Essay Structures

This page includes information about hoe to structure the exam questions that are worth the most marks. These include:

  • 16 mark essays
  • 8 mark essays
  • 12 mark research methods exam question

Structures for 16-mark essays:

Type of essayAO’sEssay Structure & ContentExample of Question
Discuss/ Evaluate a Theory/ Research AO1 = 6 marks AO3 = 10 marksAO1: Describe the theory in detail using key terminology.  

A03: 3 PEECC’s (Point Evidence Explain Consequence Challenge). Must focus on:
SAUNDERS points if it is about a theory
GRAVER points if it is about research
CLIMATE if it’s a treatment or technique  		Theory: Describe and evaluate the multi-store model of memory (16). Theory: Discuss the contribution of Pavlov’s research to our understanding of human behaviour (16). Research: Outline and evaluate research into cultural variations in attachment (16).
Discuss/ Evaluate Theories/ Explanations/ Research/ Treatments with Application to a scenarioAO1 = 6 marks AO2 = 4 marks AO3 = 6 marks                                AO1 & AO2: Describe the theory and explain how this theory relates to the scenario.  

AO3: 1 PEEC.  Must focus on:
SAUNDERS points if it is about a theory
GRAVER points if it is about research
CLIMATE if it’s a treatment or technique

REPEAT THE ABOVE, ONE MORE TIME

Theory: Two mothers at the toddler and parent group are chatting. “I always felt sorry for my husband when Millie was a baby. He used to say his bond with Millie was not as strong as mine because I was breastfeeding.” “I’m not sure”, replies the other mother. “I think there’s something about a mother’s love that makes it more special anyway – and so important for future development.” Discuss the learning theory of attachment and Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment. Refer to the conversation above in your answer (16).              
Compare Approaches, Theories, Treatments, Explanations AO1 = 6 marks AO3 = 10 marksAO1: Describe the approach, theory etc in detail using key terminology.  

AO3: 3 PEEE’s (Point Evidence, Evidence Explain). You must focus on:
SAUNDERS points if it is about a theory
CLIMATE if it’s a treatment or technique

You can do a mixture of similarities AND differences, or, have ALL your points as similarities OR differences.		Theory/Approach: Outline the key features of the cognitive approach in psychology. Compare the cognitive approach with the psychodynamic approach.

Structures for 8-mark essays:

Discuss/ Evaluate a Theory/ Explanation/ Research/ TreatmentAO1 = 3 marks AO3 = 5 marksAO1: Describe the theory more briefly than a 16 marker, but still use key terminology.   AO3: 2 PEEC’s (Point Evidence Explain Consequence), but one of them must have a CHALLENGE.   Must focus on:
SAUNDERS points if it is about a theory
GRAVER points if it is about research
CLIMATE if it’s a treatment or technique  		Theory: Outline and evaluate the working model of memory. Research: Describe and evaluate research by Milgram on destructive obedience (8).
Discuss/ Evaluate a Theory/ Explanation/ Research/ Treatment with Application to a scenario.AO1 = 3 marks AO2 = 2 marks AO3 = 3 marksAO1: Outline the research with a focus on the procedure, results and conclusions.   AO2: Explain how the research applies to the scenario.   AO3: Evaluate with 1 PEEC must be related to the scenario.  Research & Theory: Annabelle has severe epilepsy and has exhausted most treatments. However, her doctors have suggested that undergoing split-brain surgery may overcome the problem. Annabelle is unsure about the procedure and wonders what it will entail and what she will and won’t be able to do after recovery. Using your knowledge of split-brain research, discuss what Annabelle might expect to happen during and after the surgery (8).  

Structure for 12-mark research methods question:

Creating your own research method design for a given study. It could be an observation, experiment, self-report or correlationAO1 = 6 AO2 = 6    What: Identify your decision e.g. I’m using an independent measure design   How: Describe the specific actions you will take, instructions you will give etc.   Why: Explain why you have made this decision and use examples to apply your knowledge. To check your application, cover up the what and how part of your answer, if you can’t tell what your study is about, you’ve not applied it!  Psychologists are interested in whether seeing aggressive images and videos online make people more aggressive. Explain how you would carry out an experiment to investigate this question. You must refer to: Independent measures design Control for an extraneous variable An ethical consideration Collection of both quantitative and qualitative data Justify your decisions as part of your explanation (12)