What are command words in GCSE exams?

The words that tell you what to do in a question, such as state, describe, explain, compare, evaluate and calculate. Each one asks for a different kind of answer, and the mark scheme follows it.

What is the difference between describe and explain?

Describe means say what happens or what something is like. Explain means say why: give the reason, using words like “because” and “so”. Explaining when you were asked to describe wastes time, and describing when you were asked to explain loses marks.

How do I answer a 6 mark question?

Six-mark questions are marked in levels, on how clear, complete and well organised the whole answer is. Plan it in a few words, cover every part of the question in a sensible order, use the proper subject terms, and for “evaluate” questions finish with a conclusion.

How much should I write for each mark?

About one clear point for each mark, and about a minute a mark. A 2-mark question needs two points, or a point and its reason.

Why do I lose marks when I know the answer?

Usually because the answer doesn’t match the command word, misses the key term the mark scheme looks for, or skips the working or the units. Marking your own answers with real mark schemes is the quickest way to fix it.

Do I need to show my working in maths and science?

Yes. Method marks are given for the equation and the steps, so if your final answer is wrong you can still get most of the marks. A wrong answer with no working gets nothing.

Exam technique

GCSE command words and how to get full marks

Knowing the topic is half of it. The other half is giving the examiner what the question asks for. Here’s what every command word means, what earns the marks and what loses them, for every exam board.

Seven habits that pick up marks on every paper

1
Read the question twice
Underline the command word and circle the numbers and key terms. Most lost marks come from answering a slightly different question.
2
Let the marks set your time
About a minute a mark. A 2-mark question needs two points, not a paragraph; a 6-mark question needs a plan.
3
Use the words in the mark scheme
Examiners look for specific terms. “The enzyme is denatured” gets the mark; “the enzyme stops working” often doesn’t.
4
Show every step of a calculation
Equation, numbers in, answer, units. If the final number is wrong, the method marks are still yours.
5
Use the information you’re given
Graphs, tables, sources and extracts are there to be used. Quote figures with their units, or a few words from the text.
6
Never leave a blank
A sensible attempt can pick up a mark; a blank never does. For multiple choice, cross out the wrong ones and choose.
7
Check at the end
Units, significant figures, that you answered every part, and that “give two” has exactly two answers.

Command words: what the question is really asking

The command word is the instruction at the start of a question. AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas all use them in the same way, and the mark scheme is written to match.

State / Give / Name / Identify

A short answer: a word, a phrase or a number. No explanation needed.

Be brief and exact: one fact for each mark.
If it says “give two”, give exactly two. A wrong extra answer can cancel a right one.
Use the proper term, not a description of it.

What loses marks: Writing a paragraph for one mark, and running out of time later.

Define / What is meant by

Give the exact meaning of a term.

Learn definitions word for word: the key words are what the mark scheme looks for.
Don’t use the word itself in its own definition.
Add an example only if it asks for one.

What loses marks: A vague description that misses the key word.

Sketch / Draw / Plot / Complete

Add to a diagram, graph or table.

Use a sharp pencil and a ruler, and label axes with the quantity and its unit.
Plot points as small crosses, within half a small square.
A line of best fit can be straight or a smooth curve: don’t join the dots.

What loses marks: Missing labels and units, which are easy marks.

Estimate

Find an approximate answer.

In maths, round each number to one significant figure first, then calculate.
From a graph, read the value carefully and show where you read it.
Show your rounded numbers: that’s where the marks are.

What loses marks: Working out the exact answer on a calculator instead.

Show that

You’re given the answer: the marks are all for the working that gets there.

Write every step, with nothing skipped.
In science, work it out to one more figure than the answer given, to show you didn’t just copy it.
In maths proofs, give a reason for each line and finish with a conclusion.

What loses marks: Skipping steps because the answer is already printed.

Calculate

Use numbers from the question to work out an answer.

Write the equation first, then put the numbers in, then the answer: each step can earn a mark even if the final answer is wrong.
Convert units before you start (g to kg, cm to m, minutes to seconds).
Give the units, and round to the significant figures or decimal places it asks for.

What loses marks: Writing only the final answer. If it’s wrong you get nothing, where the working would have earned marks.

Suggest

Apply what you know to a situation you haven’t been taught. There may be more than one right answer.

Use the information in the question: the answer is usually hinted at there.
Link it to the science or idea you do know.
A sensible idea with a reason gets the mark, so don’t leave it blank.

What loses marks: Leaving it blank because “we never learned this”. You’re not meant to have.

Describe

Say what it is like or what happens. No reasons needed.

Give the facts, steps or pattern in order.
For a graph or table: say the trend, then quote numbers with units to back it up.
One clear point for each mark.

What loses marks: Wasting time explaining why when only “what” is asked for (or the other way round).

Explain

Say what happens and why: give reasons.

Make a point, then use “because”, “so” or “this means that” to give the reason.
Aim for one linked step for each mark.
Use the correct scientific or subject words: they are often what the mark is for.

What loses marks: Describing what happens without giving the reason.

Analyse

Break it down into parts and explain how they connect or what they show.

Pick out the key parts, patterns or techniques.
For each one, explain its effect or what it tells you.
In English, use a short quotation and say what particular words suggest.

What loses marks: Retelling or describing instead of explaining effects.

Compare

Say how the things are alike and how they are different.

Write about both things in the same sentence, using words like “whereas”, “both” and “but”.
Give similarities as well as differences, unless it only asks for one.
Compare the same feature each time (size with size, rate with rate).

What loses marks: Describing one thing, then the other, without ever linking them.

Justify

Give evidence or reasons that support an answer or a decision.

State your choice or answer first.
Back it up with evidence from the question (data, a source, a quotation).
Say why that evidence supports it.

What loses marks: Giving an opinion with nothing to back it up.

Discuss

Look at the issue from more than one side, with reasons.

Cover at least two points of view or factors.
Explain each one, don’t just name it.
A short conclusion helps on the longer questions.

What loses marks: Writing everything you know about the topic instead of the issue in the question.

Evaluate

Weigh up the evidence on both sides, then give your own judgement.

Give points for and points against (strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages).
Use the information in the question as well as your own knowledge.
End with a conclusion that follows from your points: without it you can’t reach the top marks.

What loses marks: Listing advantages and disadvantages but never deciding.

To what extent / How far do you agree

Weigh up both sides and reach a judgement about how true the statement is.

Argue for the statement, then against it, with evidence for each.
Finish with a clear judgement: “to a large extent”, “partly”, and why.
Keep linking back to the exact words of the question.

What loses marks: Describing what happened without ever saying how far you agree.

What the number of marks tells you

1 mark: One short, exact point is enough.
2 marks: Two separate points, or one point and its reason.
4 marks: Make 4 clear points, each on its own line or in its own sentence. Spend about 4 minutes on it.
6 marks: A clear, well-organised answer that covers every part of the question, in a sensible order, using the proper terms. Plan it in a few words first, and spend about 6 minutes on it.

Tips for each subject

Maths

Write down your working even when you use a calculator.
On a non-calculator paper, estimate first so you can tell if an answer is sensible.
If a question says “give your answer to 3 significant figures”, an unrounded answer loses the last mark.
“Give a reason” in geometry needs the proper rule, such as “angles in a triangle add up to 180°”.

Science

Six-mark questions are marked on how clear and logical the whole answer is, so write in order and use paragraphs.
In required practical questions, name the equipment, say what you measure and what you keep the same.
Learn the equations you aren’t given, and always write the unit.
Say “increases” or “decreases”, not “changes” or “is affected”.

English

Use short quotations (a word or a phrase) built into your own sentences.
Say what a word or technique makes the reader think or feel, and why the writer chose it.
For literature, link to the writer’s message and the time it was written when the question asks for context.
In writing tasks, plan a clear beginning, middle and end, and check spelling and punctuation: they have their own marks.

History, Geography and RE

Start each paragraph with a point that answers the question, then give specific evidence: names, dates, places, figures.
For source questions, use what the source says and who made it, when and why.
For “how far do you agree”, give both sides and a judgement, and keep it going through the answer rather than only at the end.
Use case study details: a named place and real numbers beat a general statement.

Languages

In writing, cover every bullet point: each one has marks.
Use more than one tense, opinions with reasons, and a few connectives.
In translations, don’t leave gaps: an attempt at each part can earn marks.
In listening and reading, answer in the language the question is written in.

Now try it on real questions

Every topic has exam-style questions with mark schemes, and each one has a “How to get full marks” box for its command word. Mark your own answer against the mark scheme, or sit a real past paper and read the examiners’ report for it afterwards.

Exam questions by topic Past papers and examiners’ reports Test yourself

Questions about exam technique

What are command words in GCSE exams?: The words that tell you what to do in a question, such as state, describe, explain, compare, evaluate and calculate. Each one asks for a different kind of answer, and the mark scheme follows it.
What is the difference between describe and explain?: Describe means say what happens or what something is like. Explain means say why: give the reason, using words like “because” and “so”. Explaining when you were asked to describe wastes time, and describing when you were asked to explain loses marks.
How do I answer a 6 mark question?: Six-mark questions are marked in levels, on how clear, complete and well organised the whole answer is. Plan it in a few words, cover every part of the question in a sensible order, use the proper subject terms, and for “evaluate” questions finish with a conclusion.
How much should I write for each mark?: About one clear point for each mark, and about a minute a mark. A 2-mark question needs two points, or a point and its reason.
Why do I lose marks when I know the answer?: Usually because the answer doesn’t match the command word, misses the key term the mark scheme looks for, or skips the working or the units. Marking your own answers with real mark schemes is the quickest way to fix it.
Do I need to show my working in maths and science?: Yes. Method marks are given for the equation and the steps, so if your final answer is wrong you can still get most of the marks. A wrong answer with no working gets nothing.