IB MYP Individuals and Societies: Command terms and keywords

IB MYP Individuals and Societies (History, Geography, Economics, integrated humanities) use MYP command terms across Criteria A–D. Assessment is criterion-based. Command terms such as Describe, Explain, Evaluate and Discuss are central to extended responses.

Key command terms for I&S

Command term	What to do	Common mistake
State	Short answer	Overwriting
Define	Precise meaning	Vague definition
Describe	Account of event/pattern/process	Adding explanation
Explain	Reasons and causes	Only describing
Compare	Similarities and/or differences	Listing separately
Contrast	Differences only	Similarities
Evaluate	Strengths and limitations; judgement	Description only
Discuss	Range of arguments; balanced conclusion	One-sided
Analyse	Break down; show relationships	Surface-level
Outline	Brief account	Too much detail
Identify	Name or recognise	Adding interpretation
Interpret	Draw meaning from sources	Stating only

I&S keywords (use correctly)

Term	Use correctly	Avoid
Cause	Reason for event	”Because” (vague)
Effect	Result of event	”Impact” (often same)
Evidence	Support from source	Opinion
Source	Primary or secondary	”Info”
Bias	Prejudice in source	”Wrong”
Perspective	Point of view	”Opinion”
Civilisation	Complex society	”Culture”
Economy	System of production/distribution	”Money”
Society	Group with shared culture	”People”
Sustainability	Meeting needs without compromising future	”Green”

MYP I&S criteria and command terms

• Criterion A: Knowing and understanding—State, Define, Describe, Outline
• Criterion B: Investigating—Outline, Describe, Evaluate
• Criterion C: Communicating—Present, Organize, Use
• Criterion D: Thinking critically—Analyse, Evaluate, Discuss, Justify

Tips for MYP I&S

1. Describe—what happened; key features; no “why”
2. Explain—reasons; causes; use “because”
3. Evaluate—strengths and limitations; sources; conclusion
4. Discuss—multiple perspectives; evidence-based conclusion
5. Use sources—refer to evidence; consider reliability
6. Check criterion descriptors for level boundaries

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Based on MYP Individuals and Societies guide. Check your school’s subject outline for criterion descriptors.

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