1-on-1 Mastery-Based IB Psychology · Taipei

IB Psychology, from theories to evaluation.

IB Psychology rewards methodological evaluation of studies, not theory description alone. Lessons build from the psychological terminology and study summaries students bring toward the methodological evaluation, multi-approach integration, and experimental study the IB Paper questions, and university coursework, will demand.

Audience
IB Psychology HL and SL content, international school students
Format
1-on-1, 1 to 1.5 hours per lesson
Duration
Typically across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence
Begin
Complimentary consultation & assessment class

What Students Learn

Mastery-based IB Psychology at the level your child's school actually requires.

IB Psychology is for students working through the IB Diploma Programme who want to move past theory description toward the methodological evaluation, multi-approach integration, and experimental study the IB assessment tests. The program covers the full IB Psychology Subject Guide for HL and SL. Reasoning from the biological approach to claims about behavior, including how genes, neurotransmitters, and brain structures influence what people think and do. Working through the cognitive approach, including memory models, schemas, and the experimental methodology cognitive psychology uses. Tracing the sociocultural approach from individual behavior through social identity and cultural norms to the influence of context the IB assessment expects students to integrate. Analyzing one or more options the school selects from abnormal psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, and psychology of human relationships. Building reasoning across multi-approach integration, including how biological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors interact in producing behavior. Engaging with research methods, including hypothesis formation, experimental design, statistical analysis, and the ethical considerations psychological research requires. Designing and conducting the experimental study the IB Internal Assessment requires. These are the topics the IB Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 questions test, and the foundation any university psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, social work, public health, or education course will assume.

IB Psychology is not advanced theory description. The shift is from theories to evaluation. Students move from describing what psychological theories claim to critically evaluating the studies behind them, the methodology those studies used, and the limitations of generalizing their findings. A student who can describe Bandura's social learning theory is doing the description work. A student who can outline the methodology of Bandura's Bobo doll experiment, evaluate its sampling and ethical considerations, identify the assumptions it makes about generalizability, and weigh its evidence against alternative interpretations is doing the evaluation the IB assessment rewards across approaches and topics. The program closes the gap between the two.

Lessons follow Harland's IB Psychology curriculum, built to bring students to mastery of IB Psychology content as defined by the IB Diploma Programme Subject Guide. The program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, with each unit closing in an assessment that mirrors IB Paper formats and includes the analytical work the experimental study requires. SL students complete the SL core covering the three approaches and one option for Paper 2. HL students complete the SL core plus a second Paper 2 option and the HL Paper 3 qualitative research methods. Lessons calibrate to your child's individual gaps and the topics their school program covers. If a student is working through the cognitive approach at school, the teacher works through it with the student, applying the unit's analytical structure to the questions their Paper 1 will eventually ask.

Progress shows up in places parents can see. Where your child once memorized definitions of psychological theories, they now describe a study's methodology, evaluate its sampling and ethical considerations, and identify what the findings can and cannot generalize. Where your child once treated psychological research as fixed knowledge, they now compare biological, cognitive, and sociocultural explanations of the same phenomenon and integrate findings across approaches. Where the experimental study once felt like an open-ended task, it now feels like a structured replication your child can plan, conduct, and write against the IB rubric.

How We Teach It

IB Psychology taught for understanding, with the score arriving as a consequence.

Harland's pedagogy is content-based learning. Methodological evaluation, multi-approach integration, and the analytical depth the IB Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 questions reward develop through the studies, theories, and past papers your child is already working with. Assessments check whether the thinking holds up when the student moves to new material alone.

A student working through the biological approach works on it with their teacher, building the reasoning that connects neurotransmitters, brain structures, and genetic factors to the explanations of behavior Paper 1 requires. A student moving into the cognitive approach works on it with their teacher, applying the unit's analytical structure to memory models, schemas, and the experimental methodology cognitive psychology uses. A student working through one of the Paper 2 options, whether abnormal psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, or psychology of human relationships, works on it with their teacher, building the scaffolding that lets them apply the three approaches to the topic the option covers and evaluate the studies the IB assessment expects.

IB Psychology students arrive with two layers under the surface. The score pressure is real. The May or November exam matters for university plans, particularly for students aiming at psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, social work, public health, or education paths, and most students know it. But beneath the score pressure is a specific cognitive challenge that defines the IB Psychology assessment. Theory description is not the hard part. The hard part is reading a study, evaluating its methodology and ethical considerations, integrating its findings with alternative explanations from other approaches, and defending the evaluation with the rigor the IB rubric expects. The 1-on-1 format gives teachers room to slow down where the methodological-evaluation ground is unfamiliar, and to keep the work rigorous without losing the student's engagement with psychology itself. Skill and evaluation develop together. Neither moves far in isolation.

