Use science command terms to shape your answer

Read the instruction with the scientific task

Identify the command term and the quantity, process or evidence it applies to. A question asking you to describe a graph requires a different response from one asking why the pattern occurs. Use your current subject guide's glossary for exact meanings; related command terms can have distinctions that everyday language blurs.

Also inspect the marks, supplied data and any restriction in the question. These help you judge scope, but a fixed sentence-per-mark rule cannot determine every response. Aim to provide the requested reasoning clearly and directly.

Separate a reported pattern from its explanation

For an illustrative temperature-time graph, a description might identify an increasing temperature and a later reduced rate of increase, supported by values. An explanation would connect that behavior to energy transfer and the conditions of the system. Use the mechanism relevant to the question rather than repeating the graph in different words.

When both description and explanation are requested, make both contributions visible. Avoid adding a familiar mechanism when the provided evidence or setup contradicts the conditions it requires.

Make calculations auditable

For a numerical task, identify the relationship, substitute values with consistent units and show the stages needed to follow the result. As an illustrative example, a change of 12 joules over 4 seconds corresponds to an average rate of 3 joules per second. The working shows what is being divided and what the answer means.

Check conversions, significant figures and whether the result refers to an average or an instantaneous value. When the command asks for an estimate, use an appropriate approximation and indicate the reasoning that supports it.

Compare quantities on a common basis

Check whether the command requests similarities, differences or both, and follow the exact subject wording. Use paired statements about the items rather than separate descriptions that leave the comparison to the reader. For data, compare corresponding conditions and preserve units.

For example, comparing two heating curves at the same time gives a different answer from comparing the time each takes to reach the same temperature. Read the question's basis before selecting values. Explain any reference used for a percentage comparison.

Support judgments with evidence

When asked to evaluate or discuss, identify relevant considerations, use evidence and reach the kind of judgment the question requires. A method's limitation is useful when you explain how it affects the inference. A balanced discussion needs developed reasons, not merely equal numbers of positive and negative statements.

• Refer to the actual system or investigation.
• Use supplied data where they support the requested response.
• Distinguish an established result from a plausible suggestion.
• Keep the final judgment consistent with the reasons given.

Practise the response change

Take one suitable practice question and write separate short responses for describing its pattern and explaining it. Check both against teacher guidance and an authorized markscheme where available. Record which requested contribution you omitted, then try a fresh question. This builds control over the answer's purpose while keeping scientific knowledge and evidence at the centre of the response.