[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-208077-en":3,"doc-seo-208077-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":89},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},208077,1099523885074,"Riley West","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc",4,"Exam","Command words in GCSE Biology - Part 1 - Learn to recognise and answer","Command words in GCSE Biology explains how to recognise key instruction words in exam questions and tailor responses to gain marks. It guides learners through “state”, “describe”, “explain”, “compare”, “evaluate”, and “suggest”, outlining what each question expects and how to structure answers. Examples cover describing body parts, processes and graphs, using “because”, comparing similarities and differences, weighing pros and cons, and making educated guesses in unfamiliar contexts.","[my-GCSEscience.com](my-GCSEscience.com)  \nThe leading source of online video tutorials dedicated to the new 9-1 Science GCSEs  \nCommand words in GCSE Biology  \nBy KATIE ROSS  \nState, describe, explain, compare , evaluate and suggest are the most important command words. Learn to recognise the command words when they come up in exam questions, follow our advice on how to answer them and you’ll pick up precious marks in your Biology GCSE.  \nIt’s very important to recognise command words in the exam and then to tailor your answers to the instructions given to you by these command words.  \nState  \nTake, for example, the picture of the girl. You could state that this is a girl.  \nIn the context of an exam question you may need to state the part of the body that produces bile. (Answer: the liver) .  \nDescribe  \nThen to describe the girl you could say that she has brown hair and brown eyes. Simply say what you see.  \nSometimes you may need to describe a process or pathway. For example when you inhale, oxygen travels down the trachea, then into the bronchi and the bronchioles and finally into the alveoli before diffusing into the blood. In this situation, a describe question is testing your knowledge and testing your factual recall.  \nIt can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between describing a biological structure and describing the function of that structure. The structure is something that you can label on a diagram, like a nucleus in a diagram of a cell. The function is the job or role of that structure (the nucleus contains the DNA that codes for the proteins that control the cell) .  \nFinally, when describing graphs, you need to take a slightly different approach. This is covered in our blog: Describing, explaining and comparing graphs.  \nExplain  \nWhen asked to explain , you need to give a scientific reason why or how. Here, you need to use the word ‘because’. The girl has brown hair and brown  \neyes because she has inherited the alleles/genes for these characteristics from her parents. If the exam question is worth several marks you may need to support your answer with a genetic diagram or a Punnet square to really show off your amazing understanding of inheritance!  \nApplication questions ask you to explain why or how something happens but inan unfamiliar context. You may have learnt how famers have selectively bred cows to yield large volumes of milk. But an exam question may ask you to explain how a farmer can selectively breed tomatoes to produce large tasty tomatoes. Here you simply show off your understanding of the process of selective breeding but change‘cow’ to ‘plant’ and ‘milk yield’ to ‘size and taste’. We discuss application questions in detail in our blog:  The application of knowledge to unfamiliar contexts.  \nCompare  \nWhen asked to compare, you need to comment on both the similarities and the differences. It’s important to take each similarity and difference in turn as the mark schemes often offer only 1 mark per comparison, rather than a mark for each individual set of similarities and differences. It’s important to use comparative terms such as longer, fewer, faster or to say that one has something while the other lacks something.  \nFor example, if asked to compare mitosis and meiosis, you could write the following:“Mitosis and meiosis are similar because they are both forms of cell division that produce daughter cells. However, there are clear differences. Mitosis produces two identical daughter cells, while meiosis produces four unique daughter cells. Mitosis involves one division, while meiosis involves two”.  \nIf asked to compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration you could say: “They both transfer energy from glucose. But aerobic respiration releases more ATP molecules than anaerobic respiration and aerobic respiration releases carbon dioxide and water while anaerobic releases lactic acid as a product”.  \nCommon compare questions in Biology are: sexual/asexual reproduction; the role of the menstrua","cbCairjpvZ7GtQSv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairjpvZ7GtQSv","pdf",225227,1,3,"English","en",105,"# Command words in GCSE Biology\n## State\n## Describe\n## Explain\n## Compare\n## Evaluate\n## Suggest","[{\"question\":\"Why is it important to recognise command words in GCSE Biology exams?\",\"answer\":\"Command words determine what the examiner is asking for. Recognising them lets you tailor your answer to the required method and structure, helping you pick up more marks.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the difference between a “describe” question and an “explain” question?\",\"answer\":\"A “describe” question tests knowledge and factual recall, focusing on what you can observe or label. 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For “evaluate”, present clear advantages and disadvantages, for example by using a “pros and cons” table to weigh options.\"}]","Command words in GCSE Biology - Part 1 - Learn to recognise and answer | PDF",1788602350,8,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":84,"head_meta":86,"extra_data":88,"updated_unix":28},"command-words-in-gcse-biology-part-1-learn-to-recognise-and-answer","",{"@graph":36,"@context":83},[37,52,66],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,50],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/command-words-in-gcse-biology-part-1-learn-to-recognise-and-answer/208077/",{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":60,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":61,"interactionStatistic":62},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":41,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-05",true,{"@type":63,"interactionType":64,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":65},"ViewAction",{"@type":67,"mainEntity":68},"FAQPage",[69,75,79],{"name":70,"@type":71,"acceptedAnswer":72},"Why is it important to recognise command words in GCSE Biology exams?","Question",{"text":73,"@type":74},"Command words determine what the examiner is asking for. 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