IB command term
Examine in IB exams: what the command term means
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
In IB exams, examine means looking at an argument or concept closely enough to bring out its underlying assumptions and the relationships between its parts. You are not just restating the claim, and you are not mainly delivering a verdict.
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 examine asks you to do
Examine asks you to look at an argument or concept so that its underlying assumptions and the relationships between its parts come to the surface. The answer is about structure: what the claim rests on and how its pieces connect. Restating the claim, however accurately, does not meet that demand.
How to dig underneath an argument
A reliable move is to ask what must be true for the claim to hold, and then to ask whether it actually is. That question pulls hidden assumptions into view. Once you have them, look at how the parts of the argument depend on each other. Where one part only works if another does, say so explicitly.
Where examine sits among command terms
Examine sits between describe and evaluate. It asks for more than an account of what happened or what is claimed, but its centre of gravity is the anatomy of the issue rather than a final judgement. Analyse, discuss and explore are terms to keep distinct from examine, so check each definition in your subject guide rather than treating them as interchangeable.
A workable plan for your answer
Start with the claim itself. Then set out the assumptions beneath it, followed by the interconnections between its parts, and finish with the implications. That order keeps you below the surface of the issue. If the topic involves several actors or perspectives, bring them in, because examining only one side slides back into description.
Where it appears
Geography
In geography, examine asks you to look past the stated case or claim. Bring out the assumptions it relies on and show how its parts interconnect, and include the different actors involved where the issue touches them.
Geography tutoringGlobal Politics
In global politics, issues usually involve several actors and perspectives. Examine asks you to bring those in, expose what each position assumes, and show how the parts of the argument relate to one another.
Global Politics tutoringHistory
In history, examine asks you to work out what a claim or interpretation must assume to hold, and whether those assumptions stand up. Show how its parts connect rather than narrating events in sequence.
History tutoringCommon mistakes
- Restating the argument in your own words and stopping there, which gives an account but never surfaces the assumptions.
- Jumping straight to a verdict, when examine centres on the anatomy of the issue rather than a judgement.
- Covering only one side or perspective when the issue involves several, which collapses the answer back into description.
- Naming assumptions without showing how the parts of the argument depend on each other.
- Treating examine as interchangeable with analyse, discuss or explore instead of checking each definition separately.
Frequently asked questions
- What does examine mean in IB exams?
- It means considering an argument or concept so that its underlying assumptions and the relationships between its parts become visible. Your answer should show how the issue is built, not just what it says.
- Is examine the same as evaluate?
- No. Examine sits between describe and evaluate. It asks for more than an account, but the focus is the structure of the issue rather than a verdict on it.
- How do I find the assumptions in an argument?
- Ask what must be true for the claim to hold, then ask whether it actually is. Each answer to the first question is a candidate assumption to bring out and test.
- Do I need more than one perspective when I examine?
- Where the issue touches several actors or perspectives, yes. Examining only one side tends to turn into description, which is not what the term asks for.
Related command terms
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