Command Words
How it works
Traditional process
- Answer the question you think was asked
- Lose marks you never knew were there
- Do the same thing on the next paper
Our process
- Find the command word before you write
- Learn exactly what it asks you to produce
- Stop losing marks on answers you already knew
Some of them
Two words apart, completely different answers.
Determine
WantsA value, and the working that got you there.
TrapNot an explanation of the method. The number is the answer.
Factor
WantsThe same expression, rewritten as things multiplied together.
TrapYou are not solving for anything. Nothing gets an answer.
Compare
WantsBoth sides, on the same criteria, then a verdict.
TrapOne-sided answers lose half the marks even when they are right.
Explain
WantsWhy it happened. Cause and effect.
TrapIf there is no because in your answer, it is not an explanation.
Describe
WantsWhat it looks like, or what happens.
TrapNo reasons. The moment you write because, you have drifted into explain.
Evaluate
WantsIn maths: substitute the numbers and calculate.
TrapIn English and Social: judge how good or true something is. Same word, different job.
Balance
WantsCoefficients, until both sides match.
TrapNever change a subscript. That makes it a different compound.
Justify
WantsReasons that defend a choice.
TrapYou are arguing for it, not describing it.
Why it works
Knowing what a question is asking you to produce is worth more than knowing the content.