Worksheet
Command words: understand the task
Build an answer to an exam question by matching command words to the kind of thinking they ask for. The resource compares ten common verbs, models explain, analyse and evaluate structures, and gives a checklist for reviewing an evaluative response.
Read the material
Build an answer to an exam question by matching command words to the kind of thinking they ask for. The resource compares ten common verbs, models explain, analyse and evaluate structures, and gives a checklist for reviewing an evaluative response.
Complete resource. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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NAME CLASS DATE LEARNING GOAL Know what each command word asks you to do. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can say what each command word asks for. I can match a frame to the right word. Command-word ladder Command words differ between exam boards and subjects. Always check your own specification and past papers. Tick the box when you can say the meaning in your own words.1 1 State Give a short fact. No reasons. CUE name, give, list FRAME The canteen sells hot meals. 2 Describe Say what it is like or what happens. No reasons. CUE outline, say what FRAME At lunchtime the canteen is busy and the tables fill up. 3 Explain Give reasons. Use because, so, which leads to. CUE why, how FRAME Queues form because most pupils eat at once, so there is a long wait at the tills. 4 Justify Give reasons for a choice or decision. CUE defend, back up FRAME I would add a second till because it shortens the queue for everyone. 5 Compare Show similarities and differences. Cover both sides. CUE both, whereas FRAME Both the canteen and the library are shared spaces, but the library is quiet whereas the canteen is loud. 6 Analyse Break it into parts and show how they connect. CUE parts, links FRAME The queue has three parts: choosing, paying, collecting. Slow paying delays collecting. 7 Discuss Give more than one side. Support each with a reason. CUE for, against FRAME Some say a longer lunch helps rest; others say it shortens lessons. Each has a reason. 8 Assess Weigh up how important or how far. Reach a judgement. CUE how far, how much FRAME A longer lunch would help a fair amount, but only if queues also get shorter. 9 Evaluate Weigh up strengths and weaknesses. Reach a judgement. CUE weigh up, judge FRAME A longer lunch gives rest but cuts lessons. Overall it helps, because rest improves focus. 10 To what extent Judge how far a statement is true. CUE how far FRAME To a large extent, a second till helps; however, staffing may limit it. 1 Every frame is invented for this sheet and is about a school canteen. It shows the shape of an answer and makes no claim about real canteens. Exam command-word scaffold · Page 1 of 3 EXAM SKILLS AGES 14 TO 18 COMMAND WORDS COMMAND WORDS Climb from recall to judgement, one word at a time.
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INVENTED TOPIC A town should keep its public library. This topic is fictional and used for practice only. Read each worked example, then write your own. 1 Explain PEEL: Point, Evidence, Explain, Link. Your turn: explain one more reason a town might keep its library. POINT A library helps people who cannot afford books. EVIDENCE For example, families can borrow books for free. EXPLAIN This matters because reading then costs nothing, so more children can practise. LINK Keeping the library therefore supports learning in the town. EXPLAIN 2 Analyse PEA: Point, Evidence, Analyse. Your turn: analyse one other part of a library, such as its staff or its events. POINT A library is more than a shelf of books. EVIDENCE It offers computers, quiet study space and clubs. ANALYSE Each part serves a different group, and together they make the library a meeting place. ANALYSE Spot the difference Compare your two paragraphs. HOW IS ANALYSE DIFFERENT FROM EXPLAIN? Exam command-word scaffold · Page 2 of 3 EXAM SKILLS AGES 14 TO 18 COMMAND WORDS PARAGRAPH STRUCTURES
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INVENTED TOPIC A town should keep its public library. This topic is fictional and used for practice only. Use the same topic. Read the worked example, then write your own. 3 Evaluate Claim, for, against, judgement with a reason. Your turn: evaluate the claim above. CLAIM Keeping the library is a good use of money. FOR It gives free access to books and study space. AGAINST It costs money that could fund other services. JUDGE Overall, keep it, because free access helps people who have no other choice. EVALUATE Mark scheme criteria Typical, not any one board’s. Tick what your Evaluate answer has. Accurate knowledge: facts and terms are correct Development: each point is explained, not just listed Use of evidence: an example or fact backs each point Judgement: a clear decision with a reason Clear writing: ideas in order, easy to follow Go further Make your judgement depend on a condition. Rewrite your judgement so it begins: It holds only if … Next time ONE THING I WILL IMPROVE Exam command-word scaffold · Page 3 of 3 EXAM SKILLS AGES 14 TO 18 COMMAND WORDS EVALUATE AND CHECK
A teaching sequence
Interpret a question’s command word and select a response structure that matches the requested thinking.
Read the command word's demand
Read what each of the ten command words asks a response to do, using its cues and frame. Identify point, evidence, explanation and link in the invented library example, then add a further reason.
What must this response do beyond stating a fact?
Connect the parts in analysis
Compare the analyse example with the explain paragraph. Note how analysis shows connections among parts rather than only giving a reason.
How does your analysis show a relationship between parts?
Weigh both sides in evaluation
On page 3, read the evaluate model and identify the claim, supporting case, opposing case and judgement. Use the checklist to review a practice answer.
Where is the reason supporting your judgement?
Make the judgement conditional
Rewrite the judgement so that it begins with the stated condition, then choose one specific improvement for next time. Find the matching part in the current exam-board criteria.
Which current course criterion confirms what this task word requires?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Ask pupils to name the task the command word sets and point to the matching part of their answer. For explain, look for developed reasons; for analyse, look for links between parts; for evaluate, look for weighed arguments and a reasoned judgement. Compare the answer with the exam board’s own criteria.
Give a little support
Ask pupils to underline the command word, circle the topic and write a short plan before drafting. Use one example at a time and model how the response changes when the verb changes. Keep a glossary for subject vocabulary alongside this sheet.
Take the idea further
Take one topic and write three questions using different command words. Compare how the evidence and structure would change for each, and test a judgement by changing the condition on which it depends.
Things to keep in mind
The examples use one invented public-library topic and simplified paragraph structures. Command words and mark schemes can differ by subject, qualification and exam board, so the sheet cannot replace the current specification or a teacher’s explanation.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAI™, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet the creators whose teaching interests connect with this template. Find an approach to try with your class.
Idris Rahman
Keeping a class in my week matters when I discuss assessment workload or how a timetable decision affects teaching; those choices have to work inside real lessons.
Meet the creator
Sadia Chowdhury
I turn mock-assessment analysis into a named teaching or revision step, identifying the knowledge or skill needing attention while keeping examination planning close to Year 11 Business.
Meet the creator
Open Book Pause
The three-page ladder contrasts command words with cues and sample frames, from stating a fact to assessing importance and reaching a judgement. It explicitly warns that wording differs by exam board and subject.
Kind Check-In
The canteen examples make the shift from describing a queue to explaining why it forms concrete. Pupils then compare, analyse, discuss or assess using a structure that matches the requested thinking.
Little Lightbulbs
Ticking a command word only after explaining it in the pupil’s own words offers a retrieval check. A teacher can have pupils compare two frames and identify which one gives reasons or covers both sides.
One More Question
The ladder is a general aid, not an authoritative glossary for every specification. Check current subject guidance and past papers before using a frame in assessed work, especially where command words have discipline-specific meaning.