Command terms and answer technique

What every exam question is made of

Every question in Business Management has the same four parts. A command term tells you what to do (“define”, “explain”, “evaluate”). The content tells you which idea from the course to use (“franchising”, “the current ratio”, “democratic leadership”). The context tells you which organisation, in the case study or stimulus material, the answer must be about. The mark allocation in square brackets tells you how much to write.

Most lost marks come from misreading one of these parts: explaining when a judgment was asked for, writing a general answer when a business was named, or writing a page for 2 marks and running out of time for 10. Answer technique is the habit of reading all four parts before writing a word.

The four assessment objectives

The IB groups the skills it assesses into four assessment objectives (AOs). Each command term belongs to one of them, so the command term is a signal of which skill the examiner is looking for. The objectives form a ladder: each one builds on the skills below it, so an evaluation still needs accurate knowledge and analysis inside it.

AO3 questions in Paper 1 and Paper 2 are almost always the 10-mark extended response questions in Section B, and in Paper 3 (HL) the final plan of action. AO1, AO2 and AO4 fill the structured questions in Section A and the first parts of Section B. Paper 2 leans on AO4, because its stimulus is built around numbers, charts and statements.

A command term can go lower than the topic, never higher

Each topic in the course is taught to a particular depth. A topic taught to AO2 depth, such as the reasons for resistance to change, can be examined with “explain” or “describe”, but never with “evaluate” or “discuss”. A topic taught to AO3 depth, such as leadership styles, can be examined with any command term from “define” to “to what extent”.

The rule tells you which topics can appear as a 10-mark question (growth methods, leadership styles, sources of finance, investment appraisal, the marketing mix, location and the other AO3 topics), so you can prepare evaluation for those.

AO1 command terms: knowing and stating

AO1 command terms ask you to show that you know something accurately. They do not ask for reasons, effects or opinions. The answers are short, but they must be precise: in a 1- or 2-mark question there is no room for a vague word.

Define: what makes a 2-mark definition

“Define” is the most common command term in Section A, usually worth 2 marks and often taken from a word in the case (“Define the term franchise (line 14)”). The markscheme gives 1 mark for a definition that shows partial understanding and 2 marks for one that is full and precise. Most students lose the second mark because their definition is vague or incomplete.

A full definition has two parts. The first places the term in its category (“an agreement”, “a measure”, “a source of finance”, “a leadership style”). The second gives the feature that separates it from everything else in that category. “A franchise is a business” has a category but nothing distinctive; “a franchise is when a business uses another firm’s name” has a feature but no category and leaves out the payment that defines the deal.

The partial answers share three faults: vagueness (“how much”, “enough money”), an example in place of a meaning (“like McDonald’s”), and in the liquidity answer the wrong idea altogether, since “having money” describes cash, not the ability to meet short-term debts.

Describe, outline, state and identify

These terms differ mainly in how much detail they ask for. “State” and “identify” want the bare fact: a name, a value, a word from the case. “Outline” wants a short account, usually two linked points for 2 marks. “Describe” wants a fuller account of the features, still without reasons. None of them needs analysis or a judgment. A useful test is the word “because”, which an answer to “describe” rarely needs and an answer to “explain” almost always does.

AO2 command terms: applying and analysing

AO2 command terms ask you to use what you know on a particular situation. Every AO2 answer needs reasons (how and why something happens) and application (why it happens for this business); an answer that could have been written without reading the case is capped below full marks.

Explain: the chain of reasoning

An explanation is a chain: a point, a reason and a consequence. The connecting words show the chain to the examiner: “because”, “so”, “this means that”, “which leads to”, “as a result”. A list of points without these links is a description, however many points it has.

Compare two answers to “Explain one disadvantage for Kirra Surf Co. of being a sole trader.” The first says: “Sole traders have unlimited liability, which is risky.” The second says: “As a sole trader, the owner of Kirra Surf Co. has unlimited liability, so if the shop’s planned expansion into surfboard repairs fails and debts cannot be paid, she could lose personal assets such as her home. This risk may make her unwilling to borrow for the expansion, which slows the business’s growth.” The second has the point, the reason, the consequence and the case.

“Explain two…” [4]: the most common Section A question

A question such as “Explain two advantages for X of…” [4] is usually marked as two separate halves of 2 marks. Each half earns 1 mark for a relevant point that is explained and a second mark when that point is developed and applied to the business in the case. Two general points earn about 2 marks; two applied points earn 4.

Write the two points in separate paragraphs so the examiner sees two distinct points, make sure they really are different (“lower costs” and “higher profit” are usually one point seen twice), and spend about the same time on each half.

Analyse, distinguish, suggest and comment

“Analyse” asks for more structure than “explain”. A good analysis breaks the issue into its parts, often with a tool such as SWOT analysis or a calculation, and shows how the parts affect each other. “Distinguish” wants the differences between two things, each stated for both: “A sole trader has unlimited liability, whereas a shareholder in a privately held company has limited liability.” “Suggest” asks for a sensible proposal with a reason; there is rarely one right answer, so what earns the marks is a proposal that fits the case.

“Comment” usually follows a calculation (“Comment on your answer to (b)” [2]). The examiner wants a judgment about what the number means, not a repeat of it. A strong comment compares the figure with something (last year, a competitor, a benchmark such as a current ratio of 1.5–2) and says what it means for the business in the case.

AO3 command terms: reaching a judgment

AO3 command terms ask you to weigh things up and decide. They are the terms of the 10-mark extended responses, and they share three demands: arguments on more than one side, evidence from the case behind each argument, and a clear judgment at the end that follows from what came before. The differences between them are mainly in what the judgment is about.

