UK Assignment Command Words Explained (With Examples)

Two students can write equally tidy essays and walk away with very different grades. Often the gap comes down to one word in the question. Assignment command words  the directive verbs that tell you what to do  quietly set the ceiling on your mark. This guide explains what the most common ones really demand, with before-and-after examples you can copy.

Why command words decide your grade

Command words map onto the marking criteria. ‘Describe’ sits low in most rubrics; ‘critically evaluate’ sits at the top. Answer a ‘critically evaluate’ question with description and you have answered an easier question and the marker has no choice but to cap your grade. Reading the verb correctly is the cheapest mark in academia.

Describe and explain (the lower-mark verbs)

‘Describe’ asks what something is; ‘explain’ asks how or why it works. Both are necessary building blocks, but on their own they rarely break into the upper bands because neither requires judgement. Use them to set up your analysis, not as the whole answer.

Analyse

‘Analyse’ means break something into parts and examine how those parts relate. You are showing patterns, causes and connections rather than listing facts. A strong analytical paragraph keeps asking ‘so what?’ every point leads somewhere, building toward an argument.

For example, if asked to analyse the causes of a marketing campaign’s failure, listing what went wrong is description. Analysis shows how the causes interacted  how a misjudged target audience fed into the wrong channel choice, which in turn wasted the budget. You are tracing relationships, not cataloguing events.

Evaluate and critically evaluate

This is where firsts are won. To evaluate is to weigh strengths against weaknesses and reach a justified judgement, using evidence to argue why one position is more convincing than another. ‘Critically’ raises the bar further: question assumptions, test the quality of the evidence, and acknowledge limitations on both sides before you conclude.

Discuss, compare and contrast

‘Discuss’ invites a balanced, two-sided exploration that still ends with a clear stance. ‘Compare’ looks for similarities and differences; ‘contrast’ focuses on differences. The classic error is to describe each side in turn and stop  the marks come from the judgement you reach after weighing them.

Justify, assess and to what extent

A few more verbs trip students up. ‘Justify’ asks you to argue why a position holds, defending it against obvious objections. ‘Assess’ is close to evaluate: judge value or significance using evidence. And ‘to what extent’ questions are really asking you to argue a degree not yes or no, but ‘largely, because…’ or ‘only partly, since…’. Spotting that nuance keeps you from giving a flat, one-sided answer.

How to spot the command word in a messy question

Real questions rarely arrive as a single tidy verb. They wrap the command word in context and sub-questions. Your job is to find the controlling verb  the one that sets the task  and treat the rest as scaffolding. A quick routine:

1. Read the whole question, then underline every verb.
2. Identify the main command word (usually the highest-order one).
3. Note any secondary tasks it bundles in (‘with reference to…’, ‘using examples…’).
4. Write the verb at the top of your plan so every paragraph serves it.

The before-and-after that explains everything

Describe: Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour and uses reinforcement to shape it.

Critically evaluate: ‘Behaviourism’s focus on observable behaviour gives it real predictive power in controlled settings, but by ignoring internal cognition it struggles to explain language acquisition  a limitation that cognitive theories address more convincingly.’ The second answer judges, compares and justifies. That is the move markers reward.

Quick reference: command word cheat sheet

• Describe / Explain say what it is or how it works (lower marks).
• Analyse  break it down; show how the parts connect.
• Evaluate weigh strengths and weaknesses; reach a judgement.
• Critically evaluate  question assumptions and evidence, then judge.
• Discuss  explore both sides, then take a clear stance.
• Compare / Contrast  set ideas side by side and judge the difference.

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Conclusion

Command words are a code, and once you can read them your grades stop being a mystery. Match the verb to the right kind of thinking  description for the basics, analysis and evaluation for the marks that matter  and you will stop losing points for answering the wrong question. For a worked example of this in a full piece, see how to write a first-class assignment, or let AssignmentFix show you what strong analysis looks like.