IB Psychology SL Extended Essay Example

You communicate the investigation clearly from the title and introduction, so the reader immediately understands the purpose of the essay.

You state a focused evaluative research question that stays connected to the discussion throughout the report.

You use a relevant range of psychological and neurological sources and show awareness of why study design matters.

At times the scope becomes too broad, especially when dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and MCI are treated as if they mean the same thing.

The method would be stronger if you explained more clearly why specific sources were chosen and how their evidence was weighed.

Some parts of the discussion would benefit from a sharper distinction between the exact outcome being investigated and related but different conditions.

You show good subject knowledge and use a wide range of relevant terminology such as confounding variables, cognitive reserve, validity, longitudinal design, and MRI.

You generally apply sources to the discussion in a way that shows you understand their main findings and limitations.

You demonstrate awareness that terminology matters and that different measures do not always prove the same thing.

Some key concepts are used imprecisely, especially when distinguishing between screening, diagnosis, cognitive decline, MCI, and dementia.

A few explanations overstate what a measure can show, which weakens the accuracy of the scientific discussion.

The essay would be stronger if you used more consistently precise language when linking findings to dementia-related outcomes.