The format also lets teachers calibrate within the program's structure. A student fluent with psychological terminology but uncomfortable with IB methodological-evaluation questions gets pushed toward the Paper 1-style scenarios the assessment will ask. What did this study measure. How did the methodology shape what the study could and could not show. What ethical considerations apply, and how do they affect generalizability. A student strong on study evaluation but weak on the multi-approach integration Paper 2 requires gets work calibrated to the rubric's expectations. That means refining cross-approach argument structure, integrating biological, cognitive, and sociocultural explanations of the same phenomenon, organizing analysis around the option's central topics, and writing against the criteria the IB assessment uses.

Psychology also has an experimental dimension. The IB Psychology Diploma Programme requires every student to complete the experimental study as Internal Assessment, worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade. The experimental study is a partial replication of a published psychological study where students design the methodology, collect data from participants, analyze the results, and write up the study as a research report of up to 2,200 words covering introduction, exploration, analysis, and evaluation. Harland's 1-on-1 IB Psychology program supports the experimental study through every stage. Teachers help students choose a published study to replicate that fits both the rubric criteria and the student's analytical interests, refine the methodology and operationalization of variables, work through the statistical analysis the rubric expects, and structure the writing against the IB assessment criteria. The data collection itself happens at school under supervisor oversight per IB ethics requirements, and Harland's role is the planning, methodological, statistical, and writing work that turns a replication into a strong experimental study.

Curriculum and Alignment

A structured curriculum keyed to the IB Psychology Subject Guide.

IB Psychology at Harland follows a structured curriculum keyed to the IB Psychology Diploma Programme Subject Guide for HL and SL. A student who completes the program has demonstrated mastery of IB Psychology content as the IB Subject Guide defines it.

Harland's IB Psychology runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, with experimental study preparation integrated rather than appended. Most school IB Psychology courses spread the same content across more class time, with experimental-study work happening alongside or after class. 1-on-1 lessons don't lose time to group pacing or mixed-ability instruction, so the same core content fits in more substantive units. The time saved goes into the evaluation the IB Diploma assessment rewards.

Standards
IB Psychology Diploma Programme Subject Guide (HL and SL), with the experimental study rubric as the cross-cutting skill framework
Materials
Harland curriculum materials, the textbook your child's school program uses, key empirical studies referenced in the IB Subject Guide, and past IB papers integrated as ongoing input
Assessment
End-of-unit assessments aligned with IB Paper 1 (approaches), Paper 2 (options), Paper 3 (HL qualitative research methods), and the experimental study rubric
Reporting
Skill-level tracking against Harland's internal rubrics, mapped to IB assessment criteria

Prerequisites and What Comes Next

Where IB Psychology fits in your child's learning.

Before starting

IB Psychology assumes prior coursework in humanities or sciences, typically built through pre-IB or MYP, and the foundational close-reading, essay-writing, and basic statistical skills those courses develop. IB Psychology involves empirical methodology for the Internal Assessment and basic statistical analysis throughout, but does not require advanced mathematics. Students arriving from a different curriculum or with uneven foundations work through gaps in foundational analytical reading before or alongside IB Psychology proper.

One thing to know about scope. The IB Psychology Internal Assessment, the experimental study, is a research report worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade. IB schools provide formal supervision for the experimental study, including the data collection process, ethics oversight, and final submission. Harland's 1-on-1 tutoring focuses on the methodology design, statistical analysis, theoretical framing, and the writing the IB rubric directly tests. The data collection itself happens at school under supervisor oversight per IB ethics requirements, and Harland's role is the planning, methodological, and writing work that turns a replication into a strong experimental study.

The consultation and assessment class establishes whether IB Psychology is the right starting point and whether parallel work in foundational analytical reading or Academic English would help. Some students arrive needing both English-foundation reinforcement and IB-specific support, and the lesson plan covers what's most urgent first.

What comes after

Most students complete IB Psychology across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, sitting either the May or November exam. Cadence varies by entry point and exam timing, with most students attending one to three sessions per week.

IB Psychology does not have a direct successor course in the IB sequence. After the exam, the evaluation and empirical reasoning the course develops carries directly into university psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, social work, public health, education, human resources, and any field that requires evidence-based analysis of human behavior. Students choosing Psychology as their Extended Essay subject work with their primary teacher across the research-question, methodology, and writing stages on the Extended Essay program.

The longer-term aim of IB Psychology is to make itself unnecessary. The program brings students to mastery of IB Psychology content. Students sit the May or November exam, submit their IA, and the program's role ends. A parent who's no longer worried about their child's IB Psychology work is the point of all of it.

Common Questions

Common questions about IB Psychology at Harland.

