IB command term
IB command term 'predict': meaning and how to answer
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
In IB exams, predict means giving the result you would expect, based on the information or pattern in front of you. It is a reasoned expectation grounded in the data, theory or trend in the question. It is not a guess.
Paraphrased from the command-term definitions in the IB Diploma Programme subject guides (International Baccalaureate Organization).
At a glance
Data, working and diagrams
Answer shape: Visible working, read data or a labelled diagram
What predict asks you to do
Predict asks for the result you would expect, based on the information or pattern in front of you. The answer is an expectation, but a reasoned one. The question gives you a pattern, a theory or some data, and your job is to carry that forward to an outcome.
Make the basis of your prediction visible
A bare outcome leaves the examiner unsure whether you reasoned or guessed. Show where the prediction comes from: the trend you are extending, or the principle you are applying. A short phrase pointing back to the data or the idea in the question is usually enough.
Direction and size in the sciences
In the sciences, a good prediction states the direction of the effect: does the quantity rise, fall or stay the same? Where the material allows, also say how large the change is relative to something else. Look at what the question gives you before deciding how precise you can be.
Format and a brief reason
Some topics expect predictions in a conventional format, and that format can itself carry marks, so follow the usual layout for the topic. Where time allows, add a brief reason next to the prediction. The question may not demand one, but it protects the mark if your prediction is not quite what the markscheme expects.
Where it appears
Biology
Base your prediction on the data, pattern or biological principle the question provides. State the direction of the effect, add its relative size where the material allows, and give a short reason.
Biology tutoringChemistry
Treat the trend or chemical principle in the question as your basis. Say which way the quantity or property changes, how much where that is possible, and name the idea you used.
Chemistry tutoringPhysics
Predict from the relationship, pattern or data you are given. Give the direction of the effect and, where the material allows, its relative size, and use the conventional format the topic expects.
Physics tutoringEconomics
Ground your prediction in the theory or data in the question rather than in a hunch. Make the basis visible, follow the conventional format for the topic, and add a brief reason where time allows.
Economics tutoringCommon mistakes
- Guessing an outcome without tying it to the pattern, theory or data in the question.
- Stating the result but never showing the trend or principle it rests on.
- In the sciences, giving no direction for the effect, or ignoring its relative size when the material allows you to state it.
- Ignoring the conventional format the topic expects for predictions, and losing marks that the format itself carries.
- Leaving out a brief reason when time allows, even though it protects the mark.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a prediction just a guess?
- No. Predict asks for a reasoned expectation grounded in the pattern, theory or data in the question. If your answer could not be traced back to that information, it reads as a guess.
- Do I have to explain my prediction?
- The question may not demand it. Still, a brief reason alongside the prediction protects the mark where time allows, and it shows the examiner what your expectation rests on.
- What should a science prediction include?
- State the direction of the effect and, where the material allows, its relative size. Also make the basis visible by naming the trend you are extending or the principle you are applying.
- Does the format of my answer matter?
- Yes. Many topics expect predictions in a conventional format, and that format often carries marks. Check how the topic normally presents a prediction and follow it.
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