IB command term
Suggest in IB exams: what the command term asks
By Michael Thompson - Head of Teaching Excellence; 15 years as an IB Coordinator
In IB exams, 'suggest' asks you to put forward a possible solution, hypothesis or other answer. There may be no single correct response, but your proposal must fit the scenario and come with a reason that links it to the details given.
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 'suggest' asks you to do
Suggest is a command term, a word in the question that tells you what kind of answer to write. Here it means you put forward a solution, a hypothesis or another possible answer. You are proposing something plausible, not reciting a fixed fact from your notes.
Plausible, not arbitrary
Suggest invites a plausible proposal. There may be no single right answer, but there are wrong ones. A good suggestion is anchored in the details of the scenario in the question, so read the stem slowly and decide which of its features your idea explains or fixes.
Use the stem and name the principle
Refer to the data and context in the question explicitly. A generic suggestion that could fit any question earns little. In science data questions, suggest usually means applying known principles to an unfamiliar setting, so say which principle you are drawing on and show how it applies to this case.
Propose and support together
Give the suggestion and the reason it fits the situation in the same breath, ideally in one or two connected sentences. Do not stall hunting for the one intended answer. Markers accept any defensible proposal that is consistent with the material, so commit to a sensible idea and justify it.
Where it appears
Biology
When a biology question gives you an unfamiliar organism, data set or experiment, suggest asks for a possible biological explanation or proposal. Name the biological principle you are applying and tie it to the details given.
Biology tutoringChemistry
In chemistry, a suggestion might be a possible reason for an observation or a possible solution to a problem in the scenario. Use the information in the stem and state the chemical principle behind your idea.
Chemistry tutoringPhysics
In physics, suggest often means applying a principle you know to a setting you have not met before. State the principle, then show why it makes your proposal fit the situation described.
Physics tutoringCommon mistakes
- Writing a generic answer that could fit any question instead of using the data and context in the stem.
- Giving a bare suggestion with no reason for why it fits the situation.
- Not naming the principle you are applying when the question presents an unfamiliar setting.
- Freezing because you cannot find the one intended answer, when any defensible proposal consistent with the material is acceptable.
- Treating your proposal as a settled fact rather than a plausible possibility supported by the scenario.
Frequently asked questions
- What does 'suggest' mean in IB exams?
- It means you put forward a solution, hypothesis or other possible answer. Your proposal should be plausible and fit the scenario in the question, and you should give the reason it fits.
- Is there only one correct answer to a 'suggest' question?
- Not necessarily. There may be no single right answer, but there are wrong ones. Markers accept any defensible proposal that is consistent with the material, so aim for a well-supported idea.
- How do I make my suggestion convincing?
- Anchor it in the details of the stem, quote or refer to the data given, and name the principle you are drawing on. Put the suggestion and its supporting reason together.
- How is 'suggest' different from other command terms?
- Suggest asks for a possible answer that fits the scenario. Terms such as predict, deduce and explain ask for different things, so read their pages to compare them before an exam.
Related command terms
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