IB Psychology IA focuses on cognitive, biological, and sociocultural issues based on scientific research.
By studying the subject, you understand what it is like to conduct in-depth studies on your own and answer questions about human behavior.
This SL and HL guide to Psychology internal assessment covers an overview of the subject, required word count, topic selection and examples, structure of the document, and the steps to write the IA.
Additionally, we cover the assessment criteria (rubric) used to grade the work, as well as how to get professional writing help.
What is IB Psychology Internal Assessment?
IB psychology internal assessment is an individual assignment worth 25% and 20% of the final grade at SL and HL respectively.
Higher Level students write an extra Paper 3, which contains three short response questions on research methodologies.
According to the IB, the psychology IA task requires you to conduct experimental investigation in a group of no more than 5 students.
The group will collaborate on technique, materials list, and data collection and compilation. However, you’ll write your report alone.
How Many Words is IB Psychology IA?
The word count for psychology internal assessment varies based on the level. For Standard Level, the report should be 1,500 words long. For Higher Level, the length of your report should not exceed the 2,000 words mark.
Some students have the tendency to make their reports longer because they have a lot of information and supposedly useful insights to share. However, your report must not exceed the limit provided.
How to Structure and Write an IB Psychology IA
The following is the ideal format for IB psychology internal assessment:
Title Page
- Write a brief statement of what you’re investigating.
- Include your candidate number, ground candidate numbers, word count, submission date, and level.
Table of Contents
- The table of content features sections for introduction, exploration, analysis, evaluation, references, and appendix.
- Include the corresponding page number for each section.
Introduction
- Describe the main model or theory you used in the experiment.
- Explain what makes the theory or model relevant to your investigation.
- Mention the aim of your research and explain how it’s relevant.
- State your research and null hypothesis.
Exploration
- Mention and explain the research design and sampling technique you used to collect data for your experiment.
- Explain the suitability of your sampling technique or research design to the experiment.
- Mention how you collected the participant of your study and explain why they’re suitable for the analysis of your research question.
- Mention the control variables of the experiment and state how and why they were controlled.
- Give a list of the materials used in the study.
- Demonstrate that your study was in line with the ethical considerations in research, such as allowing participants to take part in the experiment only after getting their consent to do so.
Analysis
- Include inferential and differential statistics in your analysis.
- Describe the statistics you used to organize data. This can include range, mode, median, mean, standard deviation, variance, and interquartile range.
- Use inferential statistics to draw conclusions based on the data analyzed from the experiment.
- Include clearly numbered and labelled tables and graphs of the data obtained from the experiment.
- Explain the data each table or graph contains and explain the importance of the data in relation to your hypothesis.
Evaluation
- Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your study.
- Discuss the results of the study based on the model or theory you used in the experiment as mentioned in the introduction.
- Suggest modification that can improve the same experiment now and in the future.
References
- Write a full list of all the references you used in the internal assessment.
- Use the same citation style used in the introduction and background information for the bibliography.
Appendices
- Mention all the additional information necessary for the complexion of your experiment. Examples include raw data tables, statistical tests, outlier calculations, and quizzes.
What’s the Assessment Criteria for IB Psychology IA?
The assessment criteria used to grade psychology internal assessment covers introduction, exploration, analysis, and evaluation.
Criterion A: Introduction (6 Points)
For the introduction:
- Highlight the context’s theory followed by a detailed explanation.
- Define the key terms used in the study and highlight the purpose, method, and results of the duplicate of the original study.
- Make a clear connection between your inquiry and the duplicate theory.
- Define the purpose of your experiment and have a clear emphasis on the dependent and independent variables.
Criterion B: Exploration (4 Points)
Exploration refers to the manner in which you conduct an investigation. The criterion examines how you do your study and the materials you use and their rationale.
- Defend the choices made by your group during the study.
- Identify, mention, and explain the design and sample procedures used.
- Discuss and justify your choice of sampling strategy for the study.
- Explain how you chose your participants, and describe the confounding and controlled factor and their significance to the study.
- Prove that your study was ethical.
Criterion C: Analysis (6 Points)
Analysis looks at how you’ve interpreted data. To have a higher chance of getting the 6 points:
- Demonstrate your proficiency in descriptive and inferential statistics.
- Provide one measure of central tendency (mean, median, or model) and one for dispersion in descriptive statics (standard deviation, variance, range, semi-interquartile range).
- Show the verbal expression of your statistics and the relation to the hypothesis.
Additionally, you need to provide clearly labeled graphs and emphasize the significance of your results in relation to the hypothesis.
Criteria D: Evaluation (6 Points)
The evaluation focuses on the background theory or model, not just the hypothesis. To score the 6 points:
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your study.
- Mention the advantages and shortcomings of the research design, samples, and the procedure used.
- Mention the time your group spent on the study, the materials used, and the techniques employed (including if it was standardized).
In no instance should you relevel substantial error in your technique. Correct them rather than stating them if there are such inaccuracies.