Keywords and Command Words in GCSE Biology

Having been a classroom teacher for GCSE biology students for over 15 years, I have lost count of the number of times a student has come to me with confusion over a keyword. And let’s not get started on the command words in an exam question! How many times has your teacher said to you, 'Read the question carefully'? They usually mean to take notice of and use the command word in the exam question.

In this article, I will tackle some of the main misconceptions about using keywords in your exam answers and how to detect and understand the command words used by examiners. Let’s start with command words, because if you don’t understand what the question is asking you in the first place then you won’t be able to use the correct keywords anyway.

What is a command word?

 A command word is the word in an exam question that directs and instructs you how to write your exam answer. For example, it might be 'describe’ or ‘explain’ or ‘calculate’. Each exam board will have a list of command words that they use within their exam questions. These words are vital to how you write your answers and an examiner will spend time choosing the right command word for a question and formulating an answer to match this. Trust me, as someone who writes a lot of exam-style questions here at Save My Exams, I know first-hand how careful the examiner is to come up with just the right command word for each question.

You can see some examples of command words in our Topic Questions for AQA GCSE Biology or for CIE IGCSE Biology. We cater for all the major exam boards so we’ve got you covered for plenty of practice!

What do command words mean?

Here is a list of the common command words and their meanings.

• Calculate – you should use the numbers given in the question to work out the answer. If the command word ‘calculate' isn’t there, then you don’t need to do any calculations!

• Compare – you need to describe the similarities and differences between two (or more) things, not just write about one. A great way to do this is by using words like 'whereas' or 'while'. For example, 'Plant cells have a cell wall whereas animal cells do not have a cell wall'. This is a direct comparison and exactly what examiners are looking for when they use the command word 'compare'.

• Complete – you need to write your answer in the space provided – this might be in a table, on a diagram or in a space in a sentence. This is a simple one but I’ve seen countless students lose marks because they haven’t noticed this command word and haven’t completed the diagram or table.

• Describe – this one comes up a lot. It means that you need to recall some facts or processes but show your understanding accurately and logically. If you are asked to describe a graph then be sure to include data from the graph too as part of your answer.

• Evaluate – for this one, you should use the information given in the question (that long bit of text you didn’t read or that diagram you whizzed past – go back and read it!) and also what you know about the topic, to write about the pros and cons of the subject. This is normally something a little controversial like using embryos in genetic screening, for example.

• Explain – another big hitter in the command word world. This is often where students don’t give enough information. You need to make your explanation clear, and using words like 'because', 'so' or 'as' can be a really helpful way to do this. For example, 'cacti are adapted to have sharp spines so that herbivores cannot eat them'.

• Suggest – here you will be given a context that you probably won’t have come across before. Don’t panic. Your teacher may not have taught you this particular example but you will know the biology it is based around. Take your time and apply your knowledge of the topic to this new and unfamiliar example. 

• Use – this one seems simple but it is crucial that you do actually use, and really show you have used, the information given in the question. That may be some data from a graph or diagram, or some figures from a table. If you don’t use the information provided in the question you won’t be awarded any marks. 

There are plenty more command words that each exam board uses so I would recommend you do a quick search on your search engine for your exam board command words and take a look at them. Something like 'OCR GCSE Biology command words' should take you to the right place.

How to understand an exam question

When you read through an exam question it is tempting to rush straight into an answer and write as much as you know. But let me tell you some tips to try while you’re revising to help you maximise your understanding of command words and what the question is actually asking.

Top Tip

Grab yourself a highlighter and a past paper, or better yet some of our topic questions for your specific course. You’re going to go through the exam questions but not answer a single one!

Highlight the command word in each question and then rewrite the question in a simple way that shows exactly what you are being asked to do. (See the examples in Figure 1 below.) By doing this you are delving into what the exam question is asking you to do. Once you’ve done this several times you will become more confident in spotting command words and understanding how best to tackle the exam questions. 

