Exam practice

Command words

The single most common reason a student who knows the Maths still drops marks: they answered a different question from the one that was set. These are the command words Cambridge uses and what each one actually demands. Train them until reading the command word is automatic.

The command words, and what each one is really asking for

Command wordWhat it meansWhat that looks like in an exam answer
CalculateWork out from given facts, figures or information.Show the working. A bare number with no method can lose the mark.
DescribeState the points of a topic, give characteristics and main features.What it is and what it involves. No reasons required.
DetermineEstablish an answer using the information available.Use the data or information given, not recall.
EvaluateJudge the quality, importance, amount or value of something.Weigh it up and reach a supported judgement. No judgement, no top mark.
ExplainSet 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.
IdentifyName, select or recognise.Just the answer - no explanation needed.
JustifySupport a case with evidence or argument.A claim plus the evidence that supports it.
Show (that)Provide structured evidence that leads to a given result.Work through the steps so the result follows.
SketchMake a simple freehand drawing showing the key features, taking care over proportions.Label it. Proportions matter more than artistic quality.
StateExpress in clear terms.One clear fact per mark. Do not waste time developing it.
VerifyConfirm that a given statement or result is true.Test the statement with the values given and finish with a sentence saying whether it holds.
Cambridge publishes these command words in the 9709 syllabus. At AS & A Level, show that and verify both demand working that can be followed, and determine and evaluate want a reasoned answer rather than a bare number - no marks are given for unsupported answers from a calculator.

The difference that matters most

Look at the same knowledge asked three ways. Same topic, three different answers, three different marks.

CommandQuestionAnswer that scores full marks
State (1)State the derivative of x5 with respect to x.5x4.
Explain (2)Explain why the derivative of a constant term is zero.A constant does not change as x changes (1); the derivative is a rate of change, so the rate of change of something that never changes is zero (1).
Determine (2)A company models its profit by P=40x−x2, where x is the number of units sold. Determine the value of x at which the profit stops increasing.racdPdx=40−2x (1); the profit stops increasing when 40−2x=0, so x=20 (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.