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IB Social and Cultural Anthropology Drill Guide: Paper 1, Paper 2, Order and Pacing
TUTORZONE EXAM DRILL GUIDE · IB SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
IB Social and Cultural Anthropology is assessed through Paper 1 (unseen text and ethnographic analysis), Paper 2 (essay drawing on ethnography) and the internal assessment fieldwork. Paper 1 rewards applying concepts to unfamiliar material; Paper 2 rewards argument carried by named ethnographic examples. Method only here.
How is IB Social and Cultural Anthropology assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question: Questions 1 and 2 are compulsory (4 and 6 marks); answer question 3 or (SL 40% / HL 30% (30 marks)); Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics: One ethics question (10 marks) answered with reference to one of two s (HL only (10 marks within the 30%)); Paper 2: engaging with ethnography: Section A one compulsory question (15 marks) connecting a key concept, (SL 40% / HL 45% (SL 30 marks / HL 45 marks)); Internal assessment: fieldwork: SL four compulsory activities (450 / 300 / 400 / 850 words), criteria (SL 20% / HL 25%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question | Questions 1 and 2 are compulsory (4 and 6 marks); answer question 3 or 4 (10 marks); question 5 is one of the six big anthropological questions (10 marks) | SL 40% / HL 30% (30 marks) | SL 1 h 30 min (whole paper) |
| Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics | One ethics question (10 marks) answered with reference to one of two stimuli (written and visual) | HL only (10 marks within the 30%) | HL 2 h (whole paper) |
| Paper 2: engaging with ethnography | Section A one compulsory question (15 marks) connecting a key concept, an area of inquiry and a real-world issue; Section B offers two questions in each of the nine areas of inquiry (15 marks each), SL answers one and HL two, from areas other than the Section A area | SL 40% / HL 45% (SL 30 marks / HL 45 marks) | SL 1 h 30 min / HL 2 h 30 min |
| Internal assessment: fieldwork | SL four compulsory activities (450 / 300 / 400 / 850 words), criteria A 4 + B 6 + C 4 + D 12 = 26 marks; HL fieldwork proposal, an 800-word critical reflection and a 1,600-word research report, criteria A-E | SL 20% / HL 25% | SL 30 hours / HL 60 hours |
Drilling technique: read Material A twice – the first time for sequence only (who did what, when), the second time writing concept abbreviations in the margin (power, materiality, social relations, symbolism, change). Question 5 is an essay, not a reflection: open with your position, then set out each ethnography with its author, the people studied and the period. For every answer, say who gains and who loses from the arrangement described.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question | Annotate the events and people in the material, name them with key concepts, then judge | Describing the text without naming the phenomenon with course concepts such as kinship, ritual or exchange, so the answer stops at “cultures differ” |
| Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics | consent, confidentiality, inducement, power asymmetry, honesty | Ethnographic examples piled up without answering the command term, discuss and evaluate treated as the same task, and no fieldwork context for the example |
| Paper 2: engaging with ethnography | Use ethnography you have actually studied; never invent research material | Paper 2 started without a position; examples drawn from one ethnography only; a conclusion that repeats the introduction instead of advancing it |
| Internal assessment: fieldwork | research question, choice of methods, ethics, use of concepts | A fieldwork research question too broad for the data, and reflexivity or ethics mentioned once in the method section and never again |
What is each IB Social and Cultural Anthropology paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question: Annotate the events and people in the material, name them with key concepts, then judge; Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics: consent, confidentiality, inducement, power asymmetry, honesty; Paper 2: engaging with ethnography: Use ethnography you have actually studied; never invent research material; Internal assessment: fieldwork: research question, choice of methods, ethics, use of concepts
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should drilling go by topic first or by year?
