IBDP • Revision & Exam Technique • Written by the PrepSeven Editorial Team, reviewed by certified IB Examiners
IB Command Terms Explained: How to Structure Perfect Answers
If you asked a room full of IB examiners what single, most avoidable habit costs students the most marks across every subject, a huge share would say the same thing: misreading the command term. A student who knows the content perfectly well can still lose significant marks by writing a beautifully detailed description when the question asked them to evaluate, or by launching straight into analysis when the question only asked them to define. Command terms aren’t decorative wording — they are precise instructions that tell you exactly what kind of response the markscheme is built to reward. This guide, from PrepSeven’s certified and former IB examiners, breaks down the command terms that appear most often across IB subjects, what each one actually requires, and how to build the habit of reading them correctly under exam pressure.
Why Command Terms Matter More Than Most Students Realise
Every IB subject guide publishes a glossary of command terms used in that subject’s exams, and markschemes are built directly around what each term requires. This means two students who both have excellent, accurate knowledge of a topic can score very differently on the same question if one correctly matches their answer style to the command term and the other doesn’t. It’s genuinely one of the fastest, most learnable ways to improve exam performance, precisely because it doesn’t require learning new content — it requires training yourself to pause and correctly identify what type of response is actually being asked for before you start writing.
Lower-Order Command Terms: Knowledge and Understanding
Define
Give the precise meaning of a term, without extended explanation or elaboration. A common mistake is over-answering a ‘define’ question with unnecessary discussion — the markscheme is typically looking for a concise, accurate statement, not an essay.
State / List / Identify
Give a specific answer, name, or set of items with little or no supporting explanation required. These are usually quick, low-mark-value questions where concise accuracy matters more than depth.
Describe
Give a detailed account of something — what it is, what it looks like, or how a process unfolds — without necessarily explaining why it happens or evaluating it. A common and costly error is answering ‘describe’ questions with analysis that wasn’t asked for, or conversely, answering an ‘explain’ question with only description.
Outline
Give a brief account or summary, generally requiring less depth and detail than ‘describe’ — useful to recognise so you don’t over-invest time relative to the marks available.
Middle-Order Command Terms: Application and Analysis
Explain
Give a detailed account including reasons or causes — not just what happens, but why or how it happens. This is one of the most commonly misapplied command terms, since many students answer ‘explain’ questions with pure description, omitting the causal reasoning the markscheme is actually looking for.
Analyse
Break down a complex idea, situation, or set of information into its component parts, examining the relationships between them and what they reveal. Analysis requires going beyond describing individual pieces of information to genuinely interpreting how they connect and what that connection means.
Compare / Contrast
‘Compare’ asks for similarities and differences between two or more things; ‘contrast’ asks specifically for differences. A common mistake is discussing two things separately in isolated paragraphs rather than genuinely comparing them directly against each other point by point, which markschemes for these command terms specifically reward.
Distinguish
Make clear the differences between two or more concepts or items — similar to contrast, but often focused specifically on clarifying a point of potential confusion between similar-sounding ideas.
Examine
Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions and interrelationships central to it, generally requiring a deeper level of critical engagement than ‘describe’ or ‘outline.’
Higher-Order Command Terms: Evaluation and Synthesis
Evaluate
Assess the strengths and limitations of something and reach a reasoned, supported judgement. This is one of the most heavily rewarded and most commonly under-answered command terms — many students discuss only strengths, or only limitations, or fail to reach an explicit final judgement, all of which leave available marks unclaimed.
Discuss
Offer a considered and balanced review of a topic, including a range of arguments, perspectives, or interpretations. Unlike ‘evaluate,’ ‘discuss’ doesn’t always require you to reach a single definitive conclusion, but it does require genuine engagement with multiple angles rather than a single, one-sided line of argument.
Justify
Give valid reasons or evidence to support an answer or conclusion, demonstrating why a particular position or interpretation is well-founded.
To What Extent
Requires a considered, evidence-based judgement about the degree to which a statement or claim is true or valid, typically weighing supporting and opposing evidence before reaching a reasoned conclusion. This phrase signals that the markscheme expects genuine critical judgement, not a simple yes-or-no answer.
Synthesise
Combine different elements or pieces of information into a coherent, integrated whole, demonstrating how they relate to and build upon one another — often required in conclusions to Extended Essays and TOK essays, where you’re expected to draw together separate strands of analysis into an overall insight.
