IB Command Terms Practice/Quiz

Get exam-ready by drilling command verbs the way examiners grade.

Start IB Command Terms Quiz →

• What it is: A fast, student-facing IB Command Terms Quiz to practice command terms across subjects with instant, mark scheme–aligned feedback.

• How it works: 1) Open the Questionbank and Filter → Command Term (e.g., Evaluate, Distinguish). 2) Send your filtered set to Test Builder to create a quiz. 3) Sit it in Exam Mode for timing and realism. 4) Get instant feedback and next steps from Jojo AI.

• Why it helps: Training to the verb boosts technique, speeds up planning, and matches how examiners award marks.

Quick links

• Build a command-terms quiz: Questionbank → Filter → Command Term → Test Builder

• Timed attempts + grading: Exam Mode

• Instant explanations: Jojo AI

• Lock in phrasing: Flashcards

What you’ll practice

• Recognizing what each verb demands (Define vs Explain vs Evaluate)

• Structuring answers to match criteria

• Writing concise, high‑band conclusions under time

Tip: Start with one verb (e.g., Evaluate) and mix in others once you’re consistent. Re-run weak items until Jojo’s comments turn green.

Why command terms matter across the IB Diploma Programme

Command terms signal the cognitive demand examiners expect. Training them explicitly (not just content) improves marks, speed, and feedback quality because students match answers to mark‑scheme verbs. Use RevisionDojo’s integrated tools to drill command terms DP‑wide:

• Practice and filter thousands of items by command term in the Questionbank.

• Assemble mixed‑subject, command‑term–targeted sets with Test Builder.

• Time and grade attempts like the real exam in Exam Mode.

• Get instant, rubric‑aligned feedback with Jojo AI and reinforce phrasing with Flashcards.

• For schools, analytics can track cohort mastery of command terms over time. See the schools analytics overview in this guide to insights for educators: Empowering teachers with analytics.

How to run DP‑wide command‑term drills in Revision

Dojo 1) Open the Questionbank → Filter → Command Term → select the verb (e.g., Evaluate). Combine with Subject/Topic if needed. 2) Click “Build test” to send the filtered set to Test Builder. Mix subjects to simulate real exam transitions. 3) Launch in Exam Mode with strict timing. Submit for instant feedback via Jojo AI. 4) Convert your common errors into spaced‑repetition prompts with Flashcards.

Command terms at a glance

Note: Use filters in the Questionbank to practice each verb in isolation; then mix verbs in Test Builder to build transfer skills.

Drill library by command term (templates + sample stems)

Each mini‑section includes: purpose, micro‑skills to train, drill formats, two sample stems, and direct tool links.

Define

• Purpose: precise recall of a concept without commentary.

• Micro‑skills: exact wording, necessary and sufficient conditions, units where relevant.

• Drill formats: 60‑second lightning rounds; flashcard definitions with distractors.

• Sample stems:

• Define opportunity cost.

• Define accuracy in the context of experimental measurements.

• Launch: Questionbank → Filter → Command Term = Define; Build a set in Test Builder.

State

• Purpose: give a specific value, relationship, or law without derivation.

• Micro‑skills: number‑unit pairs, significant figures, canonical forms.

• Drill formats: 1‑line responses; data‑booklet look‑ups under time pressure.

• Sample stems:

• State the phase relationship between voltage and current in a purely resistive AC circuit.

• State the definition of elasticity of demand.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = State.

Outline

• Purpose: provide the essential features or steps.

• Micro‑skills: step sequencing, scope control, omission of detail.

• Drill formats: numbered procedure outlines; flowcharts.

• Sample stems:

• Outline the procedure for a simple acid–base titration.

• Outline the structure of a comparative literature essay (Paper 2).

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Outline.

Describe

• Purpose: give a detailed account of characteristics or sequence.

• Micro‑skills: observable features, trend narration, precise vocabulary.

• Drill formats: describe‑the‑graph sprints; image annotations.

• Sample stems:

• Describe the trend shown in the CO2 concentration graph from 1960–2020.

• Describe two features of authoritarian states in their consolidation phase.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Describe.

Explain

• Purpose: account for something by giving reasons or causes.

• Micro‑skills: causal connectors, mechanism steps, linking evidence to claim.

• Drill formats: “because‑therefore” chains; annotated mechanism maps.

• Sample stems:

• Explain why the graph of y = e^x is its own derivative.

• Explain how natural selection can lead to antibiotic resistance.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Explain.

Distinguish

• Purpose: make clear the differences between two or more concepts.

• Micro‑skills: contrast pairs, non‑overlap, concise tabulation.

• Drill formats: 2‑column contrast tables; minimal‑pair flashcards.

• Sample stems:

• Distinguish between accuracy and precision.

