Cambridge IGCSE Command Words: How Teachers Should Teach Them

A command word signals the intellectual job

Students often know the topic and still underperform because they answer a different question from the one set. ‘State’, ‘describe’, ‘explain’, ‘compare’, ‘suggest’, ‘justify’ and ‘evaluate’ ask for different relationships between knowledge and evidence. The current syllabus normally defines the command words used for that subject, and those definitions—not a generic poster—are the final reference.

Meaning also lives in context. ‘Explain’ in Physics may require a causal chain using a scientific principle; in Business it may require applying a reason to the case; in English it may require linking a language choice to an effect. Teach the board definition, then make the subject-specific moves visible through examples.

Use contrast pairs to make expectations visible

Place two answers side by side: one that states a fact and one that explains it; one that lists differences and one that compares them directly; one that asserts a judgment and one that justifies it with evidence. Ask students to annotate what additional thinking earns the stronger response. Contrast reveals the invisible structure more effectively than copying definitions.

• State: give the required fact or value directly; do not bury it in an essay.
• Describe: identify relevant features or patterns—what is happening.
• Explain: connect cause and effect, mechanism or reason—how or why it happens.
• Compare: make explicit similarities and/or differences using the same criteria.
• Suggest: apply knowledge to the unfamiliar information provided; more than one valid response may exist.
• Justify or evaluate: reach a defensible judgment using relevant evidence, limitations or competing factors as the subject requires.

Plan command words across the course

Map each command word to units where students can practise it authentically. Model one response, jointly construct another, then remove the scaffold. Return to the same command with different content so students learn the thinking pattern rather than a memorised paragraph.

Track errors separately from content gaps. If a student knows that enzyme activity falls after the optimum temperature but writes only ‘it gets too hot’, the problem may be scientific precision, explanation structure or both. Feedback should name the missing link and require a revised answer.

Avoid formulaic answer myths

Rigid rules such as ‘one sentence per mark’ or ‘always write three paragraphs for evaluate’ may occasionally approximate a paper, but they are not universal. Marks depend on the published criteria and the quality of the response. Teach students to inspect marks, space, source material and subject conventions together.

Keep a living command-word bank with authentic questions, model responses and common near-misses. When the syllabus changes, verify the definitions again. Exam technique becomes durable when students understand the intellectual action and can transfer it to a new topic.