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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Cambridge publishes these command words in the 9693 syllabus. In Marine Science the marks sit in the process and the evidence - explain and analyse want the mechanism, evaluate wants a judgement with both sides, and state is the only one that takes a bare fact.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Define (1) | Define the term upwelling. | The upward movement of cold, nutrient-rich water from depth to the surface, usually where winds move surface water away from a coast. |
| Explain (3) | Explain why productivity is high in an area of upwelling. | Upwelling brings water rich in dissolved nitrate and phosphate to the surface (1); phytoplankton at the surface therefore have light and the limiting nutrients they need together (1); so photosynthesis and the food chain built on it support a large fish population (1). |
| Evaluate (5) | Evaluate the claim that aquaculture is a sustainable replacement for wild-capture fishing. | Aquaculture produces a reliable supply and can reduce pressure on wild stocks of the species it replaces (1). It also creates employment and can be sited close to markets (1). However many farmed species are fed on fishmeal and fish oil from wild stocks, so the pressure is transferred rather than removed (1); waste and uneaten food can cause eutrophication and disease can spread to wild populations (1). A judgement is needed: aquaculture reduces pressure only where the species is low in the food chain, or where feed comes from plant protein (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.