RevisionPrep FAQ
What Do MYP Maths Command Terms Mean for Years 1–3?
Answered by RevisionPrep's IB Educators
Command terms are the verbs at the start of every MYP Maths question — calculate, explain, justify — and they tell you exactly how much working and reasoning the marker expects. Get the verb wrong and you can have the right number but still lose marks. Here's what each one actually asks of a Year 1–3 student.
Understanding Command Terms
What do MYP Maths command terms mean for Years 1–3?
MYP Maths command terms are the instruction verbs — calculate, describe, justify, show that — that tell you what kind of answer is expected. A low-level term like "state" wants a short fact; a higher-level term like "justify" wants working plus a reason. Knowing the verb tells you how much to write before you start.
According to the IB, the MYP: Mathematics guide (in use from September 2014) groups command terms by the depth of thinking they test, ranked roughly from recall to reasoning:
- State / Write down — give the answer, no working needed.
- Calculate / Find — show the method and the answer.
- Describe / Explain — give reasons in full sentences.
- Justify / Show that — prove your answer is correct using logic or algebra.
Quick tip: underline the command term before you read the rest of the question. It changes how you answer more than the numbers do.
What's the difference between "state" and "explain" in MYP Maths?
"State" wants a short, direct answer with no reasoning — a fact, a value, a name. "Explain" wants that same fact plus the reasoning behind it, written in full sentences. In Year 2 tests, I regularly see students lose marks on "explain" questions because they only gave the state-level answer.
Example: "State the type of angle shown" needs just "obtuse angle." But "Explain why the angle is obtuse" needs: "It's obtuse because it measures more than 90° but less than 180°." Same topic, different mark allocation.
What does "justify" mean in MYP Maths?
"Justify" means give valid reasons or evidence to support a statement or conclusion — not just show your working, but explain why that working proves the answer is correct. It's one of the higher-order command terms and appears most often in Criterion B (Investigating patterns) and Criterion D (Applying mathematics) tasks.
Worked example: "Justify why the sequence 3, 7, 11, 15 is arithmetic." A full-mark answer states the rule (add 4 each time) AND confirms it holds for every consecutive pair shown — not just one.
What's the difference between "calculate" and "find"?
In practice, MYP Maths treats "calculate" and "find" almost identically — both ask you to obtain a numerical answer using appropriate working, usually from a given formula or set of values. The safest habit for a Year 1–3 student is to always show method for both, since markers award process marks even if the final value is wrong.
Common mistake: writing only the final number for a "calculate" question. Even when the arithmetic is simple, the mark scheme usually allocates one mark for method and one for the answer — skip the method line and you lose 50% of the marks available.
Command Terms & Assessment Criteria
How do command terms link to MYP Maths assessment criteria?
Each MYP Maths criterion favours certain command terms. Criterion A (Knowing and understanding) leans on calculate, solve, state. Criterion B (Investigating patterns) leans on describe, justify, predict. Criterion C (Communicating) leans on explain, organise, label. Criterion D (Applying mathematics) leans on interpret, justify, discuss real-world validity.
| Criterion | Focus | Typical command terms |
|---|---|---|
| A – Knowing & understanding | Facts, methods, calculations | Calculate, solve, state |
| B – Investigating patterns | Rules, generalisations | Describe, justify, predict |
| C – Communicating | Clear working, notation | Explain, organise, label |
| D – Applying mathematics | Real-life models | Interpret, justify, discuss |
Why do I lose marks if I "calculate" instead of "justify"?
Because "calculate" and "justify" test different skills — one wants a correct number, the other wants proof that the number is correct. If a question says "justify" and you only calculate, you've answered a different, easier question than the one asked, and Criterion B or D marks drop even with a correct value.
Quick tip: if a question ends in "justify your answer" or "show that this must be true," add one extra sentence starting with "This is true because…" — that single habit recovers marks students lose most often in Year 3 tests.
How to Study Command Terms
How can I practise using command terms correctly?
Take one topic you've just learned — say, fractions — and write four short answers to the same fact using "state," "calculate," "explain" and "justify." Comparing the four side by side shows you exactly how much extra detail each verb demands, which is the skill most Year 1–3 students are actually missing.
Checklist before every test:
- Circle every command term on the paper before answering anything.
- Sort questions into "quick answer" (state, write down) vs "full working" (calculate, solve) vs "reasoning required" (explain, justify, show that).
- Spend your time in that order — don't over-write on state questions and rush the justify ones.
What's a good way to remember command terms for tests?
Group them into three tiers by how much writing they demand: one-word tier (state, write down), working-shown tier (calculate, solve, find) and reasoning tier (explain, justify, show that, prove). Most students I teach only ever memorise the list — sorting it into tiers is what actually changes exam behaviour.
This tiered grouping mirrors the IB's own command term glossary in the MYP: Mathematics guide, which lists terms without ranking them — the tiering is a teaching tool, not an official IB category, but it maps closely onto how marks are actually awarded.
Comparisons & Choices
Are MYP command terms the same as DP command terms?
No — they overlap but aren't identical. MYP Mathematics uses a shorter, simpler set of command terms suited to Years 1–5, while DP Mathematics AA/AI uses a longer, more formal list (including terms like "deduce," "hence" and "show that" used far more rigorously). The step-up in Year 4–5 towards DP command terms is one of the biggest adjustments students report.
| Feature | MYP command terms | DP command terms |
|---|---|---|
| Number of terms | Around 20 core terms | 30+ formal terms |
| Typical demand | Explain reasoning in words | Formal proof/derivation |
| Where used | Criteria A–D tasks | Paper 1/2/3 exam questions |
Do all IB subjects use the same command terms?
No — each MYP subject group has its own command term list tailored to that discipline, though there's overlap on general terms like "describe" and "explain." Maths leans heavily on calculate, justify and show that, while Sciences lean on terms like "design" and "evaluate." Your child needs to learn the Maths-specific list separately from other subjects.
Every MYP subject guide publishes its own command term glossary at the back of the guide — worth checking if your child is confusing, say, "analyse" in Individuals & Societies with "analyse" in Maths, since the expected depth differs.
Resources & Support
What resources help younger MYP students learn command terms?
The most useful resources are past MYP-style questions sorted by command term, plus a short glossary your child can check while doing homework — not another textbook chapter. Topical worksheets that repeat the same command term across different Maths topics build the pattern-recognition Years 1–3 students need faster than reading definitions alone.
Look for materials that show a full worked answer next to the question, not just the final number — Years 1–3 students learn command term expectations by seeing what a "justify" answer looks like in practice, not by memorising a rule.
Is it worth paying for extra command-term practice materials?
It depends on what's actually causing the lost marks. If your child understands the maths but keeps under-answering "explain" or "justify" questions, targeted command-term practice (often free or low-cost, USD 10–30 for a term's worth of topical worksheets) is a cheap fix compared to a tutor. If the maths itself is shaky, that's the priority first.
Quick tip: ask your child's teacher which command term costs them the most marks on recent tests before buying anything — most Year 1–3 gaps cluster around just one or two terms (usually "justify" and "describe"), not the whole list.
MYP vs DP Command Terms at a Glance
| Feature | MYP Maths (Years 1–5) | DP Maths AA/AI |
| Term count | ~20 core terms | 30+ formal terms |
| Typical demand | Explain reasoning in words | Formal proof/derivation |
| Assessed via | Criteria A–D tasks | Paper 1/2/3 questions |
| Example term | Show that (simple check) | Show that (algebraic proof) |
For topic-by-topic practice sorted by command term, see the Topical Worksheets and Revision Notes for MYP Mathematics on revisionprep.com.