Reference
IB command terms
The first word of a question tells you how much to write. Getting that wrong is the most common way to lose marks you had the knowledge for.
Recall
State what you know. Short answers, no justification needed, and no marks for padding.
- Define
- Give the precise meaning of a word, phrase, concept, or quantity.
What earns the mark
The exact wording, or something equivalent to it. One sentence is usually enough.
Where marks go
Giving an example instead of a definition. An example shows you recognise the term; it does not define it.
- State
- Give a specific name, value, fact, or conclusion without extra explanation unless asked.
What earns the mark
The answer alone. Explanation earns nothing here and costs you time.
Where marks go
Writing a paragraph for one mark. If the question says state, stop after the answer.
- Identify
- Provide the correct name, feature, pattern, or item.
What earns the mark
The specific thing being asked for, named precisely.
Where marks go
Describing the thing rather than naming it.
- Outline
- Give a brief account or summary of the main points.
What earns the mark
The main points, briefly. Usually one mark per point.
Where marks go
Going into depth on one point and missing the others. Breadth beats depth for outline.
- Describe
- Give a detailed account of the relevant features.
What earns the mark
The features themselves, in enough detail to be unambiguous - but not why they happen.
Where marks go
Explaining instead of describing. Describe asks what, not why.
- Annotate
- Add brief labels or notes to a diagram, graph, or text.
What earns the mark
Labels on the diagram itself, placed correctly.
Where marks go
Writing the answer underneath rather than on the figure.
Apply
Use what you know on the material in front of you. Working and reasoning are where the marks are.
- Sketch
- Draw a labelled graph or diagram showing the key features.
What earns the mark
Correct shape, labelled axes, and any intercepts or asymptotes the question implies.
Where marks go
An unlabelled curve. The shape alone rarely carries the mark.
- Calculate
- Obtain a numerical answer and show the relevant working.
What earns the mark
The working as much as the answer - method marks survive an arithmetic slip.
Where marks go
Writing only the final number. A wrong answer with no working scores zero; with working it often scores most of the marks.
- Determine
- Find the only possible answer using calculation, reasoning, or evidence.
What earns the mark
A single answer plus the reasoning that makes it the only one.
Where marks go
Offering alternatives. Determine means there is one answer.
- Estimate
- Find an approximate value using reasonable assumptions or rounded data.
What earns the mark
A sensible value and the assumptions behind it.
Where marks go
Hiding the assumptions. Stating them is usually worth a mark on its own.
- Show that
- Use working or reasoning to demonstrate that a given result is true.
What earns the mark
Every step from the start to the given result, with nothing assumed.
Where marks go
Working backwards from the answer, or skipping to it. The result is given, so only the steps earn marks.
- Hence
- Use the previous result to continue the solution.
What earns the mark
Visible use of the earlier part. A fresh method may score nothing even if the answer is right.
Where marks go
Starting over. "Hence" is an instruction, not a linking word.
- Deduce
- Reach a conclusion from the information given.
What earns the mark
The conclusion and the specific evidence it follows from.
Where marks go
Stating the conclusion without pointing at what led to it.
- Construct
- Produce a diagram, graph, table, or argument from given information.
What earns the mark
Something built from the data provided, correctly and completely.
Where marks go
Reproducing a textbook version instead of using the data in the question.
- Predict
- Give an expected result or trend based on evidence.
What earns the mark
The expected outcome, tied to the pattern or principle behind it.
Where marks go
Guessing without naming the reasoning.
- Suggest
- Propose a possible answer, reason, or solution based on the information given.
What earns the mark
A plausible answer grounded in the stimulus. There is usually more than one acceptable response.
Where marks go
Treating it as a recall question. Suggest means reason from what you have been given.
- Explain
- Give reasons, causes, or mechanisms, not just a description.
What earns the mark
The causal chain. Each link in the chain tends to be worth a mark.
Where marks go
Describing what happens without saying why. This is the most commonly lost mark in the whole diploma.
- Distinguish
- Make the differences between two or more concepts clear.
What earns the mark
Differences stated with reference to both items, not one in isolation.
Where marks go
Describing each item separately and leaving the reader to spot the difference.
Analyse and judge
Weigh things up and commit to a conclusion. These carry the most marks and need structure.
- Compare
- Give similarities, referring to both items throughout.
What earns the mark
Similarities that name both items in the same sentence.
Where marks go
Writing two separate paragraphs. A comparison has to be joined up.
- Contrast
- Give differences, referring to both items throughout.
What earns the mark
Differences that name both items in the same sentence.
Where marks go
Giving similarities as well. Contrast asks only for differences.
- Analyse
- Break down information to show structure, relationships, and implications.
What earns the mark
The parts, how they relate, and what follows from that.
Where marks go
Listing features without linking them. Analysis is about the relationships.
- Discuss
- Give a balanced review with evidence, arguments, and a clear conclusion.
What earns the mark
More than one side, supported, and a conclusion that follows from what came before.
Where marks go
Arguing one side only, or stopping without a conclusion.
- Evaluate
- Make a supported judgement by weighing strengths and limitations.
What earns the mark
Strengths, limitations, and a judgement that commits to a position.
Where marks go
Listing pros and cons and never deciding. The judgement is the mark.
- Justify
- Give valid reasons or evidence that support an answer or decision.
What earns the mark
Reasons tied to the specific answer, not general argument.
Where marks go
Restating the answer in different words instead of supporting it.
- To what extent
- Judge how far a statement is valid, using evidence and limits.
What earns the mark
A position on how far it holds, the evidence for it, and where it breaks down.
Where marks go
Answering as though it were "discuss" and never saying how far.
Practise reading the command term
Knowing the terms and using them under time pressure are different skills. Work through real questions and check your answer against the mark scheme.