IB command term
Distinguish in IB exams: what the command term asks
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
In IB exams, distinguish asks you to make the differences between two or more concepts or items clear. State each difference directly, with both items in view, instead of describing each one separately and leaving the reader to compare them.
Paraphrased from the command-term definitions in the IB Diploma Programme subject guides (International Baccalaureate Organization).
At a glance
Accounts and analysis
Answer shape: Linked paragraphs that connect parts, causes or differences
What distinguish asks you to do
Distinguish is a command term, the word in a question that tells you what kind of answer to write. It asks you to make the differences between two or more concepts or items clear. The answer is about the boundary between them, so you state where one stops and the other begins.
Build each difference into one sentence
The strongest form holds both terms in a single sentence for each difference: X does this, whereas Y does that. Written this way, the difference is stated outright and the reader does not have to work it out. Two separate paragraphs, one per item, leave that work undone.
Choose differences that matter conceptually
Pick differences that reflect the ideas behind the items, such as mechanism, scope or purpose. Surface features are weaker material. Ask yourself what each item actually does, how far it reaches and what it is for, then write the differences that follow from those answers.
Where definitions fit
A definition can open your answer, and it helps to fix what each term means. But the mark lives in the explicit difference between the items. If your answer is only two definitions, you have not yet distinguished anything. Add the sentences that set the items against each other.
Keep both items in view
Throughout the answer, keep both concepts in front of you. It is easy to drift into a full account of the item you know better. That loses the thread of the question, because distinguish needs both items present in every point you make.
Where it appears
Economics
When an economics question uses distinguish, name two related ideas and state how they differ in mechanism, scope or purpose, using one sentence per difference and keeping both ideas present.
Economics tutoringBiology
In biology, distinguish asks you to make the difference between two items explicit. Say what each one does in a paired sentence rather than describing them in separate blocks.
Biology tutoringBusiness Management
In business management, distinguish calls for the boundary between two concepts. State the conceptual difference directly and avoid listing two separate definitions for the reader to compare.
Business Management tutoringChemistry
In chemistry, distinguish means you state the difference between the items clearly. Aim for differences in what they are or do, written as a statement that includes both items.
Chemistry tutoringCommon mistakes
- Defining each item separately and never stating the difference between them.
- Writing about only one of the concepts and letting the other drop out of the answer.
- Listing surface features instead of differences in mechanism, scope or purpose.
- Stopping after the opening definitions, when the mark lies in the explicit difference.
- Leaving the comparison to the reader instead of stating it in a sentence like: X does this, whereas Y does that.
Frequently asked questions
- What does distinguish mean in IB exams?
- It asks you to make the differences between two or more concepts or items clear. Your answer should state those differences directly, with both items in view.
- Is distinguish the same as define?
- No. A definition can open a distinguish answer, but defining each item is not enough. The mark depends on the explicit difference between the items, so you must set them against each other.
- How should I structure a distinguish answer?
- Put both terms in one sentence for each difference, in the form X does this, whereas Y does that. Choose differences that matter conceptually, such as mechanism, scope or purpose.
- How is distinguish different from compare and contrast?
- They are separate command terms. Distinguish centres on the boundary between concepts and on stating the difference clearly. See the separate pages on compare and contrast for what those terms ask.
Related command terms
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