IB Psychology 2027 — The Full Journey
The 2027 syllabus is built around a single journey: from foundational concepts and real-world contexts, through your own research proposal (IA), to the final written assessments. Everything connects. This page shows you how.
The 6 Concepts
The lens through which all psychology is examined
Every topic in the 2027 syllabus is viewed through six overarching concepts. They are not separate chapters — they are recurring themes that appear in every context, every assessment, and every discussion. Mastering them early gives you a transferable vocabulary for the whole course.
The 4 Contexts
Where psychology is applied
The four contexts replace the old "options" system. All students study all four contexts — there is no choice. Each context is examined in Paper 2, and the concepts from Step 1 are applied within each one.
How people acquire, process, and retain information. Covers memory models, conditioning, and cognitive biases.
Social influence, attraction, conformity, and the psychology of groups and interpersonal bonds.
Cognitive, social, and emotional development across the lifespan — from attachment to identity formation.
Psychological explanations of health behaviours, stress, mental illness, and treatment approaches.
Internal Assessment (IA)
Your own research proposal
The IA is a written research proposal on a topic of interest. You must justify your design choices, describe your procedure, and discuss ethical considerations. It is teacher-marked and moderated by the IB. Unlike the exams, it rewards careful planning and precise academic writing over time — not performance under pressure.
Prep strategy: Choose a topic that is well-researched and has identifiable gaps. Structure your proposal clearly: Introduction (theory + aim) → Method (design, participants, procedure, ethics) → Expected results. Cite correctly.
Final Assessments
Papers 1, 2, and 3 (HL only)
- Section A — 2 × 4-mark knowledge questions
- Section B — 2 × 6-mark application questions
- Section C — 1 × 15-mark Concepts in Context essay
- Section A — 20 marks across 4 contexts
- Section B — 1 × 15-mark extended response
- Unseen study stimulus
- Questions on research methods, validity, and ethics
- Requires interpreting data and critiquing claims
Skills Matrix
Many skills transfer across components. Use this matrix to identify where your revision has the highest cross-component return — a skill marked as core in multiple columns is worth prioritising early.
| Skill | P1A | P1B | P1C | P2A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memorising key studies & findings | ||||
| Defining & explaining concepts | ||||
| Applying theory to a scenario | ||||
| Evaluating strengths & limitations | ||||
| Research methods knowledge | ||||
| Critiquing an unseen study | ||||
| Validity & credibility of claims | ||||
| Academic / proposal writing | ||||
| Ethical considerations |