Skills practice questions.

In an IB Psychology Paper 1 short-answer question (SAQ), which command term is most commonly used and requires giving a brief account including reasons or causes?

• Explain
• Evaluate
• Discuss
• To what extent

Answer: Explain

SAQs use lower-order command terms such as Explain, Describe, or Outline; higher-order terms like Evaluate and Discuss are reserved for essays.

A well-structured SAQ response should include which of the following elements?

• A definition, a linked study, and a brief explanation
• A full evaluation of three studies with counterarguments
• An introduction, five body paragraphs, and a conclusion
• Only the name of a single study

Answer: A definition, a linked study, and a brief explanation

A strong SAQ defines the key term, describes one relevant study accurately, and explicitly links it to the demands of the question, without lengthy evaluation.

For which paper are SAQs the required response format in IB Psychology?

• Paper 1 (approaches)
• Paper 2 (options) essays only
• The Internal Assessment report
• The Extended Essay

Answer: Paper 1 (approaches)

SAQs appear in Paper 1, where students answer short-answer questions on the approaches and research methods; essays appear later.

A student writes an SAQ that describes a study in detail but never states how it relates to the question asked. Which marking criterion will they most clearly fail to satisfy?

• Link of the study/knowledge to the question
• Consistently accurate spelling throughout the answer
• Use of a title
• Word count minimum

Answer: Link of the study/knowledge to the question

Markschemes reward explicit linking of the described research to the question; description without linkage caps the marks awarded.

If an SAQ command term is 'Describe', what should a student avoid doing to stay within the demands of the question?

• Evaluating strengths and weaknesses
• Giving an accurate account of the study
• Defining the key term
• Naming the researchers

Answer: Evaluating strengths and weaknesses

'Describe' asks for an accurate account only; extended evaluation is not required and does not gain marks, wasting limited time.

Which command term, if it appeared on Paper 1, would signal that the question is an essay rather than an SAQ?

• Discuss
• Outline
• Describe
• Explain

Answer: Discuss

'Discuss' is a higher-order command term used for extended-response essays, whereas Outline, Describe and Explain are typical SAQ terms.