183 exam-style questions on Skills with answers and explanations. Six real samples below — the full set is free with an account.
Which command term, typical of Paper 1 short-answer questions, requires a detailed account including reasons or causes?
Answer: Explain
Explain means giving a detailed account including reasons or causes, which suits short-answer questions. Evaluate, Discuss and To what extent ask for arguments to be weighed and belong to the extended response.
A well-structured SAQ response should include which of the following elements?
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.
In which IB Psychology component do short-answer questions (SAQs) appear?
Answer: Paper 1 (approaches)
In the current syllabus SAQs make up Sections A and B of Paper 1, testing knowledge of the three approaches and their application to unseen scenarios; the extended response follows in Section C of the same paper.
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?
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?
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?
Answer: Discuss
'Discuss' is a higher-order command term used for extended-response essays, whereas Outline, Describe and Explain are typical SAQ terms.
That was 6 of 183 Skills questions.
Practise all 183 freeA student writes an SAQ that describes a study in detail but never states how it relates to the question asked.
See the correction →StateAO1 · 1–9 marks
One word or one short sentence. No explanation, no working: the mark is for the fact itself.
OutlineAO1 · 1–9 marks
A brief account or summary: the main points in two or three sentences, no evaluation.
ExplainAO2 · 3–9 marks
Give reasons or causes: say what happens AND why, linking each step with 'because' or 'so that'.
183 Skills questions — free with an account. Spaced repetition, streaks and full exam simulations included.
Practise them freeThis platform is independently developed and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by the International Baccalaureate Organization. “International Baccalaureate” and “IB” are registered trademarks of the IBO.