A judgment answers the exact question (“should”, “how far”, “which”), gives the main reason and states what the decision depends on. “To what extent” wants a degree (“to a large extent, because…”); “recommend” wants an option and its conditions. Building a full answer around these demands is covered in “The 10-mark extended response”.

AO4 command terms: skills with numbers and diagrams

AO4 command terms ask you to carry out a skill: work out a figure, draw a chart, put data into a statement. These questions appear mostly in Paper 2. They are marked for accuracy and for the method shown, so the presentation of the working is part of the answer.

The formula sheet gives the ratio and investment appraisal formulas, but many others are not on it, including break-even quantity, margin of safety, market share and the payback period. These must be learnt. A full list of the formulas, with worked examples, is in “Formulae and calculations”.

One topic at five depths

The quickest way to feel the difference between command terms is to answer the same topic at several depths. The five questions on Tamarind Table all use the same invented case.

State [1]

A “state” question is answered in a phrase; the only risk is vagueness (“money from franchisees” instead of naming the royalty).

Describe [2]

The description gives detail but no reasons, which is exactly what “describe” asks for.

Explain [4]

Each half has a point, a reason, a consequence and a fact from the case.

Analyse [4]

Analysis breaks the issue into parts (reach and consistency) and shows how they interact. It ends by naming what the outcome depends on, but it does not decide whether franchising is right for the business. That decision belongs to AO3.

Evaluate [10]

Only the evaluation reaches a decision: it weighs the arguments, considers an alternative, gives a conditional judgment and admits what the case does not say.

How the command term limits the depth

The command term sets a ceiling as well as a floor. An answer below the level asked for (a description for “explain”) is capped; an answer above it (an evaluation for “explain”) gets no extra marks and costs time another question needed.

Short questions are marked against a short list of points; once those points are made, the answer is complete. The time saved is worth most in the 10-mark question, where planning and balance decide the markband.

Using the case or stimulus

Every question with a named business must be answered for that business. Examiners call this application: showing how a concept works in the particular situation of the case. In the 10-mark markbands, the use of the case is one of the main things that separates the bands, and the lower bands describe a use that is “superficial” or limited to names.

Putting the business’s name into a general sentence is not application: if the name can be swapped for “Nike” and the sentence still works, the case has not been used. Application uses the facts that make this case different: its figures, problems, objectives, people and market.

Ways to bring the case into every answer

• Quote figures and work with them. “Sales fell from $2.4m to $1.9m, a fall of about 21%” uses the data; “sales fell” only reports it.

• Use line references when the case has numbered lines in Paper 1 (“the head chef’s warning (line 23)”). They show the examiner exactly which evidence an argument rests on.

• Use the business’s objectives and constraints. A recommendation that ignores a stated objective (“to remain family-owned”) or constraint (“limited cash”) is not applied, even if it is sensible in general.

• Infer carefully. Reasonable inferences are rewarded (“with only three restaurants, the sisters probably supervise each one”), but don’t invent facts.

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In Paper 1, part of the case is released in advance in the pre-released statement, so you can prepare its industry and context. In Paper 2 the stimulus is unseen and mostly numerical, so application often means using the data you have just calculated. In both, real-world examples you know (a company that grew by franchising, a brand damaged by poor quality) can support a point, but they add to the case rather than replace it.

Terminology

Precise business terms are part of the content being assessed. The markbands for extended responses refer to correct terminology, and many short-answer marks depend on one exact word. Using “profit” when the answer needs “cash”, or “shareholders” when it needs “stakeholders”, changes the meaning and often makes the point wrong.

Use the IB’s term for each concept consistently (statement of financial position, stock, debtors, sales revenue, cost of sales), and avoid everyday words where a business term exists: “the workers will be happier” is weaker than “employee motivation is likely to rise”.

Time per mark

The marks in brackets are also a time budget. Paper 1 works out at three minutes a mark overall, but about a quarter of an hour of that goes on reading and annotating the case, which leaves a little over two minutes a mark for writing. Paper 2 gives a little over two minutes a mark, and its stimulus is read in parts as you go.

On Paper 1 (20 marks in Section A, 10 in Section B), a reasonable split is about 10 minutes reading and annotating after the reading time, 45 minutes for Section A, 30 for Section B and 5 to check. If a short question goes badly, leave a space and come back: an unfinished 10-mark answer loses far more than a missing definition.

A routine for every question

A fixed routine turns answer technique into a habit, so that under pressure the right steps happen automatically.

1. Read the command term and decide the depth: knowledge, reasons, judgment or a skill.

2. Circle the content: the concept, tool or theory the question is about. If two concepts are named, both must be used.

3. Check the context: which business, and which facts in the case relate to this question.

4. Check the marks and set the time and length.

5. Plan briefly for anything worth 4 marks or more: two points for “explain two”, both sides and a judgment for 10 marks.

6. Write, using business terms and case evidence in every point.

7. Reread the command term and check that the answer does exactly what it asks.

Practice: identify what each question wants

Try the routine on five questions from different units. Every business named in them is invented.

Answer technique checklist

• To do:

  I can name the assessment objective of every command term and the depth it asks for.

• To do:

  I can write a full 2-mark definition: category plus distinguishing feature, with no example and no repetition of the term.

• To do:

  I can answer “explain two…” with two distinct points, each explained and applied to the case.

• To do:

  I can comment on a calculated figure by comparing it and saying what it means for the business.

• To do:

  I can use facts and figures from the case in every point, beyond the business’s name.

• To do:

  I can stop at the depth the command term asks for and save time for the 10-mark question.

• To do:

  I can use the correct term for each concept and avoid the commonly confused pairs.

• To do:

  I can plan my time using the marks: a little over two minutes a mark for writing on either paper, after reading the case in Paper 1.