Command Words in PSLE Science OEQ Answers
Part 1 of 3 of the PSLE Science OEQ Guide: writing the answer is its own skill, and it is rarely taught. Here are the seven ways marks go missing in Booklet B.
Every open-ended question has a command word. That's the word that tells you what to do. Explain, describe, compare, predict, suggest.
Keep that name in your head. Your teacher will say "command word". Once you can spot it, you can work out what any question is really asking you to do.
What each command word asks for
Each command word asks for a different kind of answer. These are the meanings MOE uses.
- State wants a short answer. You don't need to give a reason.
- Describe wants what happened. The main points of it.
- Explain wants why it happened. You must give a cause.
- Compare wants both things, side by side on the same idea.
- Predict wants what will happen next.
- Suggest wants a sensible idea that fits the set-up.
Why the mark goes missing
Time is short. So you write the kind of answer you write best. For a lot of students, that's describing. Describing feels safe. You just say what you can see.
So an "explain" question gets a "describe" answer.
Every word of that answer can be true, and it still can't be given the mark. The mark needed a reason, and you never wrote one.
Let's see what one circle can do.
For "explain", here is a quick check: look for a "because" or a "so" in your answer. If neither is there, read it again. Did you give a reason? Sometimes the reason is there without either word, and that still counts. Just keep an eye out for it.
Next: the conditions a question locks.
For more tips on improving your answers—from avoiding common mistakes to using precise science language—explore the complete PSLE Science OEQ Guide.