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Do's and Don'ts for ERQs

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  • Do's and Don'ts for ERQs

Below you will find a list of "do's" and "don't's" for writing the ERQ - the essays that appear both in part b of Paper 1 and on Paper 2.

Principles of good writing

1. Take some time to outline your argument before you start writing. Planning before you begin will lead to a better-structured argument.

2. Introductions are important. Don't just start right in with your first example of something, but introduce the question and your approach to the reader. Directly answer the question (the thesis), define any appropriate terms, and outline how you are going to answer the question.

3. Always link the study back to the question.  Use the PEEL principle: Point, evidence, explanation, link.  That is, start a paragraph with a point, then provide the evidence, explain the evidence, and then link back to the question.

4.  Finally, conclusions are important, but they may be short and concise on an IB Psychology exam.

Do's: What is essential in an ERQ?

1.  Any theory that will be used must be explained in order to demonstrate clear knowledge and understanding relevant to the question.

2. All essays should have two or more pieces of research unless the question says otherwise.

3. All research should be clearly outlined in terms of aim, procedure, and the findings. However, you don't need to include every detail.  For example, don't waste brain cells memorizing sample sizes.

4. Critical thinking must be explained.  If you say, "the study lacks ecological validity" - explain why.  Just listing evaluation points does not earn much credit.

5. Critical thinking should demonstrate a breadth of understanding.  If all you do is comment on the sample size for all our research, this does not demonstrate a high level of critical thinking.

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Don'ts: What may lower the quality of an ERQ?

1. Don't include anecdotal data - that is, personal stories or references to films or new stories.

2. Don't memorize all the details of the study.  Procedures should show basic understanding.  Sample sizes and exact statements of the results are not necessary.

3. Don't use two examples of the same thing.  For example, using both HM and Clive Wearing in an essay on ethics in which you then discuss the issue of consent in both cases.

4. Don't try to pack your essay with lots of research.  In order to earn in the top markband, you will need to have good critical thinking.

5. Don't automatically evaluate the ethics, gender, or cultural validity of the study.  Critical thinking must be directly linked to the demands of the question.  If the question is "To what extent is one cognitive process reliable," then ethics may not be highly relevant. Think about being in a café with friends and someone says, "Is memory really reliable?"  Your response may be "it is difficult to know because...."  or "the evidence we have that it is not reliable is really strong because...."  You wouldn't reply, "I know a really unethical study about that topic!"

6. You don't have to memorize the dates of studies. Save those brain cells for something more important!

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