to practise unseen transfer. After marking, classify the first loss as content accuracy, concept link, contextual application, evidence, research method or evaluation. Repair that category and retry a matched task before moving to another context.

Practise integration, not study lists

Match explanation, unseen application, practical-method reasoning and concept-led evaluation to each Psychology task instead of memorising fixed essays.

Approaches and concepts

Biological, cognitive and sociocultural explanations across six concepts

Explain one mechanism clearly, connect it to a concept, then compare what another approach or perspective would reveal. Use evidence to test causality, measurement, bias and responsibility rather than listing limitations.

Practise psychological content

Contexts and unseen situations

Health, development, relationships, learning and cognition

Identify the behaviour and context first, select only relevant content, explain the mechanism and apply each step to details in the unseen situation. Finish by testing one assumption or alternative explanation.

Practise contexts

Class practicals and research design

Interview, observation, survey and experiment

Reconstruct purpose, sampling, procedure, ethics and data from each class practical. Compare methods through the research question, then design changes that address a named issue in measurement, bias or responsibility.

Practise methodology

Paper 1 and Paper 2 performance

Short explanation, unseen application, concept essay and unseen study evaluation

Separate the performances: retrieve precise content, transfer it to a new context, build a concept-led argument, then evaluate unfamiliar research through evidence and two or more specified concepts.

Open exam-style questions

Where to start

Start from one known content or context gap, or use mixed questions to reveal the first repeatable application or research-method failure.

Choose your starting point

  1. I know the weak area

    Open its exact syllabus position and identify the content, concept, context, evidence and method that must connect.

    Browse the syllabus

  2. I do not know what is weak

    Attempt a short mixed set and begin with the first repeated explanation, application or methodology error.

    Open mixed questions

Choose the right starting point

  1. Build the psychological claim

    Explain the mechanism, frame it with one relevant concept and identify what evidence would support it.

    Review a Concept

  2. Retrieve flexible evidence

    Recall the study question, method, result and limitation, then adapt it to the current context.

    Check Mastery

  3. Apply, evaluate and repair

    Answer the unseen situation or method task, classify the first weak link and retry after repair.

    Practise questions

IB Psychology SL assessment format

External assessment contributes 70% and the research proposal contributes 30%. SL preparation should separate content explanation, unseen transfer, practical-method reasoning and research evaluation.

Paper / componentQuestionsTime% of grade
Paper 135 marksTwo compulsory content short answers, two compulsory unseen-context applications, then one concept-based extended response from two choices.How to prepare: Practise precise explanation, transfer to unfamiliar situations and concept-led extended argument as three distinct performances.1 hour 30 minutes35%
Paper 235 marksFour compulsory class-practical questions followed by evaluation of an unseen experimental or non-experimental study using specified concepts.How to prepare: Retrieve the four practical methods, compare design choices and tie every evaluation point to the unseen study and named concepts.1 hour 30 minutes35%
Research proposal24 marksDesign one research proposal for a population of interest using interview or focus group, observation, survey or questionnaire, or experiment.How to prepare: Align the research question, method, sampling, procedure, ethics and planned data so every design choice is justified.20 recommended course hours30%

SourceInternational Baccalaureate Organization · Psychology guide, first assessment 2027IB Psychology · First assessment May 2027

IB Psychology SL questions

Choose one content or context area when the weakness is known; otherwise attempt a mixed set. Explain the mechanism, connect one concept, apply flexible evidence and classify the first lost mark before selecting the next review action.

Store each study as a compact evidence record: research question, method, finding, concept or context use and limitation. Practise selecting only the details that support the current claim, unseen situation or research-method judgment.

Students complete at least four class practicals, one for each context, using interview or focus group, observation, survey or questionnaire, and experiment. They provide method experience for Paper 2 and the research-proposal internal assessment.

No. For first assessment May 2027, the internal assessment is a research proposal using one of the methods experienced in class practicals. Old replicated-experiment report guidance belongs to the previous course and should not define current preparation.