Essay Introductions: How to write the perfect essay introduction for IB Psych exams.

Travis Dixon

2 years ago

This post will show you four easy steps you can apply to any exam question to write the perfect introduction. Scroll to the bottom for a simple practice tip.

First impressions matter, especially in your IB exams. You’re writing essays in IB Psych to show what an excellent psychologist you are, but you have about 1,000 words and 60 minutes to do that, so a good introduction is essential. You want something that’s substantial, shows you know your stuff but doesn’t waste your time or your examiners. Here’s how to do that in four essay steps. I’ll use three examples from May 2021 exam to demonstrate.

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Why write an introduction?

Have you studied schema theory? What about Bransford and Johnson’s “laundry study”? If you have, you’ll know that we’re better at comprehending and remembering information if we’re told about it first. That’s why blog posts have titles, textbooks have headings and paragraphs have topic sentences. Your reader will comprehend your essay if they know what to expect.

Therefore, your introduction must touch on the major points of your essay. Because your essay is 6 marks for “knowledge and understanding,” 6 marks for “use of research” and 6 marks for “critical thinking,” you should somehow show how you will address those six major parts of the essay. Here’s how:

Step One: Restate the question

Score one easy mark by simply restating the question. According to the IB Guide, “Students may simply identify the problem by restating the question” (p47). Do this in the opening line of your essay because it addresses the “Identifies the problem/issue raised in the question” part of Criterion A, “Focus on the Question.” (Read More: How to explain the problem/issue in essay introductions). Thus, one (good) sentence = one mark.

Examples (for questions from May 2021 Exam):

Question: Evaluate one or more research methods used when investigating the relationship between the brain and behaviour.

Answer#1) The case study method is one research method used to investigate the relationship between the brain and behaviour.

Qu: Discuss schema theory in relation to cognitive processing.

A#2) Schema theory is an important theory relating to cognitive processes like memory.

Qu: Discuss one or more ethical considerations related to research studies investigating cultural origins of behaviour and/or cultural origins of cognition.

A#3) Informed consent and anonymity are two important ethical considerations related to research studies investigating cultural origins of cognition and behaviour.

Notice how the above opening sentences clearly state exactly what examples the essay is going to focus on. This reassures your examiner that you are going to stay focused on the question. See also how with #1 and #3 it’s pretty easy, and with #2 there’s not much to say. That’s because any question about a specific theory or model already addresses the specific theory or model in the question. Imagine if that question were “Discuss one theory relating to cognitive processing,” you’d see suddenly that same opening sentence becomes much more effective.

Step Two: The Argument

Extend your opening sentence by adding one (maybe two) sentences that provided more detail about your central argument. How will you use your knowledge of the topic to answer the question. These examples use the same questions from above:

These additional sentences prep the reader for what you’re going to write about in your essay. Remember that’s the vital function of an introduction – it tells your reader what you’re going to write about. In IB Psych exam essays, you want to get straight to the point. You don’t have time to write waffly intros and your examiner doesn’t have the patience to read them! You can only write these summaries, however, if you’ve studied hard and have strong arguments to make for the topic in the question.

You don’t have time to write waffly intros and your examiner doesn’t have the patience to read them!

Step Three: The Research

Your studies and theories are most of the content of your essay, so introduce them to your reader. Can’t remember their names? That’s fine. Just give them a brief description. This way your examiner knows your arguments will be supported by evidence.

#2) Schema theory is an important theory relating to cognitive processes like memory. The major claims of schema theory explain why some information is remembered better than others, as well as how false memories might occur. This has been used in educational psychology. Studies like the one on doing laundry, the War of the Ghosts and stereotypes studies can help show the effects of schema on memory.

#3) Informed consent and anonymity are two important ethical considerations related to research studies investigating cultural origins of cognition and behaviour. They are highly relevant because research in cross-cultural psychology, particularly on cultural differences in mate selection, involves very sensitive information. For example, the study on mate preference around the world can show the relevance of informed consent and anonymity in this area of research.

Pay particular attention to the fine details. The above lines don’t just state the studies, they also hint at why the studies are relevant. They briefly introduce what points the studies will be used to support.

Step Four: The Counter Arguments

You need to show your “critical thinking” in all IB Psych exam essays. I call this your “counter arguments.” What you write may depend on the command term: Discuss, Evaluate, To what extent, Contrast. The first three require the same type of critical thinking – you’re showing the limitations in your central argument and/or supporting evidence. The fourth, contrast, requires you to highlight the differences in two things you’re explaining (e.g. research methods, memory models, etiologies of disorders, etc). This is why I recommend the closing line of your introduction somehow shows that you will “meet the requirements of the command term.”

Let’s add this fourth and final step to our introductions and you decide if you want to follow this format for your essays or not.

#1) The case study method is one research method used to investigate the relationship between the brain and behaviour. More specifically, case studies help us understand localisation of function in areas like the amygdala and the hippocampus. We can see this in the case study on the woman with amygdala damage and the case study on HM by Milner. But the problem with case studies as we’ll see is that they are focused on individuals so their generalisability is an issue. They may also have practical limitations, which will be evaluated in this essay.

Two things to note in these sentences:

#1) They use a transition (e.g. but, however). This is because they are counter-arguments. They’re signposting that these are actually going to argue against the main arguments and evidence. This is exactly what these questions are requiring.

#2) They use the command term (e.g. discuss, evaluate). This shows the examiner that I’m going to address all aspects of the question. If we look at these paragraphs below, you’ll see that (a) the question is directly addressed, (b) it provides an outline of the entire essay and (c) it does all this in only 3-5 sentences.

Perfect? What do you think?

Practice

Students: Take some practice exam questions using past papers (or our question banks) and write an introduction using these steps. Get feedback from a classmate or your teacher.

Teachers: You could do the same and assign as a simple homework task or in-class preparation.

Travis Dixon

Travis Dixon is an IB Psychology teacher, author, workshop leader, examiner and IA moderator.