A Statement of Inquiry (SOI) is a single sentence that captures the conceptual understanding a unit is built around. It is arguably the most important sentence in an MYP unit plan: everything else — inquiry questions, learning experiences, assessment tasks — should trace back to it.

The formula

While there's no single required wording, most effective statements of inquiry combine three ingredients:

  1. The key concept (e.g., Change)
  2. One or two related concepts (e.g., Perspective, Evidence)
  3. The global context exploration (e.g., Fairness and Development)

A workable pattern is: "[Related concept] can [verb] [key concept], shaping [global context exploration]."

Example

"Differing perspectives on evidence can drive change in how societies understand fairness." — a Statement of Inquiry combining the key concept Change, related concepts Perspective and Evidence, in the global context Fairness and Development.

What makes a strong SOI

  • It is transferable — students could apply the same idea to a different topic or subject.
  • It avoids naming the specific unit content directly (it should work as an idea, not a summary of facts).
  • It is written in language accessible to students, and often restated or unpacked with them at the start of a unit.

Once a Statement of Inquiry is drafted, the next step is turning it into a set of Inquiry Questions that give it classroom traction.