By topic first, then whole papers by year, then the mark scheme. The first third of the time goes topic by topic (8-10 years of the same topic back to back), the middle switches to timed whole papers, and the last fortnight only redoes the recurring errors from your log.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: Twelve weeks in four blocks: concept vocabulary, Paper 1 unseen texts, Paper 2 essay structure, then the internal assessment. Weeks 1-3 build a concept list with one ethnographic example per concept. Weeks 4-6 drill Paper 1, always spending five minutes annotating concepts before writing. Weeks 7-9 drill Paper 2 by outlining two opposed positions before choosing one. Weeks 10-11 are timed papers. Week 12 maps the fieldwork research question to the data.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question | SL 1 h 30 min (whole paper) | about 15 min on questions 1 and 2; about 35 min on question 3 or 4; about 35 min on question 5; keep 5 min to check |
| Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics | HL 2 h (whole paper) | about 30 min: list the ethical principles, check each against the stimulus, then state who carries the consequences |
| Paper 2: engaging with ethnography | SL 1 h 30 min / HL 2 h 30 min | about 15 min per question: 2 min defining the concept, 3 min setting out the ethnography, 8 min arguing, 2 min concluding |
| Internal assessment: fieldwork | SL 30 hours / HL 60 hours | The observation report needs sensory detail; the reflection must handle your own position and the limits of your methods |
How should the time be split inside each IB Social and Cultural Anthropology paper?
Paper 1 Section A: unseen text and a big question: about 15 min on questions 1 and 2; about 35 min on question 3 or 4; about 35 min on question 5; keep 5 min to check; Paper 1 Section B: anthropological ethics: about 30 min: list the ethical principles, check each against the stimulus, then state who carries the consequences; Paper 2: engaging with ethnography: about 15 min per question: 2 min defining the concept, 3 min setting out the ethnography, 8 min arguing, 2 min concluding; Internal assessment: fieldwork: The observation report needs sensory detail; the reflection must handle your own position and the limits of your methods
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Describing instead of analysing | Retelling the events of Material A | Questions 3-5 fall into the 1-3 band | Every paragraph needs one concept and one judgement |
| Ethnography named but unused | Stopping at ‘for example a study of X’ | Question 5 requires author, people and period | Author + people studied + period + which claim it supports |
| Treating the big question as a reflection | Writing personal feelings about society | Essay questions credit argument, not opinion | State a position, then support it with material and concepts |
| Listing ethical principles | Naming consent, confidentiality and so on | No marks for principles not checked against the stimulus | Say where each principle is broken in the material |
| Over-long definitions | Half a page on the history of a concept | Too little time left for the argument | One sentence to define, then compare and evaluate |
The error log and the mark scheme
Four columns: concept (which term should have named the phenomenon), command term (does the structure match discuss, evaluate or analyse), examples (ethnography, author and field site all named) and structure (does the introduction take a position and the conclusion advance it).
How many years should you drill?
Past Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions exist, but they are refreshed alongside the prescribed ethnographies, so five years is the working set, read against the current prescribed list. Older questions are useful for concept application, not for full timed papers.
How many years of past papers is enough?
Past Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions exist, but they are refreshed alongside the prescribed ethnographies, so five years is the working set, read against the current prescribed list. Older questions are useful for concept application, not for full timed papers.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB Social and Cultural Anthropology drilling guide: assessment structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, common mark losses and the error-log method. For questions with answers, use the IB Social and Cultural Anthropology mock papers linked under Related.
By topic or by year first?
By topic. Eight to ten years of the same topic back to back is what exposes repeating errors; going straight to whole papers just repeats the same batch under time pressure.
How should the error log be written?
Do not copy out questions. Per error record four things: question reference, which step failed (concept, wording, calculation), what the mark scheme requires, and the correct action next time.
How do I prepare for the unseen text in Paper 1?
Not by predicting the text, but by rehearsing the moves: read the command term, name the behaviour with a course concept, then support each paragraph with a quotation.
Does the internal assessment need drilling?
No papers, but it does need self-assessment against each criterion: scope of the research question, fit between data and argument, and reflexivity and ethics.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IB social and cultural anthropology subject page (IBO) | Confirm the Paper 1 and Paper 2 times, weightings and HL requirements |
| IB Philosophy Paper 1 drilling mock | Another stimulus-plus-essay paper to drill |
| IB Digital Society Paper 1 drilling mock | The a/b/c structured-question demands |
| IB Social and Cultural Anthropology Paper 2 drilling mock | Engaging with ethnography: answer with material you have studied |
Related: IB Social and Cultural Anthropology original drilling mock with answers · practice area
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