The command words, and what each one is really asking for
| Command word | What it means | What that looks like in an exam answer |
|---|---|---|
| Analyse | Examine in detail to show meaning, identify elements and the relationship between them. | Break the thing into parts and say how they connect - not a description of the whole. |
| Assess | Make an informed judgement. | A judgement with support - not just an opinion. |
| Calculate | Work out from given facts, figures or information. | Show the working. A bare number with no method can lose the mark. |
| Comment | Give an informed opinion. | State your view, then back it with a reason from the topic. |
| Compare | Identify and comment on similarities and/or differences. | You must give both sides - describing only one caps your marks. |
| Complete | Add information to an incomplete diagram or table. | Only the missing cells score. Copy the format of the ones you are given. |
| Consider | Review and respond to given information. | Use the material in front of you; a general answer that ignores it scores little. |
| Contrast | Identify and comment on differences. | Differences only, but still both sides. |
| Define | Give precise meaning. | One precise sentence. Do not describe or give examples instead. |
| Demonstrate | Show how, or give an example. | Show the steps or a worked example. The answer alone is not enough. |
| Describe | State the points of a topic, give characteristics and main features. | What it is and what it involves. No reasons required. |
| Develop | Take forward to a more advanced stage, or build upon given information. | Start from what is given and add the next step - not a fresh answer. |
| Discuss | Write about the issue or topic in depth in a structured way. | Both sides, organised, with a conclusion. |
| Draw | Draw a line to match a term with a description. | There is one correct partner for each item; the marks are for the pairing. |
| Evaluate | Judge the quality, importance, amount or value of something. | Weigh it up and reach a supported judgement. No judgement, no top mark. |
| Examine | Investigate closely, in detail. | Go beyond naming: say how and why, using the evidence you are given. |
| Explain | Set out purposes or reasons, make relationships clear, say why and/or how, and support with relevant evidence. | Every point needs a reason or consequence. This is where most marks are lost. |
| Give | Produce an answer from a given source, or recall from memory. | Short and direct. |
| Identify | Name, select or recognise. | Just the answer - no explanation needed. |
| Justify | Support a case with evidence or argument. | A claim plus the evidence that supports it. |
| Outline | Set out the main points. | Brief points, no development. |
| Predict | Suggest what may happen based on the information available. | Use the information given, not guesswork. |
| Sketch | Make a simple freehand drawing showing the key features, taking care over proportions. | Label it. Proportions matter more than artistic quality. |
| State | Express in clear terms. | One clear fact per mark. Do not waste time developing it. |
| Suggest | Apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses, in order to make proposals or put forward considerations. | Apply it to the situation given - that is what is being tested. |
| Summarise | Select and present the main points, without detail. | Main points only. Extra detail loses the mark here. |
| Write | Give an answer in a specific form. | The form is the question: index form, standard form, a fraction in its simplest form. Give what was asked for. |
Cambridge publishes these command words in the 9618 syllabus. At A Level the marks sit in the precise term and the mechanism behind it - describe, explain, compare and justify carry most of them, and identify never wants a reason.
The difference that matters most
Look at the same knowledge asked three ways. Same topic, three different answers, three different marks.
| Command | Question | Answer that scores full marks |
|---|---|---|
| State (1) | State one difference between a compiler and an interpreter. | An interpreter translates and executes one statement at a time, whereas a compiler translates the whole program before it runs. |
| Explain (3) | Explain why a compiler produces a faster running program than an interpreter. | The whole program is translated once, before execution (1); the translated code is saved as an executable, so it does not have to be translated again on each run (1); and translation errors are reported together at the end, so no time is spent translating statements that will never execute (1). |
| Justify (4) | A school wants students to run programs on machines with 4 GB of RAM. Justify whether a virtual machine or a physical machine should be used. | A virtual machine shares the host's hardware, so several virtual machines can run on one physical host (1), which reduces the number of machines the school must buy and maintain (1). However each virtual machine still needs its own share of RAM for the guest operating system (1), so on 4 GB hosts the usable memory per virtual machine is small and a physical machine would give each student more (1). |
Learn this pattern. Fact. Then consequence. Then the context. Almost every lost mark is a missing middle step.
Command-word trainer
Read the question, decide what the command word demands, write the answer, then compare it with the model answer.