A command word is the verb in the question, such as describe, explain, compare, suggest or assess. It tells you what kind of answer earns the marks, so reading it correctly is part of the skill, not a formality.
This lesson sits in extended geographic explanations because the same facts can be written four different ways. Choosing the right way is what turns knowledge into marks.
How should you treat command words?
The exact definitions come from Cambridge, and they apply to your exam year. Check the current list on the Cambridge IGCSE Geography syllabus page and use your teacher’s classroom wording alongside it.
As a working guide, the words below usually ask for the following.
| Command word | What the answer does |
|---|---|
| Describe | Says what is there or what is happening: the pattern, trend, or feature, using data |
| Explain | Gives reasons: why or how, in linked steps |
| Compare | Covers both items and uses a linking word to show similarity or difference |
| Suggest | Applies what you know to an unfamiliar situation |
| Assess | Weighs the evidence and reaches a supported judgement |
Treat the table as a starting point and confirm each meaning against the Cambridge list.
Worked example
Invented data for practice. Country X had 40% of its population living in urban areas in 2000 and 55% in 2020. Country Y had 70% in 2020.
Describe the change in Country X. Say what happened and quote the data: The urban share rose from 40% to 55%, an increase of 15 percentage points. Check: 55 − 40 = 15. As a relative change that is 15 ÷ 40 = 0.375, or 37.5%. Check: 40 × 1.375 = 55. State clearly which kind of change you mean.
Explain the change. Now give reasons in a chain: Jobs in factories and services are concentrated in cities, so people move from rural areas to find work. This raises the share of people living in towns.
Compare Country X with Country Y in 2020. Cover both: Country Y was more urbanised, at 70% against 55%, a difference of 15 percentage points. Check: 70 − 55 = 15.
All three answers use the same data. Only the command word changed what the answer does.
The mistake to watch for
Question: Explain why the urban share rose in Country X.
Mistaken answer: “The urban share rose from 40% to 55%, which is a 15 percentage point increase.”
This is a good description and earns nothing as an explanation. It states what changed and never says why.
The correction is to keep a sentence of data if you like, then add the reason chain: because jobs are concentrated in cities, people migrate, so the urban share increases. Before you write, underline the command word and ask “is this what, or why?”
Check yourself
1. Which command word asks for a similarity or difference between two places?
Show answer
Compare. The answer should refer to both places and use a linking word, such as whereas, both or in contrast.
2. An invented country’s urban share rose from 22% to 31%. What is the change in percentage points?
Show answer
31 − 22 = 9 percentage points. Check: 22 + 9 = 31.
3. A question says “Assess the effectiveness of flood embankments.” What must the answer contain that a description does not?
Show answer
It must weigh evidence on both sides, such as what the embankments achieve and what limits them, and reach a judgement that the evidence supports.
Where this leads next
Once you can read the command word, finish assess-style answers with a qualified conclusion. The statistics and distribution explorer is useful for checking the data you quote.
Our teachers can look at your past answers with you in online one-to-one Geography tuition, and mark where the style of answer drifted from the command word.