Common Command Term Mistakes
- Answering ‘describe’ questions with analysis or evaluation: wastes time developing content the question didn’t ask for, when a straightforward account was all that was required.
- Answering ‘explain’ questions with only description: omits the causal reasoning (‘why’ or ‘how’) that the markscheme is specifically built to reward.
- Answering ‘evaluate’ or ‘discuss’ one-sidedly: presenting only supporting evidence or only limitations, without genuinely weighing both sides, leaves significant marks unclaimed.
- Treating ‘compare’ as two separate descriptions: rather than directly comparing point by point, missing the explicit relational analysis these command terms are looking for.
- Ignoring ‘to what extent’ and giving a simple yes/no answer: this phrase specifically signals that a nuanced, evidence-weighted judgement is expected, not a binary response.
A Practical Drill to Build Command Term Fluency
- Collect five to ten past paper questions across your subjects: with different command terms represented.
- Before answering, write one sentence for each: stating exactly what type of response this specific command term requires, in your own words.
- Answer each question deliberately matching that response type: checking as you write whether you’re staying true to what the command term demands.
- Mark against the real markscheme: and specifically check whether your answer’s structure matched what the markscheme rewarded for that command term.
- Repeat regularly across different subjects: since command term conventions are broadly consistent across the DP, and practice in one subject often reinforces the skill in others.
Subject-Specific Nuances Worth Knowing
While command term definitions are broadly consistent across the DP, some subjects apply them with particular emphasis worth noting: History and English essay-based subjects place heavy weight on ‘evaluate,’ ‘discuss,’ and ‘to what extent’ questions, rewarding genuine argumentation over narrative. Sciences frequently combine ‘describe’ and ‘explain’ in structured, multi-part questions, testing both accurate recall and causal reasoning within a single question. Mathematics uses more procedural command terms (‘calculate,’ ‘determine,’ ‘show that’), where precise, complete working matters as much as the final answer. Always check your specific subject guide’s command term glossary, since exact expectations can vary slightly by subject.
How PrepSeven Builds Command Term Fluency Into Tutoring
PrepSeven’s tutors are certified and former IB examiners who have seen, firsthand, exactly how often strong content knowledge goes unrewarded due to command term mismatches. We build explicit command term training into subject tutoring, using real past paper questions and markschemes, so that correctly matching response style to command term becomes an automatic habit well before exam day.
- Command term training tailored to each subject’s specific glossary and conventions
- Past paper practice with explicit focus on matching response structure to command term
- Markscheme-based feedback highlighting exactly where command term mismatches cost marks
- Subject-specific coaching on how command terms combine in structured, multi-part questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is ‘compare and contrast’ one command term or two?
They’re technically two distinct terms with slightly different requirements — ‘compare’ asks for similarities and differences, while ‘contrast’ asks specifically for differences — though they’re often used together in a single question requiring both.
Q2. What does ‘to what extent’ actually want as an answer?
A considered, evidence-based judgement about the degree to which a claim is true or valid, weighing both supporting and opposing evidence, rather than a simple yes-or-no response.
Q3. Do all IB subjects use the exact same command term definitions?
The core definitions are broadly consistent across the Diploma Programme, but always check your specific subject’s official guide, since some subjects apply certain terms with particular emphasis or slightly adapted expectations.
Q4. How much time should I spend on a ‘define’ or ‘state’ question compared to an ‘evaluate’ question?
Considerably less — lower-order command terms like ‘define’ and ‘state’ typically carry fewer marks and require concise, direct answers, while higher-order terms like ‘evaluate’ or ‘discuss’ carry more marks and warrant proportionally more development and time.
Q5. Can I use bullet points to answer an ‘explain’ or ‘evaluate’ question?
This depends on your specific subject’s conventions — some subjects and question types accept concise bullet-pointed responses for lower-mark questions, while extended-response essay-style questions in humanities and language subjects generally expect full, connected prose.
Q6. Why do I keep losing marks even though I know the content well?
This is one of the most common patterns examiners see, and it very often traces back to a command term mismatch — writing a well-informed answer that doesn’t match the specific type of response (description, explanation, or evaluation) that the question is actually asking for.
Q7. Is there a command term glossary I can study directly?
Yes — every IB subject guide includes an official command term glossary specific to that subject, and it’s genuinely worth reviewing directly alongside past paper practice rather than relying solely on general summaries like this one.