IB Criteria-Based Questions

In the IB, getting the right answer is only part of the learning process. Students are also expected to explain their thinking, investigate patterns, communicate mathematical ideas, and apply what they know to unfamiliar situations. This is where IB criteria-based questions become especially valuable.

Whether you are an MYP student preparing for an assessment, a teacher planning meaningful classroom activities, or a parent trying to understand how IB learning works, criteria-based questions can help make expectations clearer and learning more purposeful.

Instead of simply asking, “Can I solve this question?”, they encourage students to ask a more useful question: “What am I expected to demonstrate, and how can I show it effectively?”

What Are IB Criteria-Based Questions?

IB criteria-based questions are designed around the assessment criteria used in International Baccalaureate programmes. They help students develop and demonstrate specific skills rather than focus exclusively on arriving at a final answer.

In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), subject-specific criteria guide assessment. In MYP Mathematics, for example, the four criteria are:

• Criterion A: Knowing and Understanding — applying mathematical knowledge and skills to solve problems.
• Criterion B: Investigating Patterns — identifying patterns, testing ideas, and developing general rules.
• Criterion C: Communicating — presenting mathematical reasoning using appropriate language, symbols, representations, and logical steps.
• Criterion D: Applying Mathematics in Real-Life Contexts — using mathematics to solve problems in authentic situations.

Each criterion focuses on a different aspect of mathematical learning. Practicing questions linked to these criteria helps students understand what different types of tasks require.

Why Criteria-Based Practice Matters for Students

A student may understand a mathematical concept but still find it difficult to demonstrate that understanding in an assessment. Sometimes the challenge is not the mathematics itself; it is interpreting the question, organizing the working, explaining a pattern, or connecting mathematics to a real-life situation.

Criteria-based practice helps address these challenges.

1. Understand What the Question Is Really Asking

IB questions often use command terms such as describe, explain, justify, investigate, and interpret. These words signal the type of response expected.

For example:

• Calculate: Find the numerical answer and show the necessary working.
• Describe: State the relevant features or pattern.
• Explain: Make the reasoning clear.
• Justify: Support a conclusion with mathematical evidence.
• Investigate: Explore relationships, test cases, and draw a supported conclusion.

Recognizing these differences helps students avoid giving a short numerical answer when the question requires a complete explanation.

2. Develop Reasoning, Not Just Memorization

Repeatedly solving similar questions can improve speed, but IB learning also requires students to apply familiar concepts in new situations.

A criteria-based question may ask students to investigate a sequence, compare two methods, explain why a rule works, or determine whether a conclusion is always true.

These tasks encourage students to think beyond memorized procedures and build a deeper understanding of the subject.

3. Learn to Present Complete Answers

Correct working is important, but so is clear communication. Students need to know when to include a diagram, define variables, show calculations, explain assumptions, or support a conclusion.

Practicing Criterion C questions, for example, helps students organize their solutions so that another person can follow the reasoning without having to guess what each step means.

4. Recognize Strengths and Areas for Improvement

When practice is linked to individual criteria, students and teachers can identify specific areas that need attention.

A student might be confident with calculations but struggle to investigate patterns. Another might understand the concept but need to improve the clarity of written explanations.

This makes feedback more useful because it identifies the skill to work on rather than simply stating that an answer is right or wrong.

What Do IB Criteria-Based Questions Look Like?

The best way to understand criteria-based practice is to see how the same mathematical topic can lead to different kinds of questions.

Consider the sequence:

3, 7, 11, 15, 19, …

Criterion A: Knowing and Understanding

Find the next two terms in the sequence and determine the 10th term.

Students need to recognize the common difference and apply the appropriate mathematical method.

Criterion B: Investigating Patterns

Investigate the relationship between the term number and the value of each term. Develop a general rule for the nth term and explain how you identified it.

Students must explore the sequence, identify the pattern, test their rule, and communicate a conclusion supported by evidence.

Criterion C: Communicating

Present your method for finding the nth term. Define the variables you use and explain why your rule works. The focus is on a clear, logical explanation supported by appropriate mathematical notation.

Criterion D: Applying Mathematics in Real-Life Contexts

A theatre arranges seats in rows so that the first row has 3 seats, the second has 7, the third has 11, and each subsequent row has 4 more seats than the previous row. Determine how many seats are in the 10th row, and explain how the sequence helps you solve the problem.