• Distinguish between nominal GDP and real GDP.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Distinguish.

Compare / Contrast / Compare and contrast

• Purpose: similarities and/or differences with structure.

• Micro‑skills: categorical grouping, symmetric coverage, balanced phrasing.

• Drill formats: Venn diagrams; structured compare‑contrast paragraphs.

• Sample stems:

• Compare and contrast oxidative phosphorylation with substrate‑level phosphorylation.

• Compare two approaches to global development used in a named case study.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Compare / Contrast.

Analyze

• Purpose: break down into parts and show relationships.

• Micro‑skills: decomposition, pattern spotting, linking to criteria or models.

• Drill formats: evidence matrices; source analysis with bias and provenance.

• Sample stems:

• Analyze the impact of source bias on the reliability of an extract about the 1917 Russian Revolution.

• Analyze the factors affecting rate for a given kinetic mechanism.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Analyze.

Examine

• Purpose: consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers assumptions.

• Micro‑skills: assumption surfacing, counter‑example testing, boundary cases.

• Drill formats: assumption checklists; edge‑case scenarios.

• Sample stems:

• Examine the assumption that GDP growth leads to improved living standards.

• Examine whether the simple harmonic motion model applies to the given pendulum data.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Examine.

Discuss / Assess

• Purpose: balanced review with supported judgement.

• Micro‑skills: criteria selection, weighing evidence, qualifier language.

• Drill formats: 10‑minute mini‑essays with pro/con tables.

• Sample stems:

• Discuss the implications of deforestation on biodiversity and local economies in a named region.

• Assess the validity of using p‑values as sole evidence in psychology research.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Discuss / Assess.

Evaluate / To what extent

• Purpose: appraise strengths/limitations and reach a justified conclusion.

• Micro‑skills: criterion‑based evaluation, synthesis, justified final stance.

• Drill formats: evaluative frameworks (e.g., opportunity cost, ethics, feasibility); conclusion writing.

• Sample stems:

• Evaluate the claim that monetary policy alone can reduce inflation without increasing unemployment.

• To what extent does language shape thought? Use two Areas of Knowledge.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Evaluate.

Justify

• Purpose: defend a choice or conclusion using evidence and criteria.

• Micro‑skills: criterion selection, relevance, sufficiency.

• Drill formats: decision memos; structured “claim–evidence–reasoning”.

• Sample stems:

• Justify whether a firm should vertically integrate battery production using two strategic frameworks.

• Justify the choice of method for measuring the enthalpy change of neutralization.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Justify.

Calculate / Determine

• Purpose: compute a numerical value or deduce a result from data.

• Micro‑skills: unit analysis, significant figures, showing working.

• Drill formats: mixed‑unit sets; error‑checking routines.

• Sample stems:

• Calculate the standard enthalpy change for a reaction using given formation data.

• Determine the period of a mass‑spring system for the provided k and m.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Calculate / Determine.

Suggest / Predict / Identify

• Purpose: propose plausible ideas; forecast based on patterns; pick out features.

• Micro‑skills: inference from data, pattern generalization, concise naming.

• Drill formats: “predict‑and‑check” with immediate feedback; identification from annotated diagrams.

• Sample stems:

• Suggest one change to increase internal validity in the experiment described.

• Predict how allele frequency will change given the selection pressure shown.

• Launch: Questionbank → Command Term = Suggest / Predict / Identify.

Feedback, timing, and iteration workflow

• Simulate under time with Exam Mode; aim to finish Define/State in <60 s, evaluation essays in 8–10 min.

• Submit for instant, criterion‑aligned comments via Jojo AI. Convert common phrasing errors to spaced‑repetition decks in Flashcards.

• Build bespoke sets for weak verbs (e.g., only Evaluate/Discuss) in Test Builder.

• Teachers: monitor command‑term trends at class/cohort level using the analytics workflow described here: Empowering teachers with analytics.

Machine‑readable Item

List (command terms covered)

• Items: Define; State; Outline; Describe; Explain; Distinguish; Compare; Contrast; Compare and contrast; Analyze; Examine; Discuss; Assess; Evaluate; To what extent; Justify; Calculate; Determine; Suggest; Predict; Identify.

• Tools referenced: Questionbank; Test Builder; Exam Mode; Jojo AI; Flashcards.

• Last updated: 31 October 2025.

Notes, sources, and platform capabilities

• Practice content, instant feedback, and timed simulation are provided by RevisionDojo’s Questionbank, Jojo AI, and Exam Mode; custom assembly via Test Builder; spaced repetition via Flashcards. For educator analytics on command‑term performance, see this overview.

• RevisionDojo is independently developed and not endorsed by the IBO; see feature pages for details and disclaimers.