🎯 Identify and state
Identify: name, select or recognise. State: express in clear terms. Give the answer and stop.
Exam Skills » Command Words and Essay Technique
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Cambridge spec: Command words
- What each of the 14 command words asks you to do
- How to spot the command word and the topic in any question
- How to build a strong 8-mark discuss answer
- How to plan a 14-mark evaluate answer
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Unlock This CourseWhy command words matter
A sociology question has two parts: the topic (what it is about) and the command word (what you must do with it). Many students know the topic well but lose marks because they do the wrong job. They describe when the question said explain, or they explain when it said evaluate.
Cambridge says command words "help candidates know what is expected from them in the exams". Their meaning always relates to the subject context, so in sociology each one has a clear job.
Key terms:
- Command word: the word in a question that tells you what kind of answer to write.
- Developed point: a point that is made, explained and backed up with evidence or an example.
The 14 command words
The meanings below are Cambridge's own. Learn them in four groups.
Recall words: short answers
📝 Give and define
Give: produce an answer from a given source or from memory. Define: give precise meaning. A definition is exact, not a story.
Set-out words: say what something is like
📋 Describe
State the points of a topic and give its characteristics and main features.
📜 Outline
Set out the main points. Keep it brief and clear.
✂️ Summarise
Select and present the main points, without detail.
Reasoning words: say why
💡 Explain
Set out purposes or reasons, make the relationships between things clear, say why and/or how and support with relevant evidence.
🔧 Develop
Take forward to a more advanced stage or build upon given information. Add an extra step to a point you have already made.
✅ Justify
Support a case with evidence or argument. Choose a side and prove it.
💭 Suggest
Apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses, in order to make proposals or put forward considerations.
Judging words: weigh it up
💬 Discuss
Write about issues or topics in depth in a structured way.
🔍 Assess
Make an informed judgement.
⚖️ Evaluate
Judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount or value of something.
Common mistakes
Describing when asked to explain is a common slip. A description says what happens. An explanation says why or how it happens. Another is writing a long essay for "Identify two" or "Give two". Those are worth 2 marks, so name them and move on.
Discuss: the 8-mark question
The syllabus asks for at least three developed points with evidence. Use this simple pattern for each point:
- Point: make a clear claim.
- Evidence: add a study, a sociologist, an example or a pattern.
- Develop: explain why this matters for the question.
A short closing sentence that pulls the points together can help. Discuss means in depth and in a structured way, so each point gets its own paragraph.
Evaluate: the 14-mark question
This is the biggest question. You need at least three arguments for, three arguments against, and a conclusion. "Evaluate the view that..." gives you a statement and asks you to judge it.
👍 For
Three developed arguments that support the view, each with evidence.
👎 Against
Three developed arguments that challenge it, each with evidence.
The conclusion is not a repeat. It answers the question: how far do you agree, and why? Give a reason that comes from your arguments.
A short model plan
Plan: Evaluate the view that the media has the greatest influence on young people's identity. [14 marks]
For: (1) young people spend many hours on screens, so media messages reach them every day; (2) social media shows ideas about looks and lifestyle to copy; (3) global media spreads the same styles across countries.
Against: (1) the family gives primary socialisation, so it comes first; (2) peer groups apply strong pressure through approval and rejection; (3) school teaches values and rules through the hidden curriculum.
Conclusion: the media is powerful, but it works alongside family, peers and school. Judge which matters most and say why.
Notice that every argument is one line here. In the exam, each becomes a full developed point.
Common mistakes
In evaluate answers, students often write only "for" points, or end with "so those are the arguments". Each side needs three developed points and the conclusion must make a judgement.
Exam-style question
(a) Define the term sanction. [2 marks]
(b) Discuss how the peer group influences the behaviour of young people. [8 marks]
Model answer
(a) A sanction is a reward or a punishment (1) used to encourage conformity or to discourage unwanted behaviour (1).
(b) Point 1: peers set norms about the slang and humour a group uses (1). A young person who talks the same way is accepted, so they copy it to belong (1). Point 2: peers use sanctions (1). Praise and inclusion reward conformity, while teasing and being left out punish those who do not follow the group (1). Point 3: peers can encourage risk or rule-breaking (1). A group that sees truanting as cool may pressure members to skip lessons (1). Linking sentence: the peer group is powerful because young people want approval, but family and school also shape behaviour, so peers are one influence among several (2).
Exam tip
Before writing, underline the command word, then circle the topic. For an 8-mark discuss question, write "1, 2, 3" in the margin and plan one developed point for each number.