This tool shows what four common command words ask you to do and lets you practise choosing the answer that fits. It helps students who know the content but write answers that do not match the question.
Free tool
Command-word practice coach
You know the content but lose marks by answering a different question from the one asked.
Everything you enter stays on this device.
How do I use it?
- Choose a subject, Science or Geography.
- Choose a command word. Read what it asks you to do and the common trap.
- Read the practice task and the two answers.
- Pick the answer that does what the command word asks, then press Check my choice.
- Study the table that pairs each criterion for the complete and the incomplete answer.
How does it work?
Each word has a reviewed rule. State asks for one short fact.
Describe asks for what can be seen or measured, in order. Explain asks for a cause and how it leads to the result. Compare asks for both items on the same feature.
Every task has one complete answer and one incomplete answer written to miss exactly that rule. The table lists the same criteria for both, so you compare like with like.
The word check at the bottom accepts English, Malay and Chinese forms. A word outside the reviewed four gets a clear message, not a guessed rule.
A worked example
Word: Explain. Task: explain why a balloon rubbed on hair sticks to a wall.
Answer A says “because of static electricity”. Answer B says rubbing transfers electrons, the balloon becomes negative, the wall surface becomes positive, and opposite charges attract.
B is correct. A names the topic but gives no cause, and the table shows that B states the cause and shows the mechanism.
What are the limits?
The tool covers four words in two subjects with one task each, so it is a thinking tool, not a full course. It does not mark your own writing. Real mark schemes differ between subjects, so do not assume every paper rewards a word in the same way.
How does it connect to the lessons?
Read how to answer command words instead of writing everything you know and keep the question command reference beside you. If you can say the answer aloud but cannot write it, see I know the answer but struggle to explain it.
For practical papers, read preparing for science practical assessment. To work through your own answers with a teacher, see online one-to-one Science tuition and the one-hour trial class (from RM50).
Common questions
Which command words does the tool cover?
Four: state, describe, explain and compare, in Science and Geography. Each has an original task. Other words such as evaluate or justify are not guessed, because their meaning changes between subjects.
Why does the tool give two answers to one task?
One answer does what the command word asks and the other misses it. Choosing between them makes you notice the operation the word requires, and the table then pairs each criterion so the gap is visible.
Do all subjects mark command words the same way?
No. Marking conventions differ between subjects and papers. Use the tool to learn the thinking each word needs, then check how your own subject and mark scheme apply it.
Are my choices stored or sent anywhere?
No. Everything happens on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and the tool does not add your choices to any WhatsApp message.
A teacher in a one-to-one lesson can watch how you read a question and show, on your own answers, where the words asked for and the words written drift apart.
- Online one-to-one lessons for your child with an experienced teacher.
- Your first class is a one-hour trial, from RM50. The fee is agreed before you book.
- Happy with the teacher? Continue with lessons of about 1.5 hours. If not, ask for another teacher.