Fig. 1

Figure 1: Highlighting command words and rewriting the question can help you to understand what the question is asking

Another top tip

Spend some time spotting command words in exam questions (get that highlighter out again!) and jotting down their meaning next to the question. (See the examples in Figure 2 below.) Then have a go at answering the question, keeping the command word in mind. 

Fig. 2

Figure 2: Highlighting command words and writing out their meaning can help you work out how much detail to include and what the question actually means

We’ve discussed command words. You understand how to answer a question but now you need to put in the right bit of biology. So let’s move on to keywords. I know there are lots of keywords for biology that you need to know, but don’t be put off. You can do it!

What is a keyword?

Keywords in GCSE and IGCSE biology are what form the basis of an exam answer. They’re the words that show your understanding of a topic or concept. They are what an exam marker looks out for when they are reading your exam answers. But, and it’s a big but, they have to be used in the right way. 

One thing I have noticed over the years of marking students' exam papers and homework and mock exams is that many students fall into two categories:

• Either you’re a student who writes down too much detail, adds all the keywords you can think of for that topic into an exam answer, hoping that if you show you know all the keywords then you’ll get some marks.

• Or, you get in a flap, your mind goes blank, you can’t think of anything and you end up with an answer that is too simple and does not include enough keywords.

Both of these are very common mistakes and neither of them helps you get full marks on a question. So, what can you do about it?

How to use keywords in exam questions

To start with, you need to have an understanding of which keywords go with which topics. Then, when you’re reading through an exam question you can establish that a question is about photosynthesis, for example, and bring up in your mind the keywords to do with photosynthesis. Perhaps light, carbon dioxide, oxygen, limiting factors, etc. You then need to (take a breath, pause, think!) choose the right words to use in your description or explanation or whatever the question is asking you to do. It may sound simple, but I know it isn’t, at least at first.

Practice makes perfect

Here are my top tips for building your confidence with keywords:

• I know it may seem dull but a great place to start is by creating a glossary.

  • In an ideal world you would do this as you are taught a topic by your teacher, perhaps keeping it in the back of your class notes book or folder.

  • Every lesson, write down a few keywords that your teacher used frequently and make a note of their meaning. (If you’re not sure, ask, or you’ll never know and may continue to be confused right up to the exams.)

  • If you’re still not sure, take a look at our Revision Notes which take you through all you need to know for each topic of your syllabus. (Remember, we have revision notes for all the major exam boards.)

  • And here is the crucial bit – you need to look back over these words regularly. Test yourself on them. Better still, get someone else to test you. Do you know what they mean? Can you use them in a sentence to do with the topic? Can you write a flashcard for each one? And can you use them in an exam question?

Again, I know it's boring but practising using keywords is vital to your exam success. Some students just seem to know the right words to use but, for others, it takes more time and practice.

• Start by picking a topic and then find as many exam questions as possible on that topic.

  • Our Topic Questions are a great way to do that (remember, we do these for each GCSE Biology exam board and IGCSE Biology exam board too). I would suggest reading through the question (at least twice) and writing down all the keywords that come to mind.

  • Then bullet point your answer using the keywords that fit best. (Unless it says otherwise, in the question or the instructions, you can use bullet points for all your answers throughout the exam paper.)

  • Next, grab the answers or mark scheme (not cheating but a really useful revision tip!) and see which keywords the examiners are looking for. Highlight these.

  • Did you use them? If not, have a go at writing your answer again.

  • After you’ve done this a few times you will see that the same kind of words crop up all the time for each topic. You can then start to remember a set bank of sentences, using the keywords, for particular question types. This won’t work for every question, but it's a great starting point.

  • Little secret – I learnt mark schemes off by heart for my A-level biology exams and used this to help me put the right keywords and sentences together in my exams. And I got an A! Knowing key phrases that crop up again and again on mark schemes (such as 'from a high to a low concentration' when describing diffusion) can definitely help. 

As with all things in life, the more time and energy you put into something, the better results you will see. Revision, exams, learning keywords and how to answer questions are no different. I hope these tips and hints have helped you. I wish you all the success in your studies and remember that we’re always here at Save My Exams to help and support you.