If you’re struggling to build your course on concepts, this post will explain why.
About 12 years ago I realised how irrelevant command terms were for IB Psych exams. I lamented over lost time and energy spent focusing on these, at the expense of better things, like content. Since then I’ve tried to show you all what I learned. I now have a hunch the concepts are going to be the new command terms – they’ll hijack attention and focus away from what really matters. In this post, I’ll do some math to show how content knowledge is far more important for success in Paper 1 than conceptual understanding.
The Maths Behind the Madness
70% has been the historic boundary for a 7 in Paper 1. In the new syllabus, there are 35 total marks.
- Section A: 8 (2 x SAQs worth 4 marks each)
- Section B: 12 (2 x ASAQs* (Applied SAQs) worth 6 marks each)
- Section C: 15 (1 Essay)
- 35 marks total
That means a student needs 25/35 to get >70%.
*I’ve just made up ASAQs now for the applied SAQs where students apply content knowledge to a novel problem or scenario. Does it work – what do you think?
Theoretically then…
…a student could get a 7 with zero conceptual understanding, just fantastic content knowledge. Remember the concepts are only asked in Section C. So if a student scored…
- 4/4 in Section A = 8/8
- 6/6 Section B = 12/12
- Total 20/20
This means they’d only need a 5/15 essay and they’d get 71%. The rubric states that this kind of essay would have stated “links between concepts.” I can guarantee (and demonstrate) how an essay could score 5 by just restating the concept in a few places and then showing excellent content knowledge.
Realistically, however…
…we all know it’s nigh impossible to get perfect marks, even for SAQs. There’s little incentive for examiners to award full marks and writing four perfect SAQs is arguably more challenging than writing one perfect essay. So let’s modify this a little bit so it’s realistic for most of our students.
- 3/4 in both SAQs in Section A = 6/8
- One 4/6 and one 5/6 in the ASAQs = 9/12
So that’s 15 marks going into the essay. Remember none of these four SAQs asks about concepts. Rather they are based on the 26 topics from the three approaches.
That means a student still only needs a 10/15 essay to get 71%. This is achievable for most students. Furthermore, 75% of that essay will be based on content knowledge (the topic) and research methods. The concepts are then linked to those. You can see an example in my cheeseburger essay. Knowing a couple of key terms like triangulation, beneficence, internal and external validity along with good content knowledge, is enough to write a very good essay.
Bottom line: Paper 1 is not built on conceptual understanding, it’s built on content knowledge.
Implications for My Teaching…
I have just enough self-awareness to realise I lack self-awareness. But I’m aware enough to know that my blogs probably come across like I’m trying to convince everyone of my way of teaching and thinking. I’m actually not. What I do is share my thinking, strategy and approach in case it’s helpful. If it resonates with you, great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine. So I’ll write this paragraph as it relates to my teaching.
To quote Bill Gates, my teaching is based on this simple mantra: Content is King. Students can’t think critically or conceptually if they don’t know the content (I feel some gungho conceptualists will disagree so I encourage them to write that Paper 1 essay and prove me wrong – genuinely open to this). To this end, I’m planning my course with a focus on content knowledge first. This is based on the two driving questions in psychology: Why do we do the things we do? And how do we know? If a student can explain behaviour, and explain how we know that through experiments and correlational studies (with the odd case study thrown in), they will do well.
I’m excited to teach about the opioid crisis in addiction, aggression in criminology, marketing ploys in manipulation, conformity in cults and why people fall in and out of love in couples. Forgive me, but this gets me fizzing far more than “type 1 and 2 errors” and their relationship to “measurement.” (See my full list of units here).
This doesn’t mean I’m ignoring the concepts. I’ve built these into critical thinking extensions in each lesson, with one concept the focus of each unit. For example, all critical thinking extensions in Criminology are related to causality, in Morality they’re on change. This does a few things. First, it ensures I’ve covered all concepts systematically. But more importantly, it allows me to teach the concepts when each individual student is ready. They extend the fast finishers who grasp the content faster than others. It reduces cognitive load and increases schematic connections as only one concept is focused on at a time. It also reduces the confusion and cognitive load for struggling students – I’m not throwing abstract terms at them when they’re still grappling with comprehending the content.
This allows natural differentiation. As I’ve shown above, there’s no point to throw concepts at them if they don’t know the content. A student aiming for a 4, 5 or 6 is better to focus on content first, concepts later.
By having lessons primarily focused on content with concepts given as extensions, I’m actually also perfectly mirroring the demands of Paper 1 as well. You might be asking what about Paper 2, Section B, which is 15 marks just about concepts? I’ve got that covered and will explain in another post.
So why am I saying this? It’s not about taking shortcuts or gaming the system. I’m simply outlining my thinking for any teacher struggling to understand how to build a course around concepts. I think you can’t and shouldn’t. Build your course on rock solid foundations of fascinating psychological content, add some relevant terms for critical thinking later in the course and you’ll have an awesome Psych course on your hands. What’s more, you’ll have engaged, confident kids.
Personal news…I’ve announced to my school admin that I’m resigning at the end of this academic year (Dec, 2025). I’m taking two years out from classroom teaching to focus on being a father and husband first, and a supporter of IB Psych teachers second. My dream job would be to create materials to help teachers and students, and then a few times a year travel to different places and meet you all in person and help out however I can. This is why I write in the future tense about my course – I’m writing my book and materials for me to use as soon as I get the chance.
Travis Dixon is an IB Psychology teacher, author, workshop leader, examiner and IA moderator.