Read the command term before writing the answer

Separate the topic from the instruction

A question contains both a subject and an instruction. Recognising the topic is only the beginning. Underline what you are being asked to do and identify the evidence or situation you must use. Two questions about the same idea can require different responses, so a prepared paragraph may answer one well and miss the other.

For example, a question asking you to describe a pattern in a graph does not automatically ask for its cause. A question asking you to evaluate an explanation needs more than a description of the explanation. Start with the task in front of you rather than the longest answer you remember.

Use your subject’s definitions

Find the command-term definitions supplied for your particular course and assessment year. Some terms have a broad everyday meaning, but their use in an assessment can be more specific. Keep a small list with one relevant example for each term. Avoid treating a social-media cheat sheet as the final authority for every IB subject.

Ask your teacher to compare two short responses that use different command terms. Seeing what changes in the response can make the distinction clearer than memorising a definition alone.

Plan the response moves

Before writing, list the moves the answer needs. A comparison may need a clear basis and relevant similarities or differences. An explanation may need a linked chain showing how or why something happens. An evaluation may need evidence, limitations and a justified judgment. Check those moves against the course guidance rather than using a fixed number of paragraphs for every question.

Consider the available marks and the space or time you have. A short response needs selection. A longer response needs enough development for the reader to follow your reasoning. More words are not automatically more relevant.

Connect evidence to the instruction

Use the data, quotation, case or source specified by the question. Explain what that evidence contributes to your answer. A statement about a diagram should identify the relevant feature; a claim about a text should connect to an identifiable choice or passage. Avoid collecting details without showing how they address the instruction.

If your answer includes a judgment, explain what makes it reasonable and where it may be limited. The strength of the judgment should match the evidence available. This is especially important when the question asks about an unfamiliar case.

Review marked attempts by task type

When checking feedback, label the failure precisely. Did you misunderstand the instruction, omit evidence, stop before explaining a link or make a judgment without support? Keep one example of the correction next to the command term in your notes. Practise another question using that term so you can see whether the response has changed.

• What is the topic?
• What action does the command term require?
• Which evidence must I use?
• What would make the response complete?