7.10 - Answering the Question - Command Words & Open-Ended Questions
Why the wording of the question matters
- SQA marking instructions define what each command word requires.
- Writing correct physics that doesn't match the command word will still lose marks.
Describe vs explain - The same situation, two questions
Take a car braking to a stop:
- Describe what happens to the kinetic energy as it slows down → say what happens: the kinetic energy decreases until it reaches zero.
- Explain what happens to the kinetic energy as it slows down → give the reason: the work done by friction between the brakes and wheels transfers kinetic energy to heat, so the store of kinetic energy falls.
A typical question
Describe what happens to the kinetic energy of the car as it slows down.
The command words
| Command word | What you have to do |
|---|---|
| Identify, name, give, state | Answer briefly - a word or short phrase is enough, no explanation wanted. |
| Describe | State what happens or what something is like. More than one word, but no reasons. |
| Explain | Give the reason. Relate cause and effect, or make the relationship between things clear. |
| Calculate, determine | Work out a number from the facts and figures given, and give it with its unit. |
| Estimate | Work out an approximate value. An exact answer isn't expected, but the reasoning should be sensible. |
| Predict | Say what is likely to happen, based on the information given. |
| Suggest | Apply what you know to a situation you haven't met before. More than one answer may be accepted. |
| Justify | Give reasons that support your answer - usually by identifying a relationship and saying what happens when one quantity changes. |
| Show that | Prove a value you've been given. Every step must be written down, ending with the stated final answer. |
| Using your knowledge of physics, comment on... | The stem of an open-ended question, marked holistically rather than by collecting individual points. |
Open-ended questions
- Open-ended questions start with the stem "Using your knowledge of physics, comment on...", followed by a situation, a photograph, or a statement.
- Answers are marked holistically and placed in one of four bands: no, limited, reasonable, or good understanding.
- There's no single right answer, and several different physics arguments can score marks.
How to write an answer
- Identify the physics involved - Name the principle or effect at work (e.g. energy transfer, pressure and area, refraction of light).
- State any relevant relationships - Write down an applicable formula and state what it means for the situation.
- Apply the physics to the scenario - Explain what follows for the specific situation described.
Points to remember:
- Both breadth and depth are accepted: make several relevant points, or develop one point in detail.
- Restating the question in different words scores no marks.
- Never leave an open-ended question blank. A single relevant, correct statement is enough to lift an answer out of the bottom band.
Common exam questions
Question 1
What is the difference between a "describe" question and an "explain" question?
Describe asks what happens; explain asks why it happens. An explain answer has to give a reason or link cause and effect, so if your answer contains no "because", it is probably only a description.
Question 2
A question says "show that the resistance is 12 Ω". You know the answer already. What must you write?
Every step: the relationship, the substitution, and the final stated answer of 12 Ω. A "show that" question is the one place where writing only the answer scores nothing.
Question 3
A question asks you to "justify" your answer. What does that require?
Reasons that support it, usually by identifying the relationship involved and saying what happens to one quantity when another changes.
Question 4
How do you recognise an open-ended question on the N5 Physics paper?
By its stem: "Using your knowledge of physics, comment on..." followed by a situation, a photograph, or a statement. The paper does not label them.
Question 5
How are the open-ended questions on the N5 Physics paper judged?
On the answer as a whole, placed in one of four bands according to how much understanding it shows: no, limited, reasonable, or good. There is no list of separate points to collect, and a variety of physics arguments can be used.
Question 6
What are the three things a good open-ended answer does?
Names the physics involved, brings in a relevant relationship, and applies it to the situation the question describes.
Question 7
Why should you never leave an open-ended question blank?
Because the bands reward the answer overall, so even one relevant, correct statement about the physics involved lifts you off the bottom band, while a blank page cannot.