IB Psychology SL Extended Essay Example

You communicate the topic clearly and keep the investigation focused on childhood environment and ASPD throughout.

Your research question is explicitly evaluative and stays connected to the discussion.

You use a relevant range of secondary sources with useful methodological detail, showing careful reading of the literature.

The essay is generally purposeful and well signposted, making the line of inquiry easy to follow.

The scope of “childhood environment” is broader than the evidence you actually analyse, so the focus could be tighter.

There is no clear account of how sources were searched, selected, or prioritised for the investigation.

Some source use appears insufficiently checked or slightly overextended, which weakens the reliability of the method.

A more precise operational definition of the key environmental variables would strengthen the framing.

You show secure knowledge of ASPD and related developmental ideas, and your opening definitions establish a solid conceptual base.

You use psychological terminology accurately and frequently, including terms such as heritability, ACEs, longitudinal design, and gene–environment interaction.

You usually apply evidence in a way that matches the argument you are making, especially when linking theory to childhood adversity.

You demonstrate good understanding of how different kinds of studies contribute different types of evidence.

At times you treat ASPD, antisocial behaviour, and criminality as if they were interchangeable, which reduces conceptual precision.

Some methodological and validity terms are used too strongly, especially when correlational evidence is interpreted as if it proves causation.

A few claims about diagnostic utility and intervention implications go beyond what the cited studies can justify.

Your discussion would be more convincing if you kept a firmer distinction between association, risk, and causal explanation.