IGCSE Command Words
A command word tells you exactly what kind of answer earns the marks. Describe asks what happens, explain asks why it happens, and answering the wrong one is the most common reason a correct piece of knowledge scores nothing.
Cambridge publishes a command word list for every syllabus, and examiners mark strictly against it. Students routinely lose marks not because they lack the knowledge but because they described when the question asked them to explain. This sheet sets out what each command word requires and roughly how much to write.
Command words that ask for recall
These need a fact, not a justification. Extra sentences waste time and earn nothing.
| Command word | What it requires | How much to write |
|---|---|---|
| State | Give a short fact or answer, no reasoning needed | One short sentence or a few words |
| Give | Same as state. Produce the answer from recall | One short sentence |
| Name | Identify using a technical term | A word or short phrase |
| Define | Give the precise meaning of a term | One accurate sentence, using the standard wording |
| List | Give several items with no explanation | One per line, matching the number asked for |
| Write down | No working required, the answer alone is enough | The answer only |
Command words that ask for reasoning
Each of these needs a because, a mechanism or a chain of causes. One point per mark.
| Command word | What it requires | How much to write |
|---|---|---|
| Describe | Say what happens or what something looks like, without saying why | One point per mark |
| Explain | Say why something happens, giving a reason or mechanism | One linked reason per mark |
| Suggest | Apply what you know to a situation you have not met before | A plausible answer using syllabus knowledge |
| Compare | Give similarities or differences, covering both items in each point | Both sides of each point |
| Justify | Support a statement with evidence or reasoning | A conclusion plus its supporting reason |
| Comment on | Give an informed opinion drawn from the data given | A judgement referring to the data |
Command words in calculations and graphs
| Command word | What it requires | How much to write |
|---|---|---|
| Calculate | Work out a numerical answer | Show working, then the answer with a unit |
| Determine | Find the answer, often from a graph or by a longer method | Full working, including any values read off |
| Show that | Prove a stated result, so the answer is already given | Every step, ending at the stated value |
| Estimate | Find an approximate value, usually by rounding first | The rounded values used, then the answer |
| Sketch | Draw the general shape with key features labelled | Correct shape, intercepts and turning points |
| Plot | Mark data points accurately on prepared axes | Accurate points, then a line or curve of best fit |
| Deduce | Reach a conclusion from information provided | The conclusion plus the reasoning that led to it |
How to use this sheet
- Underline the command word before you start writing. It takes two seconds and prevents the single most expensive error in the exam.
- Match the number of points to the number of marks. A four mark explain question needs four separate linked reasons.
- If a question says describe, resist adding the why. If it says explain, a description alone will not score.
- For compare, write both sides in the same sentence. Describing only one item scores half the available marks at best.
- Show that questions give you the answer, so the marks are entirely in the working. Never write the final value alone.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between describe and explain?
Describe asks what happens or what something is like, so you set out the observation or the sequence of events. Explain asks why it happens, so you must give a reason or mechanism. An explain question answered with a description usually scores nothing, even when the description is accurate.
What does suggest mean in an IGCSE question?
Suggest signals that you are being asked to apply syllabus knowledge to an unfamiliar context. There may be more than one acceptable answer. Examiners are looking for a plausible response grounded in what you have learned rather than a single memorised fact.
How much should I write for each mark?
Roughly one distinct scoring point per mark. A three mark question needs three separate points, not one point expressed three ways. Repeating the same idea in different words is the most common way students fill space without gaining marks.
Why do show that questions give the answer?
Because the marks are for the method rather than the result. Since the final value is printed in the question, examiners award credit only for the steps that lead to it. Writing the answer alone, or working backwards from it, scores nothing.
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Other reference sheets
Written to the published Cambridge IGCSE syllabuses. Always check the formula list and data sheet issued with your own paper, since the material provided differs between subjects and syllabus versions. Last reviewed 2026-08-12.