Cambridge Professional Development
Activity 7: Command words
Read the descriptions, and then select the correct command word from the list below.
define state describe outline predict
estimate deduce suggest discuss
1. give a concise answer, with no supporting argument .......................................
2. give a critical account; it may involve making points from both sides of an argument
.......................................
3. give the crucial points in a process or concept, without going into too much detail
.......................................
4. give reasons for something; a question might include the words 'why' or 'how'; biological knowledge is
required to answer this kind of question well .......................................
5. give a step by step account of a process or structure, or pick out key points from a graph or other data,
remembering to quote significant data points if relevant .......................................
6. use biological knowledge in a novel situation to give possible answers .......................................
7. present a formal statement, preferably in the wording specified in the syllabus .......................................
8. work out from information given; it may involve making connections between two pieces of information
.......................................
9. make a sensible decision about a possible numerical answer, without actually doing a calculation
.......................................
Activity 7 Command words Copyright © UCLES 2018