Who is IB Psychology at Harland for? +
IB Psychology at Harland is for high school students working through the IB Diploma Programme. Most of our students fall into one of two patterns. Some are taking IB Psychology at school and come to us for support alongside the school program, building the methodological evaluation and the multi-approach integration the IB assessment tests differently from typical psychology coursework. Some are preparing for the May or November exam in an intensive run-up, working through past papers, IA refinement, and targeted weakness review in the weeks or months before the assessment. Students whose situation falls outside these two patterns, including students transitioning curricula mid-DP, students at schools without strong IB programs, or students who need a more flexible curriculum than the standard IB Psychology program provides, work with us through Harland's Academic Coaching framework, where the curriculum is calibrated to the individual situation rather than the IB Subject Guide alone.
My child can describe psychological studies but struggles with the methodological evaluation Paper 1 and Paper 2 require. Can the program help with that kind of thinking? +
This is a familiar situation. The IB Psychology assessment tests a kind of thinking that the textbook doesn't always practice directly. Reading a study and recognizing what its methodology can and cannot show. Predicting how the study's sampling, design, and ethical considerations affect generalizability. Constructing arguments grounded in study evaluation, with the evaluation the IB rubric rewards. We work directly on these skills, slowing down on the methodological-evaluation work the Paper 1 questions require, on the multi-approach integration Paper 2 tests, and on the rubric criteria that distinguish a strong response from a vague one. Most students who come to us strong on theory description but struggling on the evaluation prompts close that gap by working through the rubric explicitly, with sample questions and practice under time constraint.
What does the IB Psychology program cover? +
The program follows the IB Psychology Diploma Programme Subject Guide for HL and SL. Content covers the biological, cognitive, and sociocultural approaches for Paper 1, the option or options the school selects for Paper 2 from abnormal psychology, health psychology, developmental psychology, and psychology of human relationships, and the HL qualitative research methods Paper 3 covers for HL students. The program prepares students for IB Paper 1 (approaches), Paper 2 (options), Paper 3 (qualitative research methods at HL), and the experimental study. The experimental study, worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade, is supported through every stage from study selection to final submission. Harland's program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, calibrated to the framework your child's specific course route requires.
How long is each lesson and how often does my child attend? +
Lessons are 1-on-1 sessions of 1 to 1.5 hours, in person at our head office in Da'an or online. Most students attend one to three lessons per week. Harland's IB Psychology program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence. At one or two lessons per week alongside a school IB course, the program runs through the DP cycle and concludes with the May or November exam. At three lessons per week, the program covers the same content at faster pace. For students preparing in an intensive run-up to the exam, the cadence increases as the test approaches, typically two to four months at higher frequency. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the cadence that fits.
How are lessons scheduled, and what if we need to reschedule? +
Lessons happen on a fixed weekly slot reserved with your child's primary teacher. This protects the teacher's time and keeps a consistent rhythm for your child. If you need to reschedule, give us at least 24 hours of notice and we'll find another time when your teacher is available. Many families add classes during summer or winter vacation, either to accelerate progress or to make up for a slower term. Once a unit has started, it should be completed within a defined window. The Student Coordinator walks through the details when you enroll.
Can my child begin IB Psychology over the summer? +
Yes. Summer enrollment is available across Harland's IB Diploma programs, with two patterns. Students preparing for the upcoming May or November exam in an intensive run-up sometimes begin or accelerate in summer at higher cadence (typically two to three sessions per week), particularly when their school IB course pacing has fallen behind, when their Internal Assessment is at draft stage, or when the run-up to the exam needs concentrated time. Students preparing for an exam sitting further out (i.e., entering or partway through the 2-year DP) often use summer for a head-start block, working through current-year content or building the prerequisite foundation before the next school year begins. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the right summer pattern based on which exam sitting your child is preparing for and where their IA work currently stands.
How do you measure progress? +
Progress is measured through unit assessments aligned with the IB Psychology Subject Guide. Harland's IB Psychology program is organized into ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence. Each unit closes with an assessment that mirrors IB Paper formats, including the SAQ and ERQ items of Paper 1, the extended response items of Paper 2, and the Internal Assessment rubric, and measures conceptual understanding, methodological-evaluation attention, multi-approach integration, and the evaluation that connects studies to defensible psychological claims across the unit's content. Parents receive updates after every lesson and formal progress reports when each unit ends. Skill-level tracking uses Harland's internal rubrics, which map to IB assessment criteria. Where helpful, the Student Coordinator translates this into the expectations of your child's school.
How do we begin? +
Every Harland relationship begins with a consultation, followed by a 1-on-1 assessment class. The consultation is about your goals and your child's situation. The assessment class is about how your child works in the subject. Together they tell us where to start and what kind of teacher will fit best.

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