Exam questions are written to a pattern. Once you can see the pattern, you can tell what each question wants before you start writing, which saves time and stops you losing marks for answering a different question from the one on the paper.
Read the command word first
Every question has a command word, usually near the start, that tells you what kind of answer to give. Each exam board publishes its own list with definitions, and the main ones work like this:
- State, name or give: a short answer, often one word or one fact. No explanation is needed.
- Describe: say what something is like or what happens, with detail. You do not need to say why.
- Explain: give reasons. Each point should say why or how, linked with words such as "because", "so" or "which means".
- Compare: say how two things are similar or different, and make each point about both of them.
- Suggest: apply what you know to a situation you may not have seen before. There can be more than one acceptable answer.
- Calculate: work out a value. Show the working, because it can earn marks even if the final answer is wrong.
- Evaluate, assess or discuss: weigh up evidence on more than one side and reach a judgement.
A very common way to lose marks is to describe when the question says explain. If your answer would still make sense with every "because" removed, it is probably a description.
Then read what the question is about
After the command word, find the focus. Underline the key words: the topic, any place, date or person named, and any limit such as "two reasons", "using Figure 2" or "physical factors". Answers often lose marks for using the wrong figure, giving three reasons when two were asked for, or writing about a different time period from the one in the question.
Use the marks to judge how much to write
The marks in brackets tell you how much the examiner expects.
- 1 mark: one fact or one word.
- 2 to 4 marks: usually one point per mark, or one point developed with a reason for each extra mark.
- 6 marks or more: an extended answer, often marked in levels, where the overall quality of your answer decides the level.
Writing a paragraph for a one-mark question uses time you need later. Writing one line for a six-mark question limits your mark however good the line is.
Build an explanation in steps
For "explain" questions, a single point is often not enough. Take one reason and develop it: state the reason, then say what it leads to, then what that leads to. For example, in Geography, "deforestation removes tree roots, so the soil is no longer held together, which means heavy rain washes it away" is one reason developed twice. That kind of chain is usually worth more than three separate reasons with nothing linking them.
Plan longer answers
For questions worth six marks or more, take a minute to plan before you write.
- Jot down the points you will make, and the evidence or examples for each.
- For an evaluation, make sure you have points on more than one side.
- Write in paragraphs, one main point each.
- Finish with a conclusion that answers the question directly. If the question asks "how far" or "to what extent", say how far, and give your main reason.
A conclusion that only repeats what you have already written does not add much. The best conclusions make a judgement and say what it rests on.
Practise questions topic by topic
You do not have to wait for full past papers to practise questions. After you revise a topic:
- Find a few past questions on just that topic, with different command words and mark totals.
- Answer them without notes, under a rough time limit.
- Mark them with the mark scheme, and note which marks you missed and why.
Doing this regularly shows you how each topic is examined and which command words you find hardest. The past paper archive lists papers and mark schemes by board and subject.
Where DoRevision fits
The modules on DoRevision practise the thinking that exam questions test, and check each answer as you go. Quadratic Quest works through the steps of solving quadratics in Maths, and Weigh the Evidence practises the kind of judgement Geography evaluation questions ask for. Every subject on the revision pages is organised by its specification. For how question practice fits into the rest of your revision, see GCSE past papers and How to revise for GCSEs.