IB Diploma Economics:
Command Terms

Command Terms in the IB Economics course are used both in the syllabus content and examination questions to indicate depth of treatment. They are classified according to the assessment objective (AO) levels. Teachers and students must be familiar with the assessment objective levels and the command terms in order to understand the depth of treatment required in teaching and exam skills.

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Different command terms will define the level of analysis needed when answering IB Economics exam questions and therefore correspond with the marks awarded.

Know thy command terms

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COMMAND TERMS AND HOW THEY SHOULD BE APPLIED

When answering IB Economics exam questions it is important to identify the command term in each question. These will determine how you should answer the question. Command terms such as 'explain', 'outline', 'analyse', 'to what extent', and so on carry different meanings and this should be reflected in your answers. 

The command terms used in IB questions are divided into four levels. For levels 1-3, the higher the level, the greater the degree of sophistication required in an answer. Level 4 are the command terms associated with subject-specific skills.

The table below summarise how  you should use the IB Economics command terms when you are answering questions and how they apply to particular questions.

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THE COMPLETE LIST OF IB Economics COMMAND TERMS
 - AND WHAT THEY ACTUALLY MEAN IN TERMS OF ANSWERING QUESTIONS

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Memorise!

USE THE FLASHCARDS IN ALL THREE STUDY MODES