Students apply the sequence to a realistic situation and interpret the result in context.

These examples illustrate how the same underlying concept can develop different skills. The precise assessment demands and achievement expectations depend on the task and the applicable MYP subject guide.

How Students Can Practice More Effectively

Having access to questions is useful, but the way students use them makes a difference.

Start with the criterion. Before solving a question, identify the skill it is designed to assess. Ask yourself whether you need to calculate, investigate, communicate, or apply mathematics in context.

Attempt the question independently. Give yourself time to explore the problem before checking a worked solution. This helps reveal what you genuinely understand.

Show your reasoning. Write down important steps, define variables where appropriate, label diagrams, and explain conclusions when required.

Use mark schemes to learn. A mark scheme can help you understand the evidence expected in a response. Compare your working with the solution and identify any missing reasoning or explanation.

Review mistakes by criterion. Instead of simply correcting the final answer, ask what went wrong. Was the concept misunderstood? Was the pattern incomplete? Was the explanation unclear? Was the real-life context not addressed?

Repeat with a different question. Once you understand the mistake, try a new question testing the same skill. This helps you apply feedback rather than merely remember a correction.

A Guide for IB Teachers: Making Criteria-Based Practice Meaningful

For teachers, criteria-based questions can support lesson planning, formative assessment, differentiation, and feedback.

The aim is not to label every classroom question with a criterion. It is to ensure that students have regular opportunities to develop the skills they will need to demonstrate.

Design Questions With a Clear Purpose

Begin by identifying the learning objective and the relevant assessment criterion. Then select a question that gives students a genuine opportunity to demonstrate that skill.

For example, if the focus is investigating patterns, a routine exercise asking students to substitute values into a formula may not be sufficient on its own. Students should have opportunities to explore relationships, test conjectures, and develop generalizations.

Use a Range of Question Types

A balanced set of practice questions might include:

• Short questions to check conceptual understanding.
• Investigations that require students to recognize and generalize patterns.
• Tasks that assess mathematical communication and justification.
• Real-world problems requiring students to select and apply suitable mathematics.
• More open-ended tasks that allow students to explore different approaches.

This variety helps students experience mathematics as more than a sequence of calculations.

Give Specific, Actionable Feedback

Feedback is most useful when students know what to improve and how to do it.

Instead of writing, “Explain more,” a teacher might say, “State the relationship you observed, test it using another term, and explain why your rule applies to the sequence.”

Similarly, rather than simply marking a real-life problem incorrect, the teacher can ask the student to check whether the answer is reasonable in the given context and whether the assumptions have been stated clearly.

Build in Reflection and Redrafting

Students benefit from revisiting their work after receiving feedback. Ask them to identify one strength, one area for improvement, and one specific change they will make in their next response.

This encourages students to take greater responsibility for their progress and helps teachers see whether feedback is being applied.

Finding the Right Resources for Criteria-Based Practice

Finding suitable questions can take time, particularly when teachers want a mixture of difficulty levels and students need practice with specific assessment skills.

Useful resources should offer more than a large collection of exercises. Look for questions that encourage reasoning, provide clear solutions or mark schemes, and give students opportunities to practice different aspects of the subject.

For MYP Mathematics students and teachers, RevisionPrep offers a range of learning and revision resources, including a question bank, revision notes, worksheets, and mock papers. Students can explore available free sample resources to understand the question styles and practice independently before considering a subscription.

The aim is to make revision more focused: identify the skill you need to strengthen, choose suitable questions, attempt them thoughtfully, and use feedback to improve.

Turning Criteria-Based Practice Into Progress

IB criteria-based questions help students move beyond simply completing exercises. They encourage them to understand expectations, develop subject-specific skills, explain their reasoning, and apply knowledge with greater confidence.

For students, the benefit comes from practicing consistently and learning from feedback. For teachers, it comes from designing purposeful tasks and helping learners recognize what progress looks like.

When criteria-based practice becomes part of regular learning, assessment preparation becomes less about guessing what an examiner expects and more about developing the skills to demonstrate understanding clearly and independently.

RevisionPrep is an independent IBDP & MYP question bank built by experienced educators — for students, tutors, and schools. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

👉 Start practicing with RevisionPrep today: revisionprep.com