The IA is a research proposal. Treat it like one.

Break the task into four sections, make a clear methodological decision and justify your choices. The free pack below turns a large project into a sequence you can actually follow.

The four sections at a glance

The PsychExcel one-page overview allocates six marks to each section and keeps the full proposal under 2,200 words.

Section	Marks	Suggested words	Main job
Introduction	6	400 to 450	Set out a real problem, identify who it affects, summarise two studies and state your aim.
Research Methodology	6	450 to 500	Choose and justify the method, procedure and ethical decisions.
Data Collection	6	450 to 500	Show the tool, justify its design and identify what could go wrong.
Discussion	6	600 to 660	Discuss likely findings, possible change, your own bias and an additional method.

Use your official course guidance and teacher instructions alongside these learning resources.

Before choosing a topic

Three questions should have clear answers.

What is the problem?

Choose something that is genuinely going wrong for someone, not simply a topic you find interesting.

Who does it affect?

Define a specific group with features that matter to the problem.

What could change?

If you cannot name a policy, service, rule or practice that could change, the discussion becomes much harder.

Independent research writing

Structure first. Then strengthen the argument.

Although the Extended Essay is a different task from the IA, the same student feedback highlights the kind of support PsychExcel emphasises for research writing: structure, argument development and appropriate research choices.

“Her guidance helped me understand how to structure each section, develop my arguments and select suitable research papers. With her support, I became much more confident in my essay and ultimately achieved an A for my final EE grade!”

The IA resource pack