It was clear from the mock exam results that most of you have a sound understanding of subject knowledge, but you’re being let down by your ability to understand what the question is asking of you. Every question has a main command word that tells you exactly what you need to do to answer it well. The chart bellow (stolen from the AQA website http://www.aqa.org.uk/student-support/for-students/revision/understanding-the-question) shows all of the command words that you could be faced with in your exam. Whilst revising, it is a good idea to have a copy of this chart with you so that you can practice answering each type of question. We will do some more work on this in class and in morning revision sessions.
| Command words | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyse
separate information into components and identify their characteristics |
Assess
make an informed judgement |
Consider
review and respond to given information |
Criticise
assess worth against explicit expectations |
| Comment
present an informed opinion |
Define
specify meaning |
Describe
set out characteristics |
Discuss
present key points |
| Deduce
draw conclusions from information provided |
Examine
investigate closely |
Explore
investigate without preconceptions about the outcome |
Evaluate
judge from available evidence |
| Explain
set out purposes or reasons |
Illustrate
present clarifying examples |
Interpret
translate information into recognisable form |
Outline
set out main characteristics |
| Summarise
present principal points without detail |
State
express in clear terms |
Relate
demonstrate connections between items |
Review
survey information |
| Argue
present a reasoned case |
Debate
present different perspectives on an issue |
Give
produce an answer from recall |
Justify
support a case with evidence |
| Estimate
assign an approximate value |
Calculate
work out the value of something |
Suggest
present a possible case |
Prove
demonstrate validity on the basis of evidence |
| Compare
identify similarities |
Contrast
identify differences |
Apply
put into effect in a recognised way |
Complete
finish a task by adding to given information |
| Develop
take forward or build upon given information |
Identify
name or otherwise characterise |
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