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Command Words Explained: Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA and IB
You knew the content. You still lost marks, because the question asked you to evaluate and you explained instead. It is one of the most common ways capable students drop a grade, and it has nothing to do with revision time.
With the November series under way and mock season close behind, this is the right moment to fix it. Here are exam command words explained for Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA and IB students, side by side.
You will get a cross-board comparison table, the mix-ups that cost the most marks, and a practice routine you can start this week. Most of these mistakes are easy to spot once you know the pattern.
What are command words, and why do they matter?
A command word is the instruction verb in an exam question. It tells you what type of answer to give and how deep to go. Words like state, describe, explain and evaluate each ask for something different.
Mark schemes reward the response the command word asks for. They do not reward everything you know about the topic. That is the key point. A perfect description scores little on an evaluate question, however accurate it is.
Getting exam command words explained properly also means separating three things in every question. The command word sets the task. A key term names the concept, such as opportunity cost. The topic word tells you where in the syllabus you are.
Command words also link to the marks on offer. A 1 mark state question needs one fact. A 15 mark evaluate question needs developed points, balance and a judgement. Higher tariff questions are often marked in levels, not ticks.
In levels of response marking, the examiner reads the whole answer and places it in a band. Analysis and judgement are what lift an answer into the top band. Extra facts rarely do.
Examiner reports return to this problem year after year. Reports for both Cambridge and Pearson Edexcel note that candidates often fail to respond to the command word, even when their subject knowledge is sound.
How do Cambridge assessment command words work?
According to Cambridge International, its standard command word list applies to new and revised syllabuses published from 2019 onwards, and these words appear in exam papers from 2022. Any subject-specific extras are listed in each syllabus.
In practice, that means one shared list across IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level. A student moving up keeps the same vocabulary. The difference is depth.
Cambridge assessment command words split into low-tariff and high-tariff groups. Low-tariff words like state, identify and define usually carry 1 or 2 marks. High-tariff words like evaluate, justify and discuss sit in longer, levels-marked questions.
Here are the Cambridge words you will see most often, with what each one asks you to do.
- State: give a short, clear answer.
- Describe: give the main points or features.
- Explain: say why or how, with evidence.
- Analyse: show the parts and how they link.
- Evaluate: judge the quality, importance or value.
- Justify: support a case or conclusion with reasons.
Justify deserves extra care at A Level. Cambridge mark schemes expect a clear position backed by reasons, not a list of facts. If you never commit to a case, the top marks stay out of reach.
What do Edexcel and AQA command words mean?
Pearson Edexcel and AQA define command words inside each specification. Their UK GCSE and A Level qualifications are regulated by Ofqual, the exams regulator for England. Because definitions sit in each spec, meanings can shift slightly from subject to subject.
What is Edexcel exam terminology really asking?
Edexcel publishes command word definitions spec by spec. International GCSE papers use definitions that closely match the UK versions, so the habits transfer. Still, check the glossary at the back of your own specification.
Analyse is the word that trips most students. Edexcel wants you to break an issue into parts and show how those parts connect. A single point plus one reason is not analysis. It is explanation.
Students sitting several Edexcel papers often benefit from someone who knows each mark scheme well. Our Pearson Edexcel tutors work spec by spec for exactly this reason.
How does AQA define its command words?
AQA publishes a command word list for its GCSE and A Level subjects, plus subject-specific terms. In English Literature, for example, "comment on" asks for your view of a writer's choices, backed by the text.
Discuss works differently in AQA A Level Psychology. A 16 mark discuss question usually rewards 6 marks for description and 10 for evaluation. Students who only describe cap themselves early.
How are IB command terms organised?
The IB groups command terms by assessment objective level. Each level asks for more developed thinking than the one before. This IB command terms breakdown shows how the three main levels compare.
The table below sets out the three main IB assessment objective levels, what each one asks you to show, and the command terms you are most likely to meet at that level in Diploma Programme papers.
| Level | What it asks for | Example terms |
|---|---|---|
| AO1: knowledge and understanding of content | Recall facts and show you understand them clearly | Define, state, describe, outline, identify |
| AO2: application and analysis of ideas | Use knowledge in context and break information down | Explain, analyse, distinguish, suggest, comment |
| AO3: synthesis and evaluation of arguments | Weigh evidence, build an argument, reach a judgement | Evaluate, discuss, examine, justify, to what extent |
Some subjects add AO4 terms for practical skills. Always confirm a term's level in your own subject guide, because classifications vary between courses.
"To what extent" is an IB favourite. It asks how far an argument holds, then wants a clear judgement. In IB Economics, Paper 1 part (b) essays carry 15 marks and use AO3 terms like this.
The definitive glossary lives in each subject guide, not on one master list. Newer guides have trimmed their tables. The DP Physics guide, first assessed in 2025, leaves evaluate out of its exam command term table altogether.
MYP and DP use related but separate lists. MYP command terms link to each subject's assessment criteria, so a younger student may meet them in a slightly different form. Check the right guide for the right programme.
Juggling several subject guides? Our IB subject tutors can map the command terms for each course you take.
Do command words mean the same across boards?
Mostly, yes. Not always. The same word can demand a different structure and depth depending on the board and the level, so a technique that works in one exam can cost marks in another.
Here is how six high-value command words compare across the boards. Read across each row to see where expectations match and where they drift, especially once a question moves beyond describing into analysis or judgement.
| Command word | Cambridge | Edexcel and AQA | IB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Describe | Give main points or features, no reasons | Set out features or steps, no reasons | AO1: detailed account of what happens |
| Explain | Say why or how, with relevant evidence | Reasons clearly linked to each point made | AO2: detailed account with reasons or causes |
| Analyse | Break down; show how elements relate | Separate parts, build chains of linked reasoning | AO2: break down to reveal structure |
| Discuss | Explore issues in depth, in a structured way | Weigh sides; AQA Psychology adds evaluation marks | AO3: balanced review with a supported conclusion |
| Evaluate | Judge quality, importance or value of something | Weigh evidence, then give a final judgement | AO3: weigh strengths against limitations, then judge |
| Justify | Support a case or conclusion with reasons | Back your answer or choice with evidence | Give valid reasons or evidence for a conclusion |
The definitions overlap at the top of the table but drift apart further down. Analyse, discuss and evaluate are where cross-board habits cause the most damage.
Two traps come up again and again. A student trained on Cambridge explain answers may write a point plus a reason for an Edexcel analyse question. That is one step short of analysis.
The second trap runs the other way. An AQA discuss structure, built around describing then evaluating, can read as unfocused in an IB History Paper 2 essay that needs a sustained argument toward one judgement.
This is why having exam command words explained for Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA and IB in one place matters. Families who switch boards, or students sitting a mix of qualifications, carry old habits with them.
Which command words cost students the most marks?
Three pairs of command words cause more lost marks than any others, and each has a simple fix.
- Describe vs explain: describe says what; explain adds why.
- Outline vs describe: outline gives main points only.
- Discuss vs evaluate: evaluate must end in a clear judgement.
Here is a short example. Take the question: explain why the pressure of a gas rises when it is heated in a sealed container (2 marks).
A weak answer says the particles move faster. That is true, but it stops halfway. A strong answer adds the link: faster particles hit the walls more often and with more force, so pressure rises.
Evaluate questions fail for a different reason. Students list advantages and disadvantages, then stop. Without a "so what" judgement at the end, the answer stays in the middle band however good the points are.
The opposite mistake happens on 1 and 2 mark questions. Writing a paragraph for a state question wastes time you need later on a 12 or 15 mark answer. Short questions want short answers.
If the same mistakes keep showing up in mock papers, a few sessions with one of our subject tutors can fix the habit before the real exam.
How should you practise command words before exams?
Use this four-step routine on every past paper question until it becomes automatic.
- Underline the command word.
- Check the marks available.
- Plan the structure the word demands.
- Compare against the official mark scheme.
Next, build your own exam command terms glossary from your board's official list. Write each word, its definition in your own words, and one past paper question that used it. Thirty command words is plenty to start.
Definitions alone will not get you there. Practise on real questions from past papers, then read the examiner report for that series. The reports show exactly which answers fell short and why.
Private candidates have no teacher checking their work, so self-marking needs a method. Mark your answer against the scheme, then highlight every phrase that matches a mark point. Anything unhighlighted is probably padding.
Leave a day before you self-mark. Fresh eyes catch the gap between what you meant and what you wrote. If you have a tutor, ask for one fully marked answer per week.
For tutors and teachers, one quick drill works well. Give the class one topic and four command words, then ask for a 2 minute answer to each. The differences between answers make the point better than any definition.
What should you do next?
Command words are marking instructions, not vocabulary. Once you have exam command words explained for Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA and IB, the next step is simple: learn your own board's definitions and watch for the cross-board traps.
Then practise against real mark schemes. Download or bookmark your board's official list today, and keep it next to every past paper you attempt.
Want support with exam technique this term? Explore our online classes or talk to our team about one-to-one exam support.
Frequently asked questions
Not quite. Discuss centres on a balanced review of different views. Evaluate puts more weight on a clear judgement about worth, importance or effectiveness. In most papers, an evaluate answer without a final judgement rarely reaches the top band.
Cambridge International publishes its standard list online and repeats it in every syllabus. Edexcel and AQA include definitions in each specification, often in an appendix. IB command terms appear in the glossary of each subject guide, which your school can access.
Partly. The command word sets the type of answer, while the mark allocation sets the length. A 2 mark explain question needs one linked reason. A 12 mark explain question needs several developed points, each with evidence and a clear link back.
For Cambridge, yes. IGCSE, O Level, AS and A Level share one standard list. What changes is the depth examiners expect. An A Level evaluate answer needs more developed arguments and stronger evidence than an IGCSE answer to the same command word.
Only with care. A basic plan of point, evidence and link works almost everywhere, but analyse, discuss and evaluate carry different expectations by board. Check your own glossary and mark schemes before you rely on a structure learned elsewhere.
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