The investigation · Reducing exam stress in final-year students
To what extent could a four-week mindfulness program reduce self-reported exam stress among final-year students at an international school?
Psychology worked example: what becomes more explicit?
The comparison below is instructional, not examiner-scored. Use it to see which evidence or reasoning is missing, then check the current criterion wording for your session.
How does the example make introduction evidence more explicit? (6-mark criterion)
A focused aim, a real problem with its impact on a named population, and a clear use for the findings.
Under-specified
Stress is a big problem for students. I want to see if mindfulness helps.
More explicit
Aim: to investigate whether a four-week mindfulness program reduces self-reported exam stress in final-year students. The problem: in a school survey, 64% of final-year students reported stress interfering with sleep before exams, which affects performance and wellbeing. The findings could inform whether the school timetables mindfulness sessions before mock exams.
How does the example make research methodology evidence more explicit? (6-mark criterion)
The method, sampling and allocation are each justified, including their trade-offs.
Under-specified
I will do an experiment with some students who do mindfulness and some who don't.
More explicit
An independent-samples experiment: 40 volunteer final-year students, randomly allocated to a mindfulness group or a waitlist control, to reduce participant variables. Volunteer sampling is justified by the need for informed consent but limits generalisability. Both groups complete the stress measure before and after the four weeks.
How does the example make data collection evidence more explicit? (6-mark criterion)
The tool is specific, piloted, and designed against known biases.
Under-specified
I will ask students how stressed they feel.
More explicit
A 10-item questionnaire with five-point Likert scales (for example 'I have trouble sleeping in the week before exams'), piloted with five students to fix ambiguous items. Two items are reverse-scored to reduce response bias. Responses are anonymous and coded by participant number.
How does the example make discussion evidence more explicit? (6-mark criterion)
Implications are specific, and researcher bias is discussed, not just listed.
Under-specified
If stress goes down, mindfulness works and schools should use it.
More explicit
If the mindfulness group shows a larger drop in scores, the school could offer sessions before mocks. But self-report is open to demand characteristics, since participants know which group they are in. As a student at the same school, the researcher may also interpret responses with bias; a second rater scoring blind would reduce this.
How do you evaluate each criterion?
Compare the strength and relevance of evidence, reasoning, and evaluation against the criterion's mark-band descriptors.
- An aim with no named population or real-life problem.
- Choosing a method without justifying it.
- A vague data collection tool with no items shown.
- Ignoring ethics: consent, right to withdraw, anonymity.
- Going past the 2,200-word maximum.
Where can you find official IB Psychology IA exemplars?
The IB publishes Psychology exemplars through the Programme Resource Centre. The IA model changed with the new course, so ask your teacher for exemplars that match your assessment session.
Sources & verification
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