A step-by-step practice frame for the IB Dance World Dance Investigation (WDI) — an analytical essay comparing two dance styles from different cultures, one familiar and one unfamiliar. Analyse the relationship between each dance and its culture, and compare and contrast them across cultures — with the assessment expectations and the comparative method built in.
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This is roughly how your exported DOCX / PDF will read. Use it to rehearse a focused, balanced investigation that compares the two genres in their cultural contexts.
The IB Dance World Dance Investigation (WDI) is an analytical essay that compares and contrasts two dance styles drawn from different cultures — one familiar to you and one unfamiliar. It runs to a maximum of 1,500 words at SL and 2,500 words at HL, and at HL must also compare a short excerpt from each style; it is worth 20% at SL and 25% at HL. This examiner-written practice frame walks you through the method step by step — choose two styles different enough to make a real comparison (one familiar, one unfamiliar), decide the lines of comparison you will analyse them along (origins and function, movement vocabulary, performance conventions and meaning), analyse the relationship between each dance and its culture, and then compare and contrast the two across cultures. You ground every claim about culture in specific features of the dancing and in acknowledged sources, keep the two styles balanced and in dialogue, and close on what the comparison reveals about dance as a cultural expression. Each step is paired with the assessment expectations, worked good-and-bad examples and the traps that cost marks, and your essay exports to DOCX or PDF.
The WDI is assessed on how well it compares two dance styles in relation to their cultural contexts: the depth of understanding of each dance in its context, the quality of the comparison and contrast across the two cultures, and the clarity, balance and academic presentation of the essay. Strong investigations analyse the relationship between each dance and its culture rather than describing the steps, explain why the similarities and differences arise from the two cultural contexts, and support every point with specific movement evidence and cited sources.
The whole essay is built around comparing two styles from different cultures — one familiar, one unfamiliar. Treat each dance as an expression of its culture: analyse how its origins and function shape its movement vocabulary, performance conventions and meaning, then set the two side by side along clear lines of comparison. Keep returning to what the comparison reveals — analysing similarities and differences in cultural terms rather than simply listing them — and keep the two styles balanced throughout.
The World Dance Investigation tool is examiner-written by experienced IB educators. It is free to start: the planning sections are free, and the later sections are a one-time unlock per tool. Sign in to save your work and sync it across devices.