How to use a command term
Command terms are instruction words that indicate the kind and depth of response an assessment question requires. The same word can appear across courses, but its assessment-objective level, paper context and subject conventions must be checked in the current guide for your exact course.
Use this page as a common-language reference, not as a universal markscheme. The command term tells you the response action; the marks available and the paper-specific markscheme tell you how much accurate knowledge, evidence, working and development the answer needs.
Break the material into important parts and show how those parts relate or contribute to the whole.
Answer pattern: Identify the parts, explain their relationship, and connect the analysis to the question.
Add short explanatory notes to a diagram, graph, image, text or other presented material.
Answer pattern: Place concise, relevant labels or notes beside the feature they explain.
Use an idea, rule, equation, theory or method in the situation given.
Answer pattern: Select the relevant knowledge and show how it works in this specific case.
Produce a numerical answer and show the relevant stages of working.
Answer pattern: Write the method, substitute values with units, calculate, and present the requested result.
Make a reasoned judgment about a statement, result or calculation.
Answer pattern: State what the evidence indicates and support the judgment with a relevant reason.