Paper 2 is 1 hour 30 minutes and 35 marks, and it is identical at SL and HL.
Two sections that behave completely differently. Section A is rooted in the four class practicals you carry out during the course. Section B hands you a study you have never seen and asks you to discuss it through two or more specified concepts.
That difference is the single most useful thing to hold on to about this paper. One half can be heavily prepared. The other half can only be trained.
The shape of the paper
| Section | Question | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1a. Describe how a named method was used in your practical, including aim and procedure | 4 | 20 minutes for 1a and 1b together |
| A | 1b. Explain one concept in relation to that practical | 4 | |
| A | 1c. Compare and contrast your practical method with another method | 6 | 30 minutes for 1c and 1d together |
| A | 1d. Design a study using another method to investigate the same topic | 6 | |
| B | Discuss an unseen study with reference to two or more concepts from the list provided | 15 | 40 minutes |
A note on labelling. The IB calls these 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d. Many teachers and resources call them Q1 to Q4. They are the same four questions with the same marks, 4, 4, 6, 6. If the paper says 1c, that is the compare and contrast question. Do not lose a moment to confusion on exam day.
Time follows marks
Section A is 20 of the 35 marks. Section B is 15, but it needs more writing time per mark because you have to read and plan first.
The discipline that protects your grade is simple. A four-mark question cannot earn you more than four marks no matter how long you spend on it. Every extra minute on 1a is a minute stolen from the fifteen-marker. When your time is up on a Section A question, stop, even mid-sentence, and move on.
For length, stronger responses tend to land in these ranges. They are observed ranges, not targets.
| Typical range | |
|---|---|
| Section A, 1a and 1b | 150 to 400 words |
| Section A, 1c and 1d | 580 to 700 words |
| Section B | 570 to 700 words |
Section A: 20 marks you can prepare for
Section A is the most predictable part of the whole psychology course, and it is where the largest number of avoidable marks are lost. Not because the questions are hard, but because it is easy to answer a slightly different question from the one asked.
The four question types are stable. What changes is which method the paper names and which concept it picks.
One thing decides most of your mark here: the focus of assessment is the research method, not the psychology content. You are not being marked on how interesting your topic was. You are being marked on whether you understand the methodology you used and can describe it precisely.
That has a practical consequence. Do not spend your opening sentences explaining the psychology of sleep or memory. Get to method fast.
All four questions depend entirely on records you can only make properly while each practical is fresh. Which is why the class practicals get their own article and why writing them up matters more than it seems at the time.
Section B: the unseen 15-marker
Section B is where memorised method notes stop being enough.
You read a study you have never seen, choose at least two of the specified concepts, and build an argument about what the study does and does not allow us to conclude.
Do not treat this as finding three strengths and three limitations. The question underneath it is different: given how this evidence was produced, how much confidence should I place in the conclusion, and why?
Because the study is unseen, your preparation cannot be a bank of ready-made paragraphs. It has to be a bank of thinking moves.
How marks are actually awarded
The IB marks both sections holistically, on best fit against the published descriptors.
No sentence count, paragraph pattern, number of concepts beyond the minimum, or quoted statistic guarantees a particular band. Four developed paragraphs are not automatically better than three excellent ones, and five concepts are not automatically better than two.
Any structure you use, including the ones in these articles, is a training scaffold. Its job is to push your writing past identification and explanation, which is where most marks are lost. An answer that follows the shape without the thinking will not score well.
If you are short on time
There is a clear order of return when the exam is close.
- Reconstruct your four practicals accurately. That is 20 marks that cannot be taken from you if you know them.
- Learn one reliable paragraph structure for Section B until it is automatic.
- Do three unseen studies, timed, with no notes.
- Learn the six concepts well enough to name a study feature for each within five seconds.
That is a realistic plan for a week. Reading a revision guide cover to cover is not.
Where to go next
Each part of Paper 2 rewards different preparation.
- Class practicals explained
- How to evaluate an unseen study
- How to compare research methods
- Operationalisation: a student guide
- Sampling: what you actually need to know
If you want a starting set of Paper 2 materials built for the 2027 course, the PsychExcel Starter Library is free.