Exam technique: what AQA command words actually ask you to do

Describe is not explain

'Describe' asks what happens or what the data shows — no mechanism, no reason. For a graph, quote figures with units and reference the trend: 'the rate rises from 2 to 14 cm³ per minute between 10 and 40 °C, then falls sharply to zero at 60 °C'.

'Explain' asks why, using biology. The same graph explained becomes: increased kinetic energy gives more successful collisions until the optimum; above it, hydrogen bonds break, the tertiary structure changes and the enzyme denatures.

Suggest means apply, not recall

'Suggest' signals unfamiliar context where no textbook answer exists. The examiner wants you to apply a known principle to new information given in the stem. Read the stem twice and use its own nouns in your answer — if the passage is about a lizard's kidney, your answer must mention that lizard, not a generic mammal.

Compare, evaluate and calculate

• Compare: every point must contain both sides linked by 'whereas' or 'but'. A list of facts about one thing scores zero.
• Evaluate: weigh evidence both ways using the data provided, then give a supported conclusion. Mention sample size, controls and repeats where relevant.
• Calculate: show every step, carry units through, and use the number of significant figures given in the data. Percentage change is (change / original) × 100 — losing the 'original' denominator is the most common error in the whole paper.

Managing the paper

• Allow roughly one minute per mark and write the finish time for each question on the paper.
• Answer with as many distinct points as there are marks, each on its own line.
• Never contradict yourself: examiners take the first wrong statement even if a correct one follows.
• For the extended-response question, plan five bullet points first; the marks reward breadth and logical order, not length.

Marking your own work properly

Self-marking is a second revision session if you do it honestly. Mark strictly against the scheme, write the exact marking point you missed, then categorise it: content not known, command word misread, or detail not specific enough. After three papers the pattern is obvious and your remaining revision writes itself.