What does “investigate” mean as an MYP command term?
The MYP command term investigate means to observe, study, or carry out a detailed and systematic examination in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. In practice, you must follow a purposeful process, use relevant evidence, and explain what your findings show.
For example, if a science task asks you to investigate how light intensity affects plant growth, you should plan a fair test, collect measurements, identify patterns, and draw a conclusion supported by your results. Describing the plants or stating a prediction alone would not be a complete investigation.
What an MYP investigation requires
“Investigate” is broader than describe or identify. A strong investigation normally includes these connected stages:
- Establish a focused question or purpose. Decide exactly what you are trying to find out.
- Plan a method. Choose suitable sources, observations, measurements, experiments, interviews, or research methods.
- Collect relevant evidence. Record information or data accurately and ethically.
- Examine the evidence. Look for patterns, relationships, causes, differences, or trends.
- Reach a conclusion. Answer the original question using your findings.
- Consider limitations where appropriate. Explain what may have affected reliability or usefulness.
The word “systematic” matters. Your sources, method, and evidence should contribute to answering the question rather than form a random collection of facts.
How “investigate” differs from other command terms
Understanding related MYP command terms helps you judge the depth expected in a task.
| Command term | Main requirement | Typical response |
|---|---|---|
| Identify | Give a relevant fact or feature | Name a factor affecting biodiversity |
| Describe | Give a detailed account | Describe a pattern in a graph |
| Explain | Give reasons or causes | Explain why the pattern occurs |
| Analyse | Show relationships between parts | Analyse how two factors interact |
| Investigate | Use a systematic process to reach conclusions | Examine evidence and answer a focused question |
| Evaluate | Weigh strengths, limitations, or implications | Judge whether evidence is reliable |
An investigation can include description, explanation, analysis, and evaluation, but these actions must connect to a clear inquiry. Writing more pages does not automatically demonstrate investigation. The quality of the question, evidence, reasoning, and conclusion matters more than length.
Using “investigate” in different MYP subjects
The form of an investigation depends on the subject. In sciences, it may involve variables, a hypothesis, controlled conditions, measurements, data processing, and evaluation of the method. In mathematics, it may involve testing examples, identifying a pattern, forming a conjecture, and checking whether it applies more generally.
In individuals and societies, investigating often means developing a focused research question, selecting and evaluating sources, gathering information, and forming a supported conclusion. In language and literature, it may involve examining how an author uses language, structure, imagery, or perspective to create meaning, supported by close textual analysis.
The definition is shared, but the evidence expected is subject-specific. Read the task alongside your subject guide, teacher instructions, and relevant MYP assessment criteria. RevisionDojo’s guide to MYP assessment criteria explains why identifying the assessed criterion should come before planning your response.
Is “investigate” the same as Criterion B?
No. Investigate is a command term, while a criterion is a broader category used to assess achievement. In some MYP subjects, Criterion B is called Investigating, but criterion names and strands differ between subject groups.
For example, MYP humanities commonly uses Criterion B: Investigating, while MYP sciences uses Criterion B: Inquiring and designing. A task may use “investigate” while assessing more than one criterion. Check the subject and year level, the criteria and strands being assessed, and the evidence required in the final product.
This prevents a common mistake: completing an interesting research process but failing to demonstrate the specific skills required by the rubric.
A practical structure for an investigation
What am I investigating?
Write a question specific enough to answer with the available time, resources, and evidence. “What causes climate change?” is too broad for most MYP tasks, while “How has transport policy affected air quality in my local area since 2015?” gives the investigation clearer direction.
How will I investigate it?
Explain your method and why it is suitable. Identify the sources, participants, variables, texts, data sets, or observations you will use. Keep the process fair, manageable, and relevant to the question.
What did the evidence show?
Present relevant results rather than every fact collected. Tables, graphs, quotations, calculations, source comparisons, and specific examples can make patterns clearer.
What can I conclude?
Answer the question directly. Your conclusion should follow from the evidence, acknowledge uncertainty where necessary, and avoid claims that go beyond what the investigation established. You can practise with sample MYP assessment tasks.
Common mistakes and final checks
Students often treat “investigate” as “find information.” Other frequent problems include broad questions, sources with no explained relevance, results reported without analysis, unsupported conclusions, and ignored limitations such as bias, reliability, or sample size.
Before submitting, underline your investigation question and highlight the evidence used to answer it. Connect each major conclusion back to that evidence, then compare your work with the relevant criterion strands. RevisionDojo’s MYP rubrics guide and IB command terms list can help you translate task wording into visible actions. Questionbank practice, Study Notes, and Jojo AI can provide further feedback.
Conclusion
To investigate in the MYP is to examine a focused question systematically, use appropriate evidence, analyse what you find, and reach a supported conclusion. The method varies by subject, so your response must reflect the relevant criteria and strands. For targeted practice, start with RevisionDojo’s MYP Questionbank and use Jojo AI to check whether your evidence and conclusion genuinely answer the command term.
