WJEC · command words
The word tells you what the answer has to do
Most lost technique marks are not gaps in knowledge. They are an answer that described when the question said explain.
This list is the set of words that carry most of the marks across UK boards. Nobody has yet checked it line by line against WJEC’s current published glossary, so treat it as a guide to the technique rather than a quotation of their wording.
- stateOne word or one short sentence per mark.
Name it. Nothing more.
Where the marks goWriting a paragraph where one word scored the mark, and running out of time later.
- identifyThe thing itself, named.
Pick it out of what you have been given.
Where the marks goExplaining why, which earns nothing here.
- describeA sequence of linked statements, one mark each.
Say what happens, in order. No reasons.
Where the marks goExplaining. "Because" is the word that tells you you have drifted.
- explainEach point followed by its consequence — "…which means…".
Say why it happens. Reasons, not just events.
Where the marks goDescribing. If an examiner could ask "so what?" after every sentence, it is a description.
- compareLinked statements using "whereas" or "both" — never one then the other.
Put the two side by side on the same measures.
Where the marks goTwo separate descriptions with nothing joining them.
- calculateFormula, substitution, answer, unit.
Work out the number, and show how.
Where the marks goThe right answer with no working, which loses the method marks when it is wrong.
- suggestA plausible reason, justified from the information given.
Apply what you know to something unfamiliar.
Where the marks goWaiting to recall a taught answer. Often there is none, and that is the point.
- evaluatePoints both ways, then a conclusion that actually decides.
Weigh it up and come down on a side.
Where the marks goListing both sides and stopping. No judgement, no top band.
- discussSeveral positions, each supported, and where you land.
Explore more than one view of it.
Where the marks goArguing only your own view.
- justifyThe claim, then the reason it holds.
Give the evidence for the choice you made.
Where the marks goRestating the choice more confidently instead of evidencing it.
- analyseSeparate the elements, then say what each does.
Break it apart and show how the parts relate.
Where the marks goSummarising the whole thing instead of examining it.
- assessCriteria, evidence against them, a verdict.
Judge how far it holds, with reasons.
Where the marks goDescribing what it is rather than how well it works.
Other boards
In the app, every question you log from a real paper carries its command word, so “62% of the marks you lost were technique” is a sentence about your own papers rather than a general warning. Open the app.