GCSE command words explained

Every exam question starts with an instruction: describe, explain, evaluate, compare. These are called command words, and they tell you exactly what kind of answer will earn the marks. Many students lose marks not because they do not know the content, but because they answer a different question from the one that was asked. This guide explains the most common GCSE command words and what each one needs.

Why command words matter

Examiners mark against what the command word asks for. If a question says explain and you only describe, you can write several accurate sentences and still miss most of the marks. Exam reports from every board repeat this point year after year: describing when the question asks for an explanation is one of the most common reasons good students drop marks.

Each exam board publishes its own list of command words, usually in the specification or in a separate glossary on the subject page. Definitions differ slightly between boards and subjects, so treat this guide as a general introduction and check your own board's list.

The most common command words

The mark ranges are only a rough guide. The number of marks printed next to each question is a far better signal of how much to write.

Describe versus explain

This is the distinction that costs the most marks, so it is worth practising on purpose.

• Describe answers the question what? "The rate of reaction increases as the temperature increases."
• Explain answers the question why? or how? "The rate increases because particles move faster at higher temperatures, so they collide more often and more of the collisions have enough energy to react."

A useful habit for explain questions is to include a linking word such as because, so, therefore or which means that in every point. If your answer has none, you have probably described rather than explained.

Describing data and graphs

When a question asks you to describe a trend or pattern in a graph or table, examiners usually want three things:

1. The overall trendFor example, "as X increases, Y decreases".
2. Data to support itQuote values from the graph, with units. "From 20 °C to 40 °C, the time taken fell from 80 s to 30 s."
3. Any change in the patternNote where the trend levels off, peaks or reverses, and at what value.

Unless the question also says explain, you do not need to give reasons. Spending time on them earns nothing.

Evaluate and judgement questions

Questions that ask you to evaluate, assess, or say how far you agree are usually marked in levels, and the top level almost always requires a clear, supported judgement. A strong structure is:

• Points that support the statement, each developed with evidence or explanation.
• Points that challenge it, developed in the same way.
• A conclusion that gives your judgement and explains why one side is stronger. Avoid sitting on the fence: "it depends" only works if you then say what it depends on.

Our guide to using mark schemes and examiner reports explains how levels based marking works in more detail.

How to practise command words

• Underline the command word in every question you answer, in practice and in the real exam.
• Collect examples from past papers. Group questions by command word and compare what the mark scheme rewards for each.
• Rewrite one answer two ways. Take a topic and write a describe answer, then an explain answer. Seeing the difference on paper fixes it in your mind.
• Check your board's glossary for any command words specific to your subject, such as "annotate" in geography or "how useful" in history source questions.

Past papers for every board are linked from our guides page and subject pages, including biology, geography and history.

Frequently asked questions