In short
- Copy our Criterion B prompt into Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude and change the last two lines: your MYP year and your topic.
- Add the key concept, related concepts and global context from your unit plan so the task matches the unit you're teaching.
- Attach a growing pattern from Visual Patterns that fits your topic.
- You get a full draft: the task, extension ideas and a task-specific clarification. Review it before it goes to students.
Watch Nelson build a Year 4 quadratic investigation in under two minutes.
Build your own Criterion B task
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Copy the prompt into an AI chat
Open the Criterion B prompt and copy all of it into Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude. The free version is fine. The prompt already tells the AI how Criterion B works at each MYP year, how to structure Part A and Part B, and how to write the task-specific clarification.
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Change the last two lines
Everything above them stays the same. Put in your MYP year and your topic. The topic can be broad, like Nelson's, or more specific.
End of the prompt (Nelson's version)Now generate the full investigation for: MYP Year Level: MYP Year 4 Mathematical Topic: Quadratic functions -
Add your unit plan Optional
The AI will choose a key concept, related concepts and a global context on its own. If you already have them in your unit plan, add them after the last two lines so the task fits the unit you're teaching.
Add after the topic lineUse these from my unit plan in the Assessment Overview: Key Concept: [e.g. Form] Related Concept(s): [e.g. Generalization, Patterns] Global Context: [e.g. Scientific and technical innovation]
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Attach a visual pattern
Browse Visual Patterns and pick one that matches your topic. Nelson needed a quadratic pattern, so he checked that the number of squares grows quadratically before using it. Take a screenshot and attach it to the same message as the prompt, so the AI builds the task around it.
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 The pattern Nelson used: Pattern 33 by John Golden. 1, 5, 11 squares… the differences grow by 2 each time, so the rule is quadratic.
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Send it and review the draft
Send the message. The AI comes back with a complete Criterion B task, laid out in the order below. Read it through before you use it with students.
What the AI gives you
- A title for the assessment
- The MYP framework: key concept, related concepts and global context
- The branch of mathematics, topics and prior knowledge
- A short description for teachers, and materials
- The student task: Part A with a simpler rule and Part B with a different, more complex rule
- Extension opportunities
- A Criterion B task-specific clarification, Levels 7–8 down to 1–2
Nelson's result, MYP Year 4
The Pixelated Pavilion: Structural Expansion Patterns
- Key concept
- Form
- Related concepts
- Generalization, Patterns
- Global context
- Scientific and technical innovation
- Branch
- Thinking with models
Before you use it
- Work through the task yourself. Check that the pattern, the numbers and the rule are correct.
- Check that Part B is really different. It should lead to a new rule, not a harder version of the Part A rule.
- Read the task-specific clarification. It should follow the Criterion B strands for each level and must not give away the rule.
- Fit it to your class. Adjust the wording, scaffolding and timing for your students.
A quick note: this prompt is a tool, not a finished assessment. We can't control what an AI chatbot will produce, so please use your professional judgement to check that the task meets the Criterion B strands and suits your class. We hope it gives you a great starting point.
Questions teachers ask
Which AI tool should I use?
The prompt works in Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude, and the free version is fine because it's a single message. Nelson used Gemini in the video.
Does it work for every MYP year?
Yes. For MYP Years 2 to 5 the prompt asks for a Part A with a simpler rule and a Part B with a different, more complex rule. For MYP Year 1 it writes a single investigation unless a second pattern fits naturally.
Is the task ready to give to students?
Treat it as a strong first draft. Check the mathematics, the Criterion B strands and the task-specific clarification, and adjust it for your class before you use it.
Read the video transcript
Hi there, this is Nelson from MYP Math Tutor, and today I would like to share with you this result of a new prompt that we have produced in order to help our teachers to create wonderful Criterion B investigation task ideas that can be used as either formative or summative assessments.
So what I've done is just pasted this prompt. I have modified the very last two lines indicating the year that we are going to do this assessment and a particular topic. It can be more specific. I just wrote quadratic functions. And previously I had chosen this pattern. I made sure that it's quadratic. It comes from the website visualpatterns.org. So I also pasted it there with the prompt so that the AI knows exactly what to do.
And when I hit enter, then I get a proposed title for my assessment and all the framework of MYP with the concept, the context and also the branch of mathematics, the description. I'm not only getting the structure and the questions for the task, but it also gives me advice for extension, like this: extension opportunities is well structured, having a Part A with a simple pattern and a Part B with a more complex pattern according to the rubric. And it also gives you the task-specific clarification.
I hope you like it. This will be pretty useful for you.
To close, we'd love to share a little bit more about who we are. Here at MYP Math Tutor, we're thrilled to be able to support over 150 students from more than 75 IB schools spanning over 40 countries worldwide. We work with students who attend some of the top IB schools in the world. We offer personalized support for MYP and DP mathematics through one-to-one virtual sessions. All of our tutors are experienced IB teachers with classroom expertise and a deep passion for IB education. If you'd like more info about who we are, please reach out to [email protected] or visit our website at www.mypmathtutor.com.
Nelson González
Nelson González is a qualified IB educator with a Master's degree in Mathematics Education and over 14 years of teaching experience, including 8 years in IB World Schools at MYP and DP level. Previously a teacher at Colegio Anglo Colombiano, Nelson teaches in both English and Spanish and now tutors MYP and DP Mathematics at MYP Math Tutor, with a focus on building students' confidence through real-life applications of mathematics.
The MYP Math Tutor team of 25+ qualified IB teachers, including examiners, department heads and an MYP coordinator, supports 200+ students at 100+ IB World Schools in 40+ countries, including Dwight School London, Western Academy of Beijing, the International School of Paris and GEMS Academy Dubai.
This work has been developed independently